PROJECT MANAGER Dia.Ma.Se.

DESCRIPTION
Oxfam Italia is an independent NGO established in Italy (Arezzo) at the beginning of the ‘70s and now working in several countries. Oxfam Italia was born from the experience of UCODEP, an Italian NGO committed for over 30 years in the struggle against poverty and injustice. Oxfam Italia is the Italian member within the Oxfam Confederation, the fourth international coalition in the world, specialized in humanitarian aid and development programs.

OUR VALUES
Economic justice, access to the basic services, active citizenship, governance and humanitarian aid are the axes that guide Oxfam Italia’s intervention, coherently with the values of justice, human dignity, democracy, solidarity, engagement and simplicity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The project “Engaging Diaspora Communities in Italy in Collaborative Efforts to Support Rural Development and Youth Employment in Morocco and Senegal – DiaMaSe” is co-funded by IFAD and will be implemented over 4 years up to March 2021. The overall goal of the project is to boost job creation and income generation for rural young people in Morocco and Senegal by leveraging the long-term investment from their diasporas in Italy. The objectives are: (i) to provide networking skills and technical support to the diasporas in Italy to identify and invest in profitable and remunerated rural on- and off-farm initiatives in and Morocco and Senegal; (ii) to provide financial and non-financial support to rural investments leveraging youth entrepreneurship and employment opportunities; and iii) to promote innovation and knowledge-building within diaspora organizations in Italy, among local and national policy-makers in Morocco and Senegal and among relevant international stakeholders to continue supporting the role of diaspora for rural youth development. The project is implemented by a consortium of which Oxfam Italia is the lead partner; other partners are Slow Food, Microfinanza and four Moroccan and Senegalese diaspora organizations.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful candidate, working under the line management of the Country Relationship Manager, will be responsible and accountable for overall oversight and implementation of the project.
Namely:
 Ensure technical and financial management of the project ensuring its correct and effective implementation, monitoring and reporting in collaboration with partners and according to the donors’ requirements and in line with the Oxfam Italia procedures;
 Ensure effective communication with partners for planning and monitoring according to partnership agreements; keep open information sharing with the project donor;
 Exercise oversight on financial management and accountability including preparing budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analysing and monitoring situation of resources as compared to planned activities and take remedial action when needed
 Supervise the preparation of financial reports by financial staff and take direct lead in preparing narrative reports for donor;
 Build and maintain relevant relationships and develop networks with relevant governmental institutions and other relevant actors, including diaspora associations, that play a key-role within the project’s intervention countries and sector;
 Ensure proper documentation and reporting of the project activities, including that all supportive documents are duly recorded and accessible;
 Maintain appropriate internal controls and ensure an effective Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning system is constantly adopted; utilize lessons learned from past activities and beneficiary feedback to revise strategies and action plans accordingly;
 Undertake continuous duty travels in the 3 countries for providing guidance to partners and monitor activities highlighting implementation challenges and solutions;
 Prepare, in collaboration with the media and comms teams, news releases, official correspondence, statements and speeches and other public information material for the project;
 Identify areas for policy advocacy;
 Contribute to the resource mobilization efforts, identifying potential new project opportunities and contributing to the preparation of project proposal;
 Contribute to strengthening Oxfam Italia programming in relation to migration with a specific reference to the area of migration and development;
 Perform other relevant duties as may be assigned by the line manager.

QUALIFICATIONS AND BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
• Advanced university degree in subjects relevant to the content of the project;
• Minimum five years’ experience in the management of international cooperation projects/programs of which at least 3 years in similar position in the sector of migration and development/co-development;
• Relevant work experience in the North Africa and West Africa countries would be an advantage;
• Knowledge of IFAD procedures and previous experience with IFAD as donor will be an advantage;
• Experience in leading, motivating and oversighting multi-disciplinary, geographically remote teams;
• Experience in management of partners and in liaising with governmental authorities, and with other national and international institutions;
• Advanced written and verbal English and French skills is essential. Working knowledge of Italian is an advantage;
• Strong administrative skills and advanced IT skills;
• Proven communication and drafting skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to write accurate reports and communication materials;
• Excellent leadership skills, ability to work effectively in a team, excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes;
• Ability to plan and organize work, anticipates risks, and sets goals within area of responsibility;
• Target oriented and problem solving aptitude. Diplomatic and confidentiality skills;
• An active commitment to promoting gender equity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of an organization’s work;
• Willing and able to travel frequently in the 3 involved countries (Italy, Morocco and Senegal).

This job description is not incorporated in the employment contract. It is intended as a guide and should not be viewed as an inflexible specification as it may be varied from time to time in the light of strategic developments and following discussion with the post holder.