Consultancy Title: Project Manager
Location: Home-based
Duration: October 1, 2024 (flexible) – March 2025 (pending funding)
Number of days: 50% FTE, approximately 10 days per month
Reports to: Project Director
Works with: Project Leadership Team
Background
Maestral is supporting UNICEF Ukraine to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Social Policy (MoSP) and the Coordination Centre for the Development of Family Education and Child Development (the Coordination Centre) in Ukraine to design and implement care reform for better care and protection of children in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Better Care initiative aims to provide safe, nurturing family care for all children, recognizing the profound impact of war on 7.5 million children. It addresses the rise in child poverty, trauma, and risks of violence, abuse, and family separation. The initiative underscores the social and economic benefits of protecting children from adversity, contributing to their holistic development.
The Government of Ukraine is committed to safeguarding children’s rights to family care, health, and education. The President’s commitment to child protection and rebuilding the nation acknowledges the severe, long-term impacts of the humanitarian crisis. Key Better Care initiative objectives include:
- Strengthening families through investment in social services.
- Promoting family-based alternative care for children lacking parental support.
- Reintegrating institutionalized children into family care and transforming institutions into community service providers.
Maestral International acts as UNICEF Ukraine’s technical support for Better Care, delivering expertise to UNICEF staff, as well as government actors and implementing partners. Maestral has been providing such support since early 2023. Future support areas include but are not limited to, supporting integrated social services and benefits, alternative family care and supported independent living, strengthening the social sector workforce, support to implement a national financing resource roadmap, support the transformation of institutions, and providing technical assistance in monitoring, evaluation, research and learning activities.
Scope of the consultancy
The Project Manager (PM) will be part of the Project Leadership Team and will work in close coordination with the Project Director, Maestral team members and associates, UNICEF Ukraine, government and non-governmental stakeholders, and other experts. The PM will support the team to implement the project while ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.
Key Functions and Objectives:
Project Planning and Reporting (35%)
- Support the team to develop and maintain work plans when needed (for more complex tasks)
- Work with the project’s leadership team to identify staffing gaps and needs
- Support in the development of job descriptions or terms of reference for new tasks / team members to address staffing gaps
- Support the team to manage project tasks, ensuring tasks are inputted into task list, assigned and regularly updated; monitor project tasks and follow up with team members on the status and adjustments needed
- Support the team in identifying and resolving risks or obstacles to implementation/completion of tasks
- Develop weekly task reports and monthly project reports and submit to project leadership and the client
- Coordinate with the client on key tasks and deliverables, including following up on outstanding issues, coordinating client feedback, etc.
- Attend regular project meetings with Maestral team and/or the client
Management (25%)
- Support team members to identify short-term technical assistance (STTA) needs, prepare scopes of work and identify possible experts; reviewing CVs and conducting interviews when needed
- Support Project Director to orient new STTA providers on the project and ensure understanding of their scope and timelines
- Track STTA activities and deliverables according to established timelines and provide regular updates to project leadership
- Review all STTA deliverables for quality assurance
- Liaise and coordinate with STTA providers and client, as needed
- Orient other new team members on the project, as needed
Quality Assurance (20%)
- Support the Project Director in quality assurance of all deliverables, including ensuring proper branding, and formatting and conducting basic editing of documents
Technical Delivery (15%)
- Provide ad hoc technical support to team members which may include support desk reviews, support development of technical briefs and presentations, etc.
- Provide ad hoc technical support as needed
- Note that technical assistance may be increased outside of this scope of work, if mutually agreed
Knowledge Management (5%)
- Support the team to manage all project documents and deliverables, including supporting the organization of documents and comprehensive filing of all submitted deliverables within Microsoft Teams (internal) and Google Drive (external)
- Support team members to document and write-up project updates and about project achievements.
Working Conditions
This role requires a highly organized individual who can proactively and effectively manage multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize their workload. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, responding promptly to emails and phone calls, and maintaining a flexible schedule to accommodate project needs that are sometimes outside of usual business hours to accommodate a range of different time zones across team members.
Qualifications
- At least 10 years of professional working experience, including a minimum of 3 years of experience as a Project Manager in a complex, international environment
- Experience managing diverse team members, from various cultural and professional backgrounds
- Strong understanding of project management tools and approaches, including Microsoft Teams, Notebook, Tasks and Calendars
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including in fast-paced working environments
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
- Technical knowledge of care reform and/or social services is strongly desired but not required
- Good problem-solving skills and ability to take initiative to resolve issues and motivate team members
- Experience working on UNICEF-funded projects and familiarity with UN project requirements
- Knowledge of the context in Ukraine or another humanitarian setting a plus
- Fluent in English speaking, reading and writing; Ukrainian language not required
How to apply
Those interested in applying for this position should send their CV, Cover Letter, and contact details for two references to Joanna Ison (jison@maestral.org) by 23 September 2024. Please note, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
