Head of Project Development, Madagascar

An incredible opportunity for a development professional to lead the project development department of a growing charity in south east Madagascar across the areas of sustainable development and conservation.

Job Description - Head of Project Development, Madagascar

Focus of the role

To coordinate the project development department on the ground in Madagascar and ensure professional development of all staff within it, including the ongoing development of the department’s internship programme, whilst building the capacity of the local partner NGO to develop, implement, evaluate and report on projects across 4 main spheres – Community Health, Sustainable Livelihoods, Conservation and Construction. Includes initial 2 month period in London.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct research into international & national development latest thinking, best practice and possible funding for the 4 project departments

• Work with the Director of Programmes & Operations and NGO Heads of Department to develop project and organisational strategy

• Work with NGO project leaders to design projects for poverty reduction in the aforementioned sectors, taking into account research findings, local needs and constraints, Azafady’s previous experience including results of pilot studies and government objectives

• Develop proposal documents and accurate budgets for grant funding based on these projects for submission to donors

• Develop effective systems for monitoring & evaluation of projects and build technical capacity of NGO project leaders where appropriate for implementation

• Support Azafady’s short term volunteer programmes to align volunteer activity plans with NGO project priorities

• Conduct field work and monitoring visits to project sites when appropriate, often involving long distances on foot

• Support the Director of Programmes & Operations in overseeing and ensuring sound management of all grants

• Coordinate, write and edit donor reports including details of activities completed, results achieved and evaluation of impact

• Work with the Education & Funding Coordinator in London and liaising on all communication with current donors

• Coordinate and proof read all written communications for external audiences, including volunteer blogs, website updates, and academic papers

• Use evidence-based advocacy from research & project findings to feed back to government departments on national and regional development strategy

• Support the Director of Programmes & Operations to identify the need for and recruit long term international volunteer and staff roles as necessary

• Delegate to and manage the work programmes of personnel and volunteers within the Project Development department to achieve departmental objectives and support organisational ethos and strategy

• Build the professional capacity of all personnel and volunteers within the Project Development department, particularly through development and management of the internship programme

• Provide core support to the Director of Programmes & Operations in management, security and safety of all international volunteers and personnel including leading cultural orientations for new international volunteers and staff

• Support NGO staff recruitment processes

• Work flexibly, including changing work priorities at short notice and working unsociable hours when it is necessary to meet a short deadline, for example the submission of project funding documents within the window given by donors

• Act as temporary stand in for the Director of  Programmes & Operations twice each year, as senior UK representative on the ground in Madagascar

• Represent Azafady in external meetings with other agencies, donors and partners on the ground in Madagascar and in the UK

Contract details - Unaccompanied post

Contract type: Permanent, salaried position with Azafady UK

Contract duration: 24 months

Required skills & experience:

Essential:

• Excellent listening and non verbal communication skills
• Cross-cultural negotiation skills
• Flexible and patient attitude
• Excellent problem solving skills
• Curiosity and interest in effective work practices in cross-cultural settings
• Ability and desire to provide capacity building across cultures
• Excellent analytical skills, with demonstrable ability in gathering and assimilating facts and data from various sources
• Ability and desire to work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers
• Ability and desire to develop, support and manage a team of volunteers and staff and the operation of an internship programme
• Excellent written communication skills and an ability to tailor written information for maximum impact among various audiences
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) to the level of editing English documents for publication
• Qualification in international development or related subject
• Sound knowledge of the international development framework and contemporary development and conservation issues facing least developed countries
• Minimum of 2 years experience in project design & in putting together successful funding proposals for multi- or bilateral donors such as EC, USAID, DFID, AUS AID, GTZ, SIDA
• 2 years’ direct project experience related to at least one of Azafady’s core areas of Community Health, Sustainable Development and Conservation / Environment
• Line management or project management experience
• Familiar with the use of project management tools including Logical Frameworks, work plans and Monitoring & Evaluation frameworks
• Good understanding of the importance of monitoring and evaluation activity in projects and of approaches used to measure outcomes and impact
• Excellent report writing skills, ideally previous experience compiling project reports for donors
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications particularly Excel
• A commitment to international development supporting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction in vulnerable groups

Desirable:

• Previous experience working in a developing country with a local NGO
• Knowledge / experience of natural resource management and livelihoods issues in areas subject to resource extraction operations
• Knowledge of the contractual obligations & reporting requirements of institutional & other significant donors of NGOs such as the EC, USAID, DFID, AUS AID and BIG Lottery Fund
• Proficiency in data management software such as Excel or SPSS
• Proficiency in written and spoken French

Country and organisation background:

Madagascar is one of the planet’s most significant biodiversity hotspots, with approximately 4% of Earth’s different floral and faunal species within this 0.4% of the planet’s land surface. Levels of endemism in plants and animals are estimated at over 80%, with many species yet to be named or even discovered. However, Madagascar is also one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 151/187 on the 2011 UN Human Development Index, and is one of the top three countries considered most vulnerable to the effects of climate change (along with Bangladesh and India) as a result of the effects of deforestation and natural disasters, and a lack of capacity to adapt to these factors through chronic poverty and a dependence on subsistence agriculture. Rapidly expanding populations (increasing at a rate of approximately 3% per year) and decreasing access to land have rendered traditional farming practices inadequate but populations lack information, training and necessary inputs to implement alternatives. These highly vulnerable communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, including forest resources for firewood, timber and the traditional practice of tavy (slash and burn agriculture). Without information being available to rural communities about alternative and more sustainable livelihood practices, poverty and increasing populations are resulting in severely and increasingly degraded forest environments.

Within the Anosy region in the south east where Azafady is based, spiralling poverty and environmental degradation are seen in their most extreme form. Over 90% of the population live below the poverty line and suffer some of the highest rates of illiteracy (80%), disease, and child mortality (up to 40%). Anosy is also home to the Ambatoantsignana littoral forest, a severely fragmented habitat with exceptional biodiversity, where levels of endemism of flora and fauna reach some 90%. Ambatoantsignana has been designated one of the highest conservation priorities in Madagascar; situated as it is within one of the country’s most impoverished regions it is one of the world’s most significantly threatened habitats. The fragility of the ecosystem is exacerbated through the effects of repeated drought in the south of the island and failed harvests, which have forced many farmers into charcoal production, further degrading forest environments. Further, it is estimated that around 80% of the remaining littoral forest in Anosy is subject to planned clearance over the next 50 years as a result of mining activities, leaving few options for the multitude of species, including humans, that depend on these forests for their survival. QMM, a subsidiary of mining giant Rio Tinto, has received authorisation to mine the area for mineral sands (ilmenite), and operations have already begun in the pilot site. The Ambatoantsignana littoral forest is home to numerous endemic and endangered species which face extinction if this fragile habitat is not protected and direct species interventions are not implemented.

Azafady UK is a British registered charity (charity no.1079121) based in London and Fort Dauphin, Madagascar.  Established in 1994, Azafady UK works in partnership with ONG Azafady, a Malagasy non-governmental organisation.

Azafady has over 15 years experience in grassroots community development work, during which time the organisation has grown hugely in size and reputation. The NGO now employs a workforce of over 60 Malagasy personnel, who are supported in country by 2 expatriate permanent staff of Azafady UK (Country Director of Programmes & Operations, Head of Project Development) and through a network of specialist volunteers from the international community sourced by Azafady Ltd. The organisation works in Fort Dauphin, the urban centre of the Anosy region, and surrounding rural communities aiming to alleviate extreme poverty and protect a unique but greatly endangered environment by empowering the poorest people to improve their health and wellbeing and establish sustainable livelihoods. At the heart of Azafady’s work is an integrated approach to community development sensitively built around what are directly expressed as the most pressing needs of local populations, and which maximises their participation in all stages. Project activities are focused on the areas of construction, health and sanitation, livelihood diversification plus natural resource management and conservation and the NGO is a recognised regional specialist in capacity building. All projects align with and contribute to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and the Madagascar Action Plan derived from these.

Azafady has funding relationships with numerous donors including the EC, AUS AID and BIG Lottery Fund, and collaboration agreements with government ministries, international NGOs including CARE International and agencies such as the World Food Programme. They have been elected onto government platforms and taskforces in the fields of nutrition, sanitation, HIV/AIDS, conservation, education and rural development to guide local implementation of the Madagascar Action Plan so as to ensure it benefits the poorest people and vulnerable groups.

To enable ONG Azafady to fully support communities in the next stage of the organisation’s development, Azafady UK is seeking to recruit a new Head of Project Development.  This is an excellent opportunity for anyone wishing to gain mid-level field experience in international development and poverty reduction work.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter outlining how their skills and experience match the requirements in the job description criteria to samm@azafady.org. Shortlisted applicants will have an interview with the Madagascar team by phone and with the London team in person.

Please note: The face to face interview in London is an essential part of the recruitment process.

Applications deadline - Thursday 27^th September 2012.

Initial phone interviews - Monday 1^st October – Wednesday 3^rd October 2012

Face to face interviews (London) - Friday 12^th October 2012

More information on the work of Azafady can be found at www.madagascar.co.uk