PARC

Job Vacancy

Project Manager

PARC is a national developmental organization that strives to develop the agricultural sector, strengthen the resilience of farmers, reach out to the poor and marginalized groups and their CBO’s, mobilize and develop the capabilities of rural people to enable them to control their resources, through the work of a distinguished professional teams and a loyal volunteer. This has been accomplished through creative programs and transparent management and through technical practices to contribute to the establishment of a free and democratic Palestinian society with the values of social justice.

About the Project:

Promote Economic Opportunities, Psychosocial Support and Livelihoods Engagement (PEOPLE) is an 18-month project, funded by the European Union. The project action focus on economic and social recovery in the Gaza Strip by a consortium composed of Action Against Hunger (AAH), as lead-applicant, and three partners, namely the Palestinian Agriculture Development Association (PARC) University College of Applied Sciences (UCAS), and Association for Woman and Child Protection (AISHA).

The project focuses on agricultural production and related infrastructures; agri-food business support and establishment; employability programs for young graduates through business incubators and collaboration with the private sector. The intervention also addresses the mental and psychosocial needs of targeted populations affecting capacities to integrate and maintain economic activities (under the Mental health Psychosocial Support -MHPSS-component). Ultimately, this intervention supports individuals and community resilience.

Job purpose summary:

The Project manager role is to provide support to the implementation of PARC’s project within the economic empowerment program. The main responsibility of the project manager is to ensure the project is running smoothly according to the action plan and the available resources. 

The duties of the project manager typically include planning the project activities, monitoring its progress, coordinating meetings and overseeing members of the project team.

Where the project manager should exhibit high capacity in aspects related to economic empowerment including agri-entrepreneurship, market system, value chain, business development, and other proficiencies that fall under the concepts of rural development.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Ensuring effective project management of the assigned projects by maintaining the delivery of appropriate technical, operational, financial and administrative outputs, while tracking the project’s progress through monitoring, evaluation and reporting

• Managing and coordinating the implementation of the respective activities based on the relevant project documents, including, as needed, supervision and guidance of other project staff, consultants and experts with a view to achieving project results;
• Developing comprehensive/detailed project work-plans that include all project activities and roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders and setting-out corresponding milestones;
• Monitoring the progress of implementation of project activities and key event schedules observing the work-plans and set deadlines including monitoring of the financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports;
• Mobilizing goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications;
• Managing and monitoring project risks initially identified, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Board for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Project Risk Log;
• Ensuring adherence of project activities to the existing financial, procurement and administrative processes that are in line with prevailing PARC rules and regulations and, at the same time, observing the project timelines;
• Preparing project progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks issues, expenditures…) and ensuring timely submission of the reports to the relevant instances, such as the project boards and relevant donors;

2. Maintaining collaborative working relationships among key project partners and projects’ donors, through effective communication, consultation and reporting

• Maintaining regular coordination and quality assurance of expert inputs and products as well as among project partners to ensure coherence and complementarity of project activities;
• Identifying opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommending adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information on all relevant stakeholders gathered during projects’ implementation;
• Maintaining regular communication on relevant project issues with the local and international counterparties, consultants and experts and ensuring quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs;
• Maintaining effective linkages with current and potential donors;
• Submitting reports to PARC and donors in a quality and timely manner.

3. Aligning the project with PARC values and priorities:

• Ensure the principles of gender equality, democratic governance, social inclusion and disaster resilience are effectively reflected in all project activities;
• Ensure that gender equality is pursued in all project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, researches, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail;
• Consult regularly with other PARC projects and programs on related activities where synergies are possible;
• Strive to engage groups and communities in project activities that affect them;
• Communicate project goals and activities clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public.

4. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR EVALUATION OF RESULTS:

• Project activities executed in line with PARC corporate principles;
• Project staff/ team(s) effectively and efficiently guided and backstopped, as needed;
• Implementation of the transferred competencies and resources consolidated and effectively carried out;
• Links with other relevant projects/initiatives established and joint objectives effectuated;
• Funds delivered funds in accordance to the planned Annual Work Plans;
• Reporting completed in a timely and qualitative fashion in line with the programme needs.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor degree in business administration or a relevant field. (or equivalent combination of formal training and experience e.g. in marketing, economics, management, business development etc.). An MBA, community development, gender mainstreaming, with an emphasis on economic empowerment would be added assets.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years (3 for candidates with a Master’s degree) of relevant professional experience in the areas of project management.
• Experience in project management, programme/project coordination and monitoring and/or provision of advisory services or similar;
• Experience in working in economic empowerment activities in the agriculture sector, this may include but not limited to agri-entrepreneurship, market system, value chain, business development, and other proficiencies that fall under the concepts of rural development.
• Good knowledge of the policies and institutional frameworks relevant to the environmental protection, nature protection and/or climate change;
• Excellent communications, report writing and analytical skills. 

Languages:

• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills are required in both Arabic and English.

 Only applicants who have the required qualities, experience, and skills will be considered. Interested applicants must include (a) A resume (in English) and (b) a cover letter explaining their suitability for the position (in English)

Please submit your application by e- mail to http://www.pal-arc.org/jobs to the attention of the HR Department no later than 25th September 2022 and include the job title (Project manager) in the subject line and cover letter.

Applications received after this date or that do not meet the qualifications above will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the written test.