gblcareers.com

Job Description

The Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project is a 5-year integrated project funded by the USAID Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative and is designed to contribute to Government of Ghana (GoG) efforts to sustainably reduce poverty and improve the nutritional status of vulnerable populations. The goal of RING is improved livelihoods and nutritional status of households in Ghana.

• Job Location: Chereponi, East Gonja, East Mamprusi, Karaga, Kpandai, Nanumba South, Saboba, Savelugu and Tolon
• Reporting Relationship:  Governance Advisor reports to Program Manager

Job Overview

• The RING Governance Advisor supports the Metropolitan/Municipal/District Assemblies (MMDA) and all RING activities within the assigned districts.
• The Governance Advisor is the primary point of contact of RING at the MMDAs and for communications between the MMDA and the RING Senior Management.
• S/He provides overall Governance support to the MMDAs and coordinate complementary technical assistance provided by RING technical staff for Agriculture, Livelihoods, Nutrition and WASH.
• S/He also interacts with community leaders and members where activities are taking place.
•  As a member of the governance team, the Governance Advisor will deliver needed capacity building and technical assistance to all levels of the MMDAs as directed.
• The Governance Advisor will also support the implementation of community level capacity building interventions that promote transparent and accountable governance.
• Specific activities the Governance Advisor will carry in his/her district will vary based on district work plans and individual district technical needs.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

Project Representation & Partnership Management

• Represent RING at the MMDA by articulating a positive image to MMDAs, communities and beneficiaries;
• Build bridges and promote a clear understanding of the RING project among district and community-level partners;
• Develop positive relationships with project stakeholders through effective, respectful and supportive communication;

Capacity Development

• Identify areas in need of strengthening (governance and technical);
• Provide identified governance and technical capacity support to the MMDAs and their sub-structures;
• Notify RING senior staff of district capacity development needs outside the expertise of the Governance Advisor;
• Support the organization of district staff training activities relating to RING interventions;
• Provide quality assurance during interventions carried out by MMDA staff or consultants;

Components Integration

• Provide needed assistance (to RING or MMDAs) across all three components of the project;
• Conduct periodic scoping exercises to develop an awareness of major activities occurring within a district (whether RING-led, GoG or other organizations), ensuring that an informed approach is taken when targeting interventions and communities;
• Prompt district focal person, when necessary, to coordinate among the relevant district technical departments (DADU, GHS, DWST, etc.);

Project Management

• Support planning units (and other technical departments) to develop annual work plans in line with District Medium Term Development Plans and RING project objectives;
• Support district focal person to undertake periodic project reviews and adjust implementation timelines based on the current status of the program;
• Support the various technical departments in their procurement processes, and undertaking Value for Money Analyses relative to their procurement undertakings/activities.

Project Sustainability & Ownership

• Identify community champions within RING communities to increase intervention ownership;
• Identify district and community-level options for innovation grants;
• Support district to ensure all groups (specifically the vulnerable) are included in the project planning, implementation and monitoring;

Project Monitoring & Evaluation

• Support the monitoring and evaluation unit with data collection, validation and storage at MMDA level;
• Regularly visit project sites to track the impact of interventions on prime targets;
• Support partner MMDAs in developing their monitoring and evaluation reporting schedules;
• Conduct joint monitoring visits with MMDA staff and participate in regular data reviews;
• Support in the presentation of monitoring results by MMDAs at the appropriate fora;
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders during project planning, implementation and monitoring;
• Contribute to the development of annual work plans, performance monitoring systems and tools, and writing of project reports;

Reporting & Communication on Project Activities

• Provide weekly updates to supervisor, and contribute towards the preparation of other project reports to project management team and other relevant stakeholders for management decision- making;
• Liaise with the technical units (Agriculture, Livelihoods, WASH, Nutrition, and Governance) of RING to ensure a steady flow of information concerning field-based activities;
• Identify potential success stories, draft narratives and follow up for final publication for both MMDAs and RING; and
• Assist the RING project office in the preparation of scene setters for official visits to the MMDAs and project communities.

Required Skills or Experience

Professional qualifications the candidate must have are:

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Development, Social Sciences, Political Science, or other relevant field;
• At least three years’ work experience in community development, project management,
• capacity building, governance strengthening or other relevant fields;
• A strong demonstrated working knowledge of the District Assembly and its sub-structures;
• Proven project, budget and personnel management experience;
• Strong writing skills,  and IT skills, specifically in Microsoft Excel;
• A willingness to spend at least 80% of the work week in his/her assigned district, traveling on difficult terrain;
• The ability to ride a motorcycle; and
• Proficiency in at least one, preferably more, local languages (Dagbani, Mampruli, Nanum, Gonja, Anufo, Likpakpaln, Basara, Moar, Twi, etc.).

Personal characteristics that will be an asset for this position are:

• A supportive and patient demeanor;
• Honesty, integrity, and the ability to work independently, with little on-site oversight;
• A passion for development and supporting the growth of the most vulnerable populations;
• A willingness to work under challenging circumstances (i.e. poor road and phone networks, no electricity or running water); and
• The ability to remain neutral, whether politically, tribally, or religiously, in all circumstances.