Sierra Leone: Country Coordinator, Sierra Leone

Montrose is looking for a full-time Sierra Leone Country Coordinator to be based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. You will oversee our existing programmes in Sierra Leone, represent Montrose and our unique brand of pragmatic development solutions to our clients, partners, and consultants, and support the growth of the company’s portfolio. You will have previous experience in delivering development interventions, managing teams, and liaising with multiple stakeholders in Sierra Leone, be outward-going and responsive, and be eager to learn and grow with the company, demonstrating flexibility, creativity and initiative.

Montrose:

We are an international development, social investment, and environmental consultancy company. We exist to deliver better quality, pragmatic, tailored programmes which improve lives across the developing world. We specialise primarily in the health, education, enterprise, environment, and research service areas. We are driven by a mission to deliver better because our clients and beneficiaries deserve better. Montrose works with people who share our enthusiasm for this vision and style, including bilateral and multilateral development agencies, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other development stakeholders.

Montrose is a UK company. We are registered in Sierra Leone are in the process of establishing a permanent presence in Freetown. The Country Coordinator will drive that process on the ground in Sierra Leone. Montrose also has a presence across Africa with offices in Kampala, Uganda, and Yangon, Myanmar.

Purpose of the Position:

To represent Montrose in Sierra Leone; support the effective functioning and development of Montrose’s business in Sierra Leone through high quality project management and project management oversight, as well as support to business development, technical work, and other duties as required. This position sits at Senior Programme Manager level (grade 6).

Location:

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Core Responsibilities of the role:

1.Project Management Oversight

The Country Coordinator will support the Programmes Director (PD) and the Deputy Programmes Director (DPD) in ensuring the effective oversight and supervision of project and contract implementation for projects being managed within Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries.

This includes:

• Providing support to the day-to-day project managers on set up, process, implementation, reporting, consultant management and budget management
• Ensuring processes are followed and progress tracked on each project, with regular updates to PD or her Deputy (DPD)
• Troubleshooting support on projects with the PD
• Liaising closely with PD on projects and progress, issues and problems as they arise; agreeing on how to proceed and ensuring the effective implementation of these decisions
• Ensuring effective communications plans for each project is in place and is being followed
• Ensuring that the client contract requirements and ToR specifications are being followed
• Review and pre-approval of selection of technical consultants
• Review of deliverables, budget expenditure and time frame for active projects
• Review, with Project Manager, results, challenges and lessons learned at end of projects
• Provide input on strategic direction to existing programmes and projects
• Ensuring compliance to HSSE and Ethical Conduct/Duty of Care requirements
• Analysis of project progress and content and providing feedback for improving projects
• Coordinate and support the facilitation of workshops
• Represent Montrose on working groups to support the achievement of project goals

2.Project Management

The Country Coordinator may become more actively involved in direct project management of specific projects where they have particular strategic importance. This would normally involve support from other Kampala-based personnel. This includes in addition to the above management oversight:

• Client liaison on project management
• Consultant and personnel recruitment and management
• Drafting, monitoring and managing project working budgets
• Work plan development, tracking and revision
• Deliverables management, quality assurance/revision, and submission
• Overseeing/supporting inputs by junior personnel supporting the project
• Supervision of support to projects including: logistics arrangements, procurement, compliance, invoice tracking and financial reporting
• Preparing end of project internal documentation (including review of results, challenges and lessons learned, consultancy review

3.Technical Inputs and Project Support

• Providing technical inputs for areas of expertise on ongoing projects where appropriate
• Undertake research on technical components of existing or new projects where appropriate
• Support technical experts through providing research or other support on technical areas where required
• Supervision/management of junior technical personnel for provision of inputs
• Review, write, edit, and quality assure technical reports and components of technical reports, where appropriate
• Undertaking field work related to providing technical inputs or oversight as required

4. Representation and Business Development

• Review, write, edit, and quality assure technical reports and components of technical reports, where appropriate
• Supervision/management of junior technical personnel for provision of inputs
• Support technical experts through providing research or other support on technical areas where required
• Undertake research on technical components of existing or new projects where appropriate
• Providing technical inputs for areas of expertise on ongoing projects where appropriate
• Represent Montrose as Country Coordinator, Sierra Leone
• Represent Montrose on working groups to ensure sharing of learning and knowledge of Montrose capabilities and presence in Sierra Leone.
• With support from the global Business Development team, lead on the development of new business opportunities and proposals for Sierra Leone
• Undertake research to support the development of proposals
• Draft, review, and/or edit components of proposals as required, including providing technical and contextual inputs where possible, and other relevant documentation
• Support the coordination of bid and proposal development as appropriate for Sierra Leone, and potentially elsewhere in West Africa
• Support identification of consultants for bids as required, in particular Sierra Leonean and/or locally based consultant

5.In-country operational support

• Identify, and assist in setting up, a physical Montrose Office in Freetown
• Assist in identifying further staff in time
• Manage cashbook and financial reconciliation
• Supporting the application of compliance requirements
• Any other support to ongoing and potential work as required

Essential Skills, Qualifications, and Attributes:

• A passion for doing development work better, working with all types of stakeholder, partner, client, consultant, government counterpart, and community members to improve people’s lives
• Exceptional drive, and a willingness to work hard to deliver high quality outcomes
• Strong time management, organisational and communication skills, and exceptional attention to detail
• At least 5 years relevant experience – including Business Development and Leadership
• At least 2 years previous international development project management or delivery experience in Sierra Leone
• Knowledge of the education and health sectors in Sierra Leone an advantage
• Ability to build and manage a team
• Ability and experience of engagement with government
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to produce accurate, inspiring and relevant content. Advanced Krio is a major advantage. Some French is also an advantage.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the experience of seeking creative ways to overcome complex problems
• Master’s Degree or equivalent in a relevant field is preferred
• Microsoft Office proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint)
• Right to live and work in Sierra Leone essential (currently based in Sierra Leone an advantage)

If you meet the above qualifications and are interested in this opportunity, please submit your application Here by Friday 20^th December 2019.

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