Regional Project Manager – Food Security (Subject to Donor Approval )

Women Activities & Social Service Association (WASSA) was established in 2002 in Afghanistan as a non-governmental organization, committed to seeking ways for women's empowerment in Afghanistan. WASSA aims to promote women's equal participation in socio-economic sectors of the country. WASSA works directly with communities to bring change in the social attitude of the community regarding women.

An envision “Equal participation of women & men in all sectors of the country.

• Equal Opportunities: WASSA is dedicated to offering equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified candidates, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, ethnicity, age, or disability.
• Safeguarding and Conduct: WASSA will contact previous employers to inquire about any history of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment during the candidate's employment, including incidents under investigation at the time the candidate left. Job offers are conditional on satisfactory reference checks. By applying, candidates confirm they understand and accept these procedures.
• Final Selection: The selected candidate must pass a background check and reference check. They will also be required to sign WASSA's Code of Conduct, PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), Safeguarding, and other relevant policies before receiving a final job offer/contract 

A. Project Management and Implementation

1. Lead the overall planning, coordination, implementation, and management of Food Security and project activities across Herat and Badghis.
2. Ensure timely implementation of activities in accordance with approved project plans, Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs), work plans, targets, timelines, and budgets.
3. Develop and regularly update detailed implementation plans, activity schedules, procurement plans, and operational priorities.
4. Oversee day-to-day implementation and provide strategic and operational guidance to project teams and field staff.
5. Monitor implementation progress, identify challenges and bottlenecks, and take timely corrective actions.
6. Ensure that project activities are implemented according to approved standards, procedures, targets, and quality requirements.
7. Ensure effective coordination between Herat and Badghis project teams and promote consistent implementation approaches across both locations.
8. Support the Program dept in overall project planning, implementation, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making.
9. Ensure that project activities are implemented in a manner that promotes sustainability, community ownership, and longer-term impact.

B. Food Security Technical Oversight

1. Provide overall technical oversight of Food Security and related activities implemented under the project.
2. Ensure that project interventions are technically appropriate, context-sensitive, and aligned with identified food security needs.
3. Supervise and monitor the delivery of Food Security activities, including relevant assistance, support, community-based interventions, and other approved project components.
4. Ensure effective targeting, identification, registration, verification, and support of project beneficiaries in accordance with approved criteria and procedures.
5. Monitor the quality, timeliness, coverage, and appropriateness of assistance and services provided to beneficiaries.
6. Ensure that project teams maintain appropriate records and supporting documentation for beneficiary selection, distributions, activities, and results.
7. Identify technical and operational gaps and coordinate with relevant technical staff to address them.
8. Promote learning and adaptation based on field observations, monitoring findings, community feedback, and changing food security conditions.

C. Budget and Resource Management

1. Act as the designated project budget holder, where assigned, and ensure effective planning, utilization, monitoring, and control of project resources.
2. Conduct regular budget monitoring and expenditure tracking against approved budget lines, targets, work plans, and implementation timelines.
3. Review project expenditures, commitments, budget balances, and forecasts and initiate corrective actions where required.
4. Identify and address under-utilization, over-expenditure, delayed expenditure, or other budget-related risks in coordination with Finance and the Program.
5. Ensure that project expenditures are reasonable, properly documented, allowable, and aligned with approved budgets and WASSA procedures.
6. Coordinate with operations, Finance, Procurement, Logistics, HR, ICT, MEAL, and Compliance to ensure timely and cost-effective implementation of project activities.
7. Contribute to budget revisions, reprogramming, forecasts, and financial updates as required.
8. Ensure that procurement and resource requirements are identified sufficiently in advance to avoid implementation delays.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

1. Work closely with the MEAL team to monitor project implementation, outputs, outcomes, indicators, targets, and overall results.
2. Conduct regular field visits to project sites in Herat and Badghis to assess progress, quality, relevance, and compliance.
3. Review project performance against approved plans, indicators, targets, budgets, and timelines and ensure timely corrective action.
4. Analyze monitoring findings and use evidence to improve implementation and future planning.
5. Ensure that project monitoring findings and recommendations are incorporated into implementation plans and management decisions.
6. Support the development and effective use of data collection, monitoring, and reporting tools and methodologies.
7. Ensure the effective functioning of the Complaints and Feedback Response Mechanism (CFRM) and accountability mechanisms.
8. Promote Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) by ensuring that beneficiary feedback is collected, documented, analyzed, and appropriately addressed.
9. Ensure project documentation, activity records, monitoring evidence, case studies, success stories, and other supporting documents are properly maintained.
10. Prepare and share fact-based success stories, lessons learned, challenges, and best practices with the Head of Program and relevant teams.

E. Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

1. Maintain effective communication with donors, implementing partners, and local authorities.
2. Serve as the primary focal point for the project with donors, government authorities, clusters, working groups, implementing partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
3. Maintain regular communication and coordination with relevant line ministries and government departments at provincial and district levels to facilitate project implementation.
4. Resposnible for obtaining, maintaining, and renewing required Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), approvals, permissions, and endorsements from relevant government authorities in line with the donor agreement, approved project budget, and applicable regulations.
5. Facilitate and coordinate donor visits, monitoring missions, evaluations, audits, and government field visits related to the project.
6. Represent WASSA and the project in coordination meetings, technical working groups, clusters, and relevant external forums.
7. Coordinate with local organizations and service providers to strengthen referral mechanisms.

F. Team Management and Capacity Building

1. Provide effective leadership, supervision, mentoring, and technical guidance to project staff.
2. Ensure that project staff clearly understand their roles, responsibilities, targets, and reporting lines.
3. Regularly review staff performance and identify capacity-building and technical support needs.
4. Develop and implement appropriate capacity-building plans in coordination with relevant departments.
5. Organize coaching, learning, and knowledge-sharing sessions for project staff.
6. Foster a professional, collaborative, accountable, and supportive working environment.
7. Ensure effective communication and teamwork between project staff in Herat and Badghis.

G. Reporting and Documentation

1. Ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality preparation and submission of project reports and updates.
2. Prepare regular implementation, progress, budget utilization, risk, and operational updates for the Senior Management.
3. Coordinate with Finance and relevant departments for timely preparation of financial forecasts, budget updates, and required reports.
4. Prepare and review high-quality narrative reports, progress updates, and other project documentation.
5. Ensure that all project records, approvals, supporting documents, activity reports, monitoring evidence, and correspondence are properly maintained and readily available for review, monitoring, and audit.
6. Ensure that lessons learned, best practices, challenges, and recommendations are systematically documented and shared.

H. Compliance, Risk Management and Safeguarding

1. Ensure compliance with WASSA policies, procedures, standards, and applicable project requirements.
2. Ensure adherence to PSEA, safeguarding, accountability, and other relevant organizational standards throughout project implementation.
3. Identify operational, financial, security, programmatic, reputational, and implementation risks affecting the project.
4. Develop and implement appropriate mitigation measures in coordination with management and relevant departments.
5. Provide regular updates to Senior Management on significant project risks, challenges, and mitigation measures.
6. Ensure that all project activities and expenditures are properly authorized, documented, and compliant with approved plans and procedures.
7. Immediately report significant compliance, safeguarding, fraud, operational, or implementation concerns through the appropriate WASSA channels.

I. Gender, Conflict Sensitivity and Inclusion

1. Ensure gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches are integrated throughout project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
2. Promote participation , vulnerable groups, and other relevant community members where appropriate and feasible.
3. Apply conflict-sensitive approaches to project planning and implementation to minimize potential negative impacts on communities and local dynamics.
4. Ensure that project interventions are sensitive to local cultural, social, and contextual considerations.
5. Promote equitable and transparent access to project assistance and services.

J. Knowledge Management and Learning

1. Capture and document lessons learned, good practices, innovations, challenges, and successful approaches from project implementation.
2. Organize learning and reflection sessions with project teams and relevant stakeholders.
3. Disseminate relevant lessons learned and best practices within WASSA.
4. Ensure that learning from monitoring, implementation, beneficiary feedback, and field experience informs future activities and project planning.
5. Contribute to organizational learning and development of improved Food Security programming approaches.

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in project management or project coordination within humanitarian or development programs.
• Demonstrated experience in Food Security, food assistance, cash-based assistance, emergency/contengicy, resilience, or related programming is highly desirable.
• Proven experience managing projects across multiple locations or provinces.
• Experience in managing project budgets, expenditure monitoring, reporting, and resource planning.
• Experience working with government authorities, humanitarian coordination structures, communities, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, and accountability mechanisms.
• Experience working in Herat and/or Badghis or the Western Region of Afghanistan is an advantage.
• Experience supervising multidisciplinary project teams.
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• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Management, Agriculture, Food Security, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Business Administration, or another relevant field.
• Master's degree in a relevant field is preferred.

• Working Conditions

  • The position will be based in Herat or Badghis, depending on the assigned duty station.
  • Regular travel between project locations and frequent field visits within the assigned province and, when required, to the other project province.
  • The position may require working in challenging and fast-paced humanitarian environments.
  • Willingness and ability to travel frequently to project sites is required.

  • Other Responsibilities

    The Regional Project Manager may undertake other relevant duties and responsibilities assigned by the Senior Management to ensure effective, efficient, and successful implementation of WASSA projects.

    Commitment to WASSA Values

    The incumbent is expected to demonstrate professionalism, integrity, accountability, respect, teamwork, confidentiality, and commitment to WASSA's mission, values, safeguarding principles, and organizational policies.

  • Skills and Competencies

    • Strong project management, planning, coordination, and leadership skills.
    • Strong understanding of Food Security and emergency programming.
    • Strong budget management and financial monitoring skills.
    • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
    • Strong communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
    • Ability to coordinate effectively with diverse stakeholders and work across multiple locations.
    • Ability to work effectively under pressure and in challenging humanitarian environments.
    • Strong report writing and documentation skills.
    • Ability to communicate effectively with people from different ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds.
    • Strong teamwork and staff-management skills.
    • Good knowledge of MS Office, Outlook, and relevant project management and data-management tools.
    • Fluency in English and Dari and/or Pashto, both written and spoken.

• Interested, qualified candidates should submit their information/request through the link (https://airtable.com/appUYpwbX3IysTyOW/shrP8B2ACA1JBlE4z)
• Academic certificates or references do not need to be submitted at this time. These will be requested if an interview is called for.
• Only short-listed candidates will be invited for the written test and interview upon project approval.