Program & Operations Manager

Program / Project Management

• Oversee program operation and overall administrative, logistics and procurement functions for the assigned projects including contracts, partnership management, and consultancies
  
• Lead project start-up and closedown for each relevant project
• Provide strategic, operational, and financial leadership to the projects
• Play an active role and coordinate with relevant technical units in planning for the project. Strategically lead the field team, guide partners and assist to develop project Detailed Implementation Plans (DIP), budgets, and project implementation guidelines
• Support development of an annual human resource plan for anticipated or approved projects, including plans for performance evaluation
• Adopt relevant changes in project implementation, following adaptive management practices and considering local situations
• Monitor progress of each project to ensure each project is operating well and adheres to financial, administrative, and HR guidelines. Working with MEL team to collect relevant data and prepare progress reports for donors on a regular basis, as stipulated by each project agreement
• Manage communications of each project, including with iDE headquarters, donors, government partners, private sector, and other project stakeholders
• Actively engage in initiating best practices, key learnings, unique cases, and other relevant documentation to share with the wider team

Operations and Systems

• Develop progress reporting templates that can be used across iDE Nepal.
  
• Implement high-quality reporting systems across iDE Nepal as per donor requirements, tracking, assigning, and reminding stakeholders of their appropriate responsibilities.
• Develop a deliverables monitoring systems that can be disseminated to other project teams in Nepal.

Education

• Relevant graduate qualification, preferably in business, development studies, management, agriculture and/or equivalent experience

Work Experience

• 5-7 years of professional experience in managing development programs
  
• Proven leadership in the administration of similar activities with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, reporting, and budgeting. 
• Experience working with international donors
• Familiarity and experience with project management concepts such as Logical Frameworks, Impact Logic or Results Chains
• Considerable understanding of rural markets, trading relationships, and rural service provision. Knowledge on the roles of the private sector, government and civil society/NGOs in creating an effective service market;
• Experience of value chain approaches to market development and sub-sector analysis

Personal Skills

• Undertake additional tasks subject to workload and skill sets such as business development, cross-project training and evaluations
  
• Excellent interpersonal communication and leadership skills
• Ability to set priorities and multi-task while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines;
• Ability to work with various national and international team members and flexibility to adapt to different work conditions
• Ability to interact and collaborate with a broad range of public and private sector and NGO partners

Physical ability and mindset

• Ability to travel and undertake fieldwork in rural contexts
  
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of iDE;
• Ability to thrive as part of a team with diverse experience, expertise, skills and objectives
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite, e-mail and the internet 
• Familiarity with internet-based software systems such as Google Apps
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to present coherent and convincing messages to different audiences