Project Director (Surkhet, Nepal)

The Organization:

Lutheran World Relief, which is part of Corus International, has been present in Nepal since 2013. Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health and its fundraising brand Corus World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. In Nepal, Corus operates under Lutheran World Relief. Our more than 400 employees around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world's most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives.
At Corus we believe that good only grows stronger and we reflect that belief in our workplace culture. We value every employee's specialized area of expertise and nurture professional growth. We promote an engaging and supportive work environment, where employees feel enabled and driven to innovate, learn and collaborate. And because our subsidiaries often function as partners, our employees have the opportunity to work across our enterprise family.

Job Brief:
The Project Director (PD) is responsible for implementation Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) funded Strengthening warning systems, infrastructure, and health responses for climate-sensitive diseases and disasters "Suswastha (Good Health") project including office operation, staff management, operations, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. S/he may oversee a project/technical team, lead project function, reporting and documentation efforts, have a direct oversight role in the quality of technical direction, operations, and administration of technical service and/or project planning. This position will oversee [insert technical area] and will maintain a close working relationship and/or work in tandem with the Senior Finance and Admin Manager and the technical team.

Responsibilities:

1. Project Leadership (50%)

• Manage all aspects of day-to-day Suswastha project implementation including workplan activities, budget and finance oversight, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Provide technical assistance and project oversight to implementing partners in designing, implementing, and evaluating development programs in the specified technical areas.
• Lead project team(s), ensuring effective, efficient, results-based and timely delivery of activity targets including development of high-quality progress, financial, and evaluation reports are developed in accordance with organization and donor guidelines.
• Ensure that all programs conform to internal donor compliance, policy standards, and rules and regulations are always adhered to and met.
• Oversee the timely identification and screening of program contractors and employees as well as the processing of contracts in coordination with the HR Officer/Business Partner.
• Under the supervision of the Country Director, collaborate with Program Business Unit team members and other Organizational Business Units.
• Under the supervision of the Country Director, revise project designs and work plans; make recommendations for timely and optimal course corrections.
• Assist in coordination and response to internal and external audits in cooperation with CFAM and Corus Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO).

2. Partner Management (20%)

• Work with NGO and government stakeholders for successful implementation of the project.
• Provide or arrange training for partners needing capacity building to ensure quality in activity implementation and timely reporting.
• Work with partners in distilling lessons learned from project and program implementation and those findings to the Technical Manager(s) and use that information to improve practice and to inform the next planning cycle.
• Conduct periodic meeting with the partner NGOs and other stakeholders.
• Ensure high-quality program delivery and prudent management of project funds.

3. Coordination and Representation (15%)

• Laise with Ministry of Health and Food Safety, Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) at province and Provincial Health Directorate.
• Maintain good relation with health facilities in the project area.
• Maintain strong relationships with host government, donors, Japanese Embassy, UN agencies, other donors, and implementing partners.
• Represent organization within the local coordinating bodies and as delegated.

4. Staff Management (10%)

• Oversee outputs of direct reports
• Conduct performance planning and performance evaluations with staff on a quarterly basis.
• Work with staff to develop work plans and set objectives on a regular basis (one-on-one with direct report to be conducted on weekly or biweekly basis)
• Dotted line oversight over the finance staff.
• As needed, recruit and support new staff for specific positions.

5. Safety and Safeguarding (5%)

• Act as Security Focal Point for the project office.
• Maintain the Country Safety and Security Manual and conduct briefings and security updates as required.
• Act as safeguarding lead for the project office with all related duties, including receiving training, ensuring that staff are aware of relevant policies, and ensuring that safeguarding principles are included in all new program development and program implementation.
• Ensure compliance with local laws and regulations as it relates to international NGOs.

Supervisory:

• Senior Program Manager-Health
• Project Manager - Health Infrastructure
• Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in public health or environmental science and minimum of 8 years professional experience leading, managing, and implementing programs in public health equivalent combination of education and/or experience. Masters preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully managing a team and a commitment to capacity building.
• Well established familiarity with standard program and data management tools, as well as results-based management and monitoring and evaluation principles.
• Deep commitment to organization's core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.
• Proven experience working with institutional donors, private sector stakeholders, local NGOs, communities, and local authorities.
• Deep understanding of the local context and ability to navigate local government and community structures.
• Proven track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with host country counterparts and NGOs and other actors.
• Experience working with international donors and partners (NGO/FBO/CBOs, universities and other technical institutions).
• Prior experience of implementing a climate health program would be a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong working knowledge of international donor funding mechanisms (including grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements) required.
• Strong knowledge of international development, including humanitarian standards and best practices, economic development/livelihoods, and health.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and tasks efficiently.
• Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to details and established deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required.
• Fluent English and local language capabilities (speaking, writing, and comprehension) desired.
• Strong budgeting and budget monitoring skills including a high level of proficiency with MS Excel.
• Proficiency in Office 365 applications with Salesforce a plus.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the coordination of/collaborate on program implementation across multiple teams (between departments, between HQ and country offices, etc.).

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• The physical requirements that may be needed to execute responsibilities may include bending, standing, and walking, etc.
• The mental requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but are not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Global positions that are bound by contracts will not be changed without notice and approval.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment:

• LWR has a hybrid work policy, allowing work to be done remotely; 3 days/week minimum in the office is required. The employee must be available to work outside normal office hours or on weekends as required.
• This position must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in different locations, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high-security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.
• If applicable, must have authorization to work in the country of assignment.

As a member of the Corus Family, each employee is expected to:

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees' evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Corus family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Corus Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values.