Project Manager

Project Manager – Transforming Lives Through Nutrition (TLTN)

Department / Location: Kathmandu with 40% field visit to support in Lumbini Province and Rupandehi, Kapilabastu, Dang and Nawalparasi West Districts

Report to: Program Director

Introduction:

Helen Keller Intl Nepal is implementing the Transforming Lives Through Nutrition (TLTN) project in four districts (Dang, Kapilbastu, Rupendehi and Nawalparasi West) of Lumbini Province. The project focuses on five key lifesaving interventions: Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), Vitamin A supplementation and Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM). The project aims to avert deaths of children attributable to malnutrition by scaling up life-saving exclusive breastfeeding, IYCF, and IMAM interventions. The project uses the government-endorsed IMAM guidelines for the treatment of acute malnutrition, Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI) guidelines for breastfeeding, and Cereal Based Complementary Food (CBCF) guidelines for IYCF. Transforming Lives is a global project financed by LDSC with interventions in 12 countries across Africa and Asia including Nepal.
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Overall Responsibilities:
Working under the supervision of the Program Director, the Project Manager is responsible for overseeing the successful planning and implementation of the Transforming Lives program and ensuring the quality of the program. S/he is responsible for overseeing staff and ensuring good coordination and collaboration with government and other stakeholders. The position is responsible for ensuring Helen Keller ’s best practices are upheld, including adherence to the code of conduct, policies and procedures, financial accountability and making sure official matters are kept confidential. Ensuring quality is a primary objective of Helen keller ’s programming and monitoring and evaluation oversight is a requirement of all managers to achieve the best outcomes possible. As gender and social inclusion (GESI) is a cross-cutting and core component for Helen Keller programs, all personnel are required to ensure GESI sensitivity and integration where they work.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities:

Coordination, Collaboration, and networking

• Coordinate and collaborate with government stakeholders at three tiers of government for the implementation of project activities.
• Coordinate with relevant nutrition stakeholders including the Mother Child Wellbeing (MCW) Partnership Program led by CARE Nepal.
• Share the best practices and lessons learned of the project with other consortium members and other projects of Helen Keller International.
• Represent Transforming Lives at the different technical committees of the Nutrition Section/Family Welfare Division. Coordinate
• Transforming Lives consortium partners in-country.
• Support coordination and collaboration between local, district, and province level authorities and other concerned sectoral agencies working on nutrition.

Implementation

• Coordinate the preparation of detailed implementation plans and the planning of project activities.
• Conduct monthly meetings with field team and PNGOs to track the progress on project implementation plan, identify and address challenges and recognize successes.
• Organize the implementation of project activities, ensuring that the necessary logistical support is available.
• Oversee the project staff and directly supervise project coordinator, M& E Officer and technical officers. Participate in recruitment selection, orientation, and training of key project staff and other staff as requested by the Program Director.
• Develop and support teams of engaged and innovative people from different cultural backgrounds, guaranteeing technical excellence and program synergies.
• Ensure effective, consistent, and timely communication with field team including project partners.
• Ensure the proper and efficient use of project resources.
• Prepare annual project budgets; monitor expenses compared to budget, in collaboration with the finance team, and take steps to address any issues identified.
• Provide technical support for designing and implementing evidence-based program interventions to ensure quality implementation and for the preparation of training and IEC materials.
• Support the provincial government, Health Offices and municipal health section to improve and ensure the quality of implementation of nutrition-specific programs through the scale up of IMAM, MBFHI, and CBCF.
• Support capacity -development of health service providers in the effective management of severe and moderate wasted cases.

Monitoring and knowledge management

• Provide support to M&E staff and the field team to implement the DHIS2 system for the recording/reporting of project activities.
  In close collaboration with the IHMIS and the Nutrition Section, conduct monthly analysis of IHMIS data on nutrition indicators with a focus on IMAM indicators.
• Document best practices, lesson learned, and success stories of the project.
• Prepare monthly and annual reports according to the defined deadlines and as required by Helen Keller and the donor.

Representation

• Represent Helen Keller Intl and its values at the federal, provincial levels and maintain strategic relationship with stakeholders including external development partners.

Qualifications and Competencies:

• Educational Degree:
• Master’s degree in public health, nutrition, nursing or similar field.

Experiences years:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in related field with I/NGOs specially in nutrition specific interventions.
• Minimum of three years as a Project/Program Manager with experience in planning, managing people, program operations, budget preparation and monitoring and reporting.
• Experience in the management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM)/moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills and mentoring of staff partners.
• Excellent written and spoken (Nepali and English) language skills.
• An ability to maintain balance when under stress.
• Experience using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and other software.
• Strong knowledge of Nepal’s health systems, policies and strategies.
• Experience in coordination with governments and likeminded organizations; Good networking skills with national level and other stakeholders.
• Technically strong in project scope who can provide technical backstopping to the TLTN team and bring fresh perspectives.
• Have positive thinking abilities and be a strong leader promoting gender and social diversity.

In the spirit of our founder and namesake, Helen Keller is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity is fully valued. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, caste, age, disability, or any other status that has no bearing on the ability of an individual to perform the functions of the job.