Manager, Project Implementation

Search for Common Ground

In a world often divided, Search for Common Ground stands for the power of bringing diverse people together to find solutions. By meeting this moment with Search, you join a powerful global peace movement that believes in the profound impact of courageous multipartiality - that all voices should be heard and respected in shaping a better, more connected world and collaborative vision is essential for lasting peace. Search for Common Ground takes a dynamic approach by building solutions that are based on the needs of communities. We engage with leaders and elected officials to advance dialogue and collaboration. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are Peacebuilders. We have been doing this work for over 40 years, we have developed our understanding of what peace looks like, being able to quantify our impact and design more effective programming. Peace moves at the speed of trust, so we invest for the long haul. When we’re no longer needed, we leave, leaving behind people and institutions with the ability to manage future conflicts.

SHE WINS Project

The Supporting Her Empowerment: Women's Inclusion in New Security (SHE WINS) program seeks to equip women-led organizations in conflict-affected and fragile contexts with the resources and tools they need to influence decision-making while ensuring their security. The program is designed to leverage what works to build equitable and sustainable partnerships with women-led organizations in eight priority countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guatemala, Lebanon, Somalia, Uzbekistan and Yemen. Specifically, the SHE WINS program will foster and sustain the leadership of diverse women's civil society organizations in promoting women's safety and security. 

The Manager for SHE-WINS Guatemala will work on the full life-cycle of the Guatemala implementation of the project, from the start-up phase to the full close-out. This involves designing the Guatemala work plan and budget projections, implementing activities, reporting, financial management, and supporting in-country partners.  The Manager collaborates with other departments, including Finance, Strategy Alignment, Regional and Cross-Regional Programs (where the SHE-WINS global management team sits). The post-holder will also need to coordinate with staff on Search’s other Guatemala programs like Somos Ciudad.

• Manages relationships related to the project implementation such as partners (formal and informal), local authorities, and cross team collaborators, 
• Lead in-country project implementation, and maintaining close communication with the Latam regional team and WINS global team
• Expertly applies Search standards, processes, and best practices to work
• Improve, finalize and monitor costed-workplans and spend-out plans; support in finalizing and monitoring the logical framework and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) plan. Ensure alignment with women, peace and security programmatic goals. 

• External engagement: Maintain regular communication with existing and potential partners (specifically women-led organizations) ; meet with local authorities as needed, and facilitate approvals and networking . Conduct outreach and secure partnerships with civil society organizations, primarily with key women-led organizations and other leaders, both female and male, involved in these efforts.
• Project management and quality: Coordinate with regional and cross-regional colleagues for implementation, quality, reflection and learning

• Project activities: design project activities (e.g., objectives and structure of activities); lead and/or deliver project activities; 
• Reporting: review and finalize project documents (e.g., presentations, and agenda); finalize donor reports; review and finalize monthly and activity reports before sharing; review General Ledger (GL) and support country finance team (CFT) in producing financial report
• Compliance: coordinates with the country and regional team to follow donor rules/regulations; ensure donor compliance; and offer coaching and support to partners
• Subaward management: Provide technical review of partner documents; lead communication with partner management; provide oversight to partner work plan and key deliverables; lead in partner capacity assessment/plan and partner selection
• Provide inputs to strategy development and planning related to technical area of work
• Technical review of strategy and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
• Infuses organizational Values into all work
• Other duties that are broadly in line with the above key contributions as assigned.

• Works collaboratively with colleagues sharing expertise; Balances independence and self-reliance with collaboration and requests for guidance and support
• Effectively influences vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search's network of experts critical to the area of purview.
• Makes decisions on existing information when it may not be complete.
• Adapts to the personal style and preferences of colleagues to assess their needs and preferences; tolerates ambiguity; demonstrates flexibility.
• Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search; develops program objectives, indicators, and results; and participates in strategy development for the team.
• Overcomes obstacles, including personal biases, by following Search's ethics code in complex situations; displayed in activities as ethical principles and values that guide professional interactions.
• Assesses risks and opportunities in a complex environment and convenes discussions to lead to a favorable outcome.
• Establishes tools to monitor the quality of work and verification of information.
• Has knowledge of project management tools including technology as resources and applies delegation skills to support the development of others, as well as the building of efficiency and reduction of stress.
• Engages with other country and regional colleagues, cross-functional teams, and colleagues to produce innovative solutions.
• Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.

• Routinely coordinates with colleagues, consultants, and project partners on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
• Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
• Interacts with country colleagues, regional staff and the global WINS team. 

Education and Experience

Typically BS/BA with minimum 9 years’ experience in project implementation. Experience working in the subjects of Women, Peace and Security will be advantageous. The ideal candidate will have an intermediate level of English.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Ability to work remotely and build virtual relations with regional and cross-regional colleagues. Ability to travel domestically at least 20%

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility

Typically manages one or more direct reports and/or consultants and/or manages one or more functional areas.