Project Manager - DEC Collective Initiatives Fund

Contract: Starting August 2025 – Please note this is subject to funding approval

Duration: 12 months

Starting Salary: £43,461- £46,819 (inc London weighting)

Location: UK - Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London Office/Home Based

Interview to be held on the 17^th or 21^st of July 2025

Job Profile

The project manager will manage an ambitious 12 month Pooled Fund pilot project funded by the DEC Collective Initiatives Fund  which is to be implemented with partners in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Lebanon.  The role will be managed by CAFOD as the lead agency with oversight from a steering committee which includes partners and staff from CAFOD and Christian Aid.

The post holder will be responsible for co-ordinating between the collective initiative consortium members and leading the day-to-day management, implementation and planning of the collective initiative.  The post holder will furthermore play a critical role in ensuring the learning from this innovative pilot project is documented for scale-up and replication and is disseminated between the consortium members and other relevant stakeholders.  The postholder will play a critical role in identifying opportunities and advocating for sustainable future funding for the pooled fund. The post holder will be managed by the CAFOD Country Programmes Representative Middle East and will collaborate closely with other members of the Steering Committee.

The postholder will be expected to undertake travel to the Middle East Region, security permitting, including to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Lebanon.

Key Responsibilities

Coordinate and manage the DEC Pooled Funds Collective Initiative:

• Coordinate the consortium, ensuring strategic alignment of project objectives across all stakeholders, guiding the delivery of the project’s outcomes and impact.
• Provide leadership in managing the relationship between the steering committee, partners and other stakeholders, ensuring transparent communication and alignment on strategic goals.
• Ensure the management and maintenance of effective project governance mechanisms including supporting and servicing the steering committee and related subgroups.
• Ensure the effective design, development and delivery of the project in line with relevant standards and ensuring that approaches promote local leadership.
• Ensure effective coordination with partners, including the provision of technical support.
• Develop and maintain appropriate M&E systems at project level.
• Monitor impact and suggest strategic adjustments to ensure continued alignment with project objectives.
• Oversee donor reporting processes.
• Promote and oversee a continuous learning culture within the programme.
• Establish and facilitate processes which enable the effective capture, analysis, dissemination and implementation of learning within the programme including with external actors as required.
• Ensure effective information and knowledge management and flow of information between consortium members, the steering committee, partners and other stakeholders.
• Establish cross organisational collaboration with local actors and DEC member agencies to drive forward programme quality and learning
• Ensure the programme is implemented in line with humanitarian standards and principles, CAFOD’s partnership principles and by working with relevant CAFOD and Christian Aid staff to promote and support partner adherence to jointly agreed accountability, gender, safeguarding, supply chain management good practice and other standards as necessary.

Financial oversight and monitoring of programme budget:

• In coordination with the Country Programmes Representative (CAFOD), manage and monitor programme budget and prepare reports ensuring adherence to agreed parameters and donor requirements.
• Work with relevant team members to ensure the programme is delivered within agreed budgets. Instigate budget revisions according to evolving needs
• Ensure all financial and due diligence processes are followed in line with CAFOD/ CA and donor policies and procedures.

Representation:

• In co-ordination with the Country Representative develop, nurture and sustain relationships and effective communications with relevant stakeholders, ensuring that the project is well-positioned for advocacy and future collaborations.
• Represent the project externally, promoting and maintaining the project’s visibility and reputation and identifying future sources of funding for the pooled fund.
• Effectively communicate with other teams within CAFOD and Christian Aid to ensure that the programmes are well understood, and that information is available. This may involve participating in communities of practice, working groups, supporter events, etc, as agreed with the Country Representative.

Systems and compliance:

• Ensure effective use of CAFOD’s systems to share programme knowledge and inform decision making.
• Coordinate the Collective Initiative in line with DEC and member agencies’ risk controls and programme quality approaches.

People Management:

• This post does not hold line management responsibilities but may be required to lead the acquisition and day to day task management of consultants. The postholder will provide direction/task management to programme officers in relation to the programme.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities. Your role is responsible for ensuring that the programming work you are accountable for is safe, accessible, dignified and inclusive, providing ongoing support and follow-up to our partners in this area.

This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Person Specification

Understanding our context

Understanding CAFOD: Demonstrates behaviour in line with CAFOD’s vision, mission and values.

Understanding international development: Understanding and experience of international development, emergency response, programme management and quality standards within this context.  Aware of trends and changing approaches to development and humanitarian work, including donor trends and priorities

Working together

Managing ourselves: Actively helps others overcome problems to get the work done. Readily takes a leadership role. Able to make sound independent decisions in complex circumstances where information may be unclear.  Organise people and processes to deal with crises; Readily share knowledge or expertise with colleagues. 

Working with others: Builds collaborative relationships across CAFOD and with external partners, donors and other stakeholders.

Communicating: I actively listen to others; I keep colleagues informed of developments that may affect them.  Takes a proactive role in facilitating discussion. Confronts conflict and disagreement to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Looking outwards: Understanding of effective and values-based partnership work.  Handles complex negotiations with multiple partners and stakeholders.; Actively participates in networks to access and contribute to good practice

Making change happen

Managing resources: Proactively monitors expenditure and the use of resources, so is aware of the current financial position.

Achieving results: Readily communicates and implements agreed decisions. Makes sound decisions backed up by evidence and analysis. Encourages others to think about better ways of doing the work.

Managing our performance: Makes clear to people what is expected of them. Agrees realistic deadlines and measurable objectives.

Taking the lead: I take the lead in identifying solutions and making change happen

Job-Specific Competencies

• Knowledge and understanding of the Middle East context, especially the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon. At least 5 years’ experience in managing or coordinating international development or humanitarian programmes. Significant knowledge or experience of localisation, community-led approaches and/or pooled funds. Proven understanding of conflict sensitivity.
• First-hand experience with a values-based partnership approach (between northern and southern organisations and communities). Committed to working with and developing the capacity and enabling the leadership of local partners
• Demonstrable experience of designing and implementing participatory MEAL processes, including learning and capitalisation processes. Interest in exploratory approaches to learning.
• Financial management:  Experience of developing, managing and monitoring complex or large budgets.
• Self- motivated, adaptable and able to work with high degree of autonomy and without close supervision.
• Ability and willingness to travel (up to 12 weeks per year) sometimes at short notice and to areas of potential risk.
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Good analytical, review and report writing skills

 Desirable

1. Written and spoken Arabic.
2. Experience of cash programming.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.