Project Lead

Position Title: Project Lead

2025-05-31 Kabul Full Time 39

Job Location:	Kabul
Nationality:	National
Category:	Program
Employment Type:	Full Time
Salary:	As per IRC Salary Scale 7B
Vacancy Number:	58264
No. Of Jobs:	4
City:	Kabul + Travel to the project areas of intervention

Organization:	IRC (International Rescue Committee)
Years of Experience:	Minimum five (5) years of experience managing programs with multi-sectors, including protection, Health, Education and Economic Recovery and Development/Livelihood/Agriculture) or related areas.
Contract Duration:	6 Months (with possibility of extension)
Gender:	Male/Female
Education:	A master's degree holder in a relevant technical background with at least 5 years of relevant experience in direct management of the development and implementation of programs in complex humanitarian and development settings.
Close date:	2025-05-31

About IRC (International Rescue Committee):

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC opened the country program in Afghanistan in 1988. Our programs span the range from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development activities, focusing on child protection, education, economic wellbeing, health, and power. The IRC works in 10 provinces throughout Afghanistan, among which some of the most security volatile, and employs over 1000 staff.

Compliance with Policies:

Compliance with the IRC WAY (our standards for professional conduct) is a responsibility shared by all involved in delivering on the IRC’s mission. We must abide by the IRC Way and Safeguarding Policies all the time.
The IRC has zero tolerance approach to the IRC Code of Conduct including safeguarding violations being committed by its staff, consultants, contractors, volunteers, interns, suppliers, vendors, sub-grantees/partners, implementing partners or any other associate.

Job Descriptions:

Strategic Planning and Leadership:

Under the strategic guidance of the Director of Programs, participate in meetings with the donor to discuss the program progress and/or adaptation updates, and support in the decision-making on the emerging programmatic and operational issues.
Coordinate with the IRC technical sector leads on the strategic direction and leadership for the program, including evidence-based adaptation of the technical sector interventions during the course of the program duration.
Monitor and stay up to date on the emerging context-specific factors and risks impacting IRC planning and implementation, e.g., early warning data and actors mapping, and make recommendations to the technical sector leads and the Country Senior Management Team (SMT) as appropriate.
Support the program implementation teams to ensure that all program sectors, and the interventions therein, have an inbuilt risk analysis and the mitigation mechanisms to adapt any changes in context.
Ensure robust program-wide and sector-level preparedness capacity to respond to the potential future shocks and disasters, with adequate preparedness, risk reduction, and early or timely action.

Leadership of program implementation

Lead the project cycle management processes and provide leadership for the smooth implementation of the program, including kick-off meetings, regular technical review meetings and close-out meetings, engaging both internal and external stakeholders as appropriate.
Ensure that project deliverables are met on time and within budget and ensure efficient budget management and conduct regular Project Budget versus Actuals Review Meetings.
Conduct regular project progress meetings and ensure the implementation is aligned with the planned timeline.
As the Project Lead role has matrix staff management responsibility for all the IRC implementation staff, working closely with the technical sector leads, as per the IRC management in partnership (MIP) approach.
Foster the intervention level integration both within and across the IRC technical sectors in the program, through the implementation team dynamics and intervention delivery by both IRC and local partners.
Oversee and coordinate the development of intra- and inter-program work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, spending plans, and communication materials like success stories, case studies, IEC, etc.
Ensure collaboration and healthy and constructive working relationships of the program implementation teams with the communications and advocacy, partnerships, grants, and the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) functions of IRC, including ensuring accountability to affected populations (AAP), gender, diversity & inclusion, protection mainstreaming, and advocacy.
Ensure client feedback received through accountability channels are responded within the timeframe explained in the CRA SOP.

Partnership Management

Oversee the partnership management processes, in collaboration with the partnerships team and the technical sector leads, to ensure well-planned, timely, coordinated implementation through local partners.
Actively promote meaningful partner engagement in program delivery and adaptation, as well as in the Project Cycle Meetings (PCM) processes.
Liaise with finance and technical sector leads towards timely funds transfer to partners and proper tailored financial management support for partners.
Liaise with the partnerships team to ensure the timely and effective partner monitoring, review, and reflection, on the mutually agreed tailored partner capacity strengthening plans.
Ensure collaboration between IRC and partners in the timely identification and constructive resolution of issues.

Grants Management

Lead on compliance with the provisions of the donor agreement with IRC in areas such as the program implementation, reporting, financial management, and other risks, for both IRC and partners.
Ensure program compliance with contractual narrative and financial reporting requirements of the donor.
Oversee the spending and financial management practices of both IRC and local partner implementation teams, including chairing monthly budget plan versus spending analyses for IRC and partners.
Foster program compliance to the donor, with guidance from the IRC Grants team; to the Government of Afghanistan, with guidance from the IRC Government liaison team; and to IRC, as per the IRC policies.
Proactively conduct program review and monitoring activities to take stock of progress, identify and flag emerging issues, and ensure that they are addressed and the donor is kept abreast of any developments.

Coordination and representation

Ensure proactive and constructive linkages between the program implementation teams and IRC support function teams including HQ Contract Management Teams, Field Operations, Government Liaison, and Finance teams.
Represent the program with the donor, sub-national and national level coordination platforms led National level actors, Technical Sector Working Groups, UN Agencies and government Authorities meetings when needed.
Proactively contribute to the IRC in-country and international advocacy initiatives through sharing regular contextual analysis and evidence from the program implementation and developments in the sectors.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):

Coordinate with the MEAL team to ensure an operational comprehensive MEAL plan for the program.
Ensure that clients feedback is incorporated and informs project adaptation.
Regularly review MEAL findings and ensure corrective measures for improvement.
Ensure that the technical sector quality benchmarks are applied to monitor the quality of implementation.

Job Requirements:

Minimum five (5) years of experience managing programs with multi-sectors, including protection, Health, Education and Economic Recovery and Development/Livelihood/Agriculture) or related areas.
Minimum five (5) years of experience in project cycle management.
Excellent organizational and program management experience, including with staff work plans, budget management and monitoring and evaluation
Demonstrated understanding of gender-responsive program cycle management, clients' responsiveness
Excellent leadership, communication, and facilitation skills
Excellent critical thinking skills and demonstrated ability to handle pressure and improve
Advanced influencing, communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate technical issues effectively and persuasively
Excellent English and Pashto and/or Dari language communication skills, both written and verbal
Excellent database, data management and data analysis skills; excellent command over MS Office
Ability to travel up to 20% percent to field/sites of operation.
Supervise medium to large sized project teams.
Set clear performance objectives; manage staff work plans; establish regular performance reviews.
Lead the recruitment of critical roles for the project and support their onboarding.
Identify training needs for the project staff, discuss plans with the Technical Coordinators and HR for both internal and external trainings

A master's degree holder in a relevant technical background with at least 5 years of relevant experience in direct management of the development and implementation Of programs in complex humanitarian and development settings.

Certification in Project Management, Gender Studies/ Peace & conflict will be an added advantage

Standard of Professional Conduct:

IRC and IRC employees are required to abide by the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Code of Conduct which are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified women professionals to apply.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Are you ready to join the most dynamic team?

Submission Guidelines:

For IRC- Afghanistan Internal Candidates:

(“ The IRC encourages employees to remain in a position for at least one year and be in good standing before applying for another position within the organization. if an employee is interested in a vacant position within the organization, he/she must inform his/her supervisor in advance before applying for a new position”)

(However, 1 year is a must to complete but to encourage IRCA employees somehow we are flexible who work in the current IRC position for at least 6 months or above and are given chance to compete for an opportunity in the organization)

All qualified candidates are requested to open the given link and follow the instructions:

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/58264?c=rescue

applications received without a given link and/or online system will be disqualified and removed from the entire process.

Shortlisted candidates will be directly contacted for a written test and after that for interviews. If you are not contacted TWO or FOUR WEEKS after the closing date .please know that your application has not been successful for the post. IRC Afghanistan Country Office, Qala-e-Fathullah, Street # 3, District 10, Old UNOCHA Office, Beside Fatemia Mosque.