Project Manager, Operation Come to School

Position: (1) PROJECT MANAGER

Ref No: PM/SOK/09/2022 (ID: 3883284)

Project: Operation Come-To-School Project

Location: Nairobi but roving 11 Counties

Special Olympics Kenya (SOK) is a National accreditation of Special Olympics Inc. with programming in sports, health, education and community building that address the injustice, isolation, intolerance and inactivity faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Special Olympics Kenya collaborates with partners to marshal resources, implement diverse programming and act as a convening power of stakeholders to drive positive attitudinal and behavioural change towards people with intellectual disabilities in communities

ROLE/PURPOSE:

Under the Supervision National Director, He/she will be responsible for effective implementation of SOK Operation Come-To-School Project activities in eleven (11) Counties He/she will ensure quality delivery of programmes and maintenance of high professional standards of UNICEF funded Education Project. The Project Manager will be responsible for implementation, monitoring and reporting on all the project activities.

KEY COMPETENCY AREAS:

Program Planning:

• Under the guidance of the National Director, coordinate plans for the implementation of the project activities in all target counties in liaison with respective County Education Stakeholders and communities
• Work with the County Director of Education and other education team members and partner organizations/government agencies to develop project implementation and procurement plans
• Work with the Project Team to prepare project monitoring tools to track indicators and monitor achievement of objectives and impact of the program
• In collaboration with the CDEs and National director, prepare plans for capacity building and training of school managements on various trainings needs
• Prepare plans for regular field monitoring visits together with respective Counties’ project staff and other Education partners

Program Implementation:

• Ensure that project activities are implemented in accordance with the approved work plans and with the involvement of partners and concerned stakeholders at all levels
• Ensure project activities are implemented in the most efficient, effective and sustainable manner
• Work with Project Staff, teachers and School managements in the development and implementation of school retention strategies for newly enrolled out of school children with disabilities.
• Ensure effective and efficient distribution of textbooks and other instructional materials to target schools
• Conduct regular data collection using existing tools in order to track project performance on indicators and measure overall impact and for donor reporting purposes and make recommendations on the improvement of these tools
• Ensure that good practices and lessons are documented and shared with the donor and education team for replication and wider dissemination
• Travel to all project sites to conduct regular monitoring of projects quality together with other project team members

Reporting, Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Ensure that field based monitoring data and information is collated regularly and reported in the provided reporting portals
• In collaboration with the project team, focus on project data collection to generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level
• Develop periodic progress reports in a timely manner for both internal and external use

Program Support Operations:

• Coordinate with other departments to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities including logistics (transport, warehousing and asset management), procurement, security and administration
• Network with other SOK programs/sectors to ensure integration smooth and efficient running while and drawing from best experiences and lessons for improved programming

Qualifications and experience

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Education/ Social sciences or its equivalent
• Minimum of three (3) years’ work experience in education sector especially in humanitarian setting
• Knowledge of Inclusive Education, education in emergencies, education sector policy, child rights and protection issues
• Experiences of facilitating community-based training, capacity building school managements, and awareness campaigns
• Strong self-starter, able to take initiative and adapt to changing circumstances and priorities
• Positive attitude towards community work with emphasis on the ability to learn from communities and support participatory, innovative approaches to problem solving
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathise with all children with disabilities and their carers
• Fluent in written and spoken English, Kiswahili and the local languages in the ASAL Counties
• Good report writing skills
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions
• Commitment to Special olympics Kenya’s Child Protection Policy.

Desirable qualifications

• Previous experience in working with NGOs delivering education and disability inclusive education services
• Demonstrated teamwork skills
• High level of motivation and enthusiasm for education
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Understanding of the dynamics of children with disabilities and their care givers is essential
• Experience of working with communities and other agencies that support education

Note;

SOK is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. SOK is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH) SOK is committed to “zero tolerance to fraud/corruption” and expects anyone who works for SOK to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our service recipients as a priority.