Programme Background:

Under the Austrian Development Cooperation funded Institutional Support Programme (ISP), the Palestinian Water Authority intends to hire national senior experts to provide additional human resources to PWA in critical areas and to further develop the capacity of PWA staff and junior specialists to be hired under the ISP.

The Institutional Support Programme (ISP) will assist the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) "to fulfil its mandated as per the Water Law 2014 through strengthened and effective institutional capacities in the areas of strategic planning, policy formulation, coordination, monitoring, reporting, and resource mobilization. Over three years the intervention will contribute to putting an "effective institutional framework in place for improving water security and sustainable management of water and wastewater services (SDG 6) in Palestine through a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach.

The program's key emphasis will be on enhancing human resources while also allocating resources for operational purposes, research, and the implementation of a Management Information System (MIS).

The water sector receives support from various donors to facilitate essential infrastructure developments, considering the diverse range of contributors involved. The program will aim to support further institutional development of the PWA.

Over the past decade, the water sector has undergone comprehensive reform, culminating in the adoption of a new Water Law in 2014. This law introduced a clear distinction between policy and regulatory functions, a departure from the PWA's previous role encompassing both domains since its inception. Under the restructured framework, the PWA has taken on all ministerial functions, including policy and strategy formulation.

Scope of Work:

The Contract Manager shall focus on all stages of the Programme Cycle Management and shall be responsible for the administrative and management tasks of the programme, through ensuring that the grant agreement “contract” is properly and timely monitored and all deliverables are met according to the agreed upon terms and conditions, under the guidance of the Programme Director.

Under the supervision of the Programme Director, the Contract Manager shall manage the overall programme cycle management of the grant, optimize the grant administration process, ensure compliance with grant regulations, and grant monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The Contract Manager will work under the guidance of the Programme Director and closely with the PWA team, and shall maintain proper documentation of all important details of the grant agreement/contract, including but not limited to; key deliverables and milestones, dates, deadlines, and termination/cancellation requirements. The Contract Manager is also expected to identify trends and implement process improvements when needed. Part of this process is regular contract reporting and presenting key findings to the programme stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities:

 The Contract Manager will be based at the PWA offices in Ramallah and reports to the Programme Director. The Contract Manager shall provide Programme Cycle Management (PCM) expertise by ensuring effective planning, coordination and monitoring of the operational management of programme activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under the guidance of the Programme Director, the Contract Manager will undertake the following tasks, duties and responsibilities:

• In close cooperation with the Programme Financial Manager, maintain an overview of financial performance of the programme, including financial forecasting and tracking, monitor programme’s reimbursements and drawdowns, financial/budget plans and allocations, and advise on corrective measures to be taken.
• Ensure quality and coherence of the programme in line with Results-Based Management (RBM) through effective application of RBM tools and monitoring achievement of results.
• Ensure timely implementation of all programme activities and monitor the proper use of funds according to the respective signed agreement and its annexes.
• In close cooperation with the Programme Financial Manager, manage all programme procurement activities, including preparation of an annual procurement plan for the programme.
• In close cooperation with the technical committee members, prepare the required preparatory documents for strategic decision making and approval by the Steering Committee, and facilitate the development of technical documents for the project such as concept notes, monthly and yearly action plans for each programme intervention area and terms of references, and the review of processes by the technical committee.
• Contribute to building nexus partnerships and coordination efforts via the various coordination platforms.
• In close cooperation with the Communication Specialist, support the programme communications activities and ensure adherence to the PWA and donor visibility guidelines.
• Manage the development of programme knowledge products, success stories and lessons learned.
• Ensure smooth administrative process for the recruitment of the programme’s experts and specialists in accordance to PWA and donor procedures and guidelines.
• Ensure proper and timely tracking of progress toward the programme’s outputs, outcomes and goals, and maintain up-to-date information on programme interventions' implementation progress and challenges, through the application of effective monitoring and evaluation tools as per the Programme Document, Logical Framework Matrix and Monitoring and Action Plans.
• Draft results-based semi-annual narrative progress reports to the Donor, through coordination with the Programme Director and the senior team at the PWA.
• Maintain effective communication with the relevant PWA staff on upcoming deadlines and deliverables, thereby ensuring smooth completion of programme management responsibilities.
• Write minutes with conclusions, recommendations and action points resulting from meetings including technical and steering committee meetings, to be shared with relevant programme team or partners, as requested by the Programme Director.
• Ensure adherence to donor reporting schedules and requirements.
• Assemble all necessary supporting material and documents including budget reports.
• Develop feedback mechanism which can help to guide programme implementation.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Experience & Qualifications:

The successful candidate should possess the following experience and qualifications to be considered for this post:

Professional Experience

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or Engineering.
• Experience: At least ten (10) years of relevant experience in project/programme management, Project Cycle Management,
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills, including Results-based Reporting.
• Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization is an added advantage.
• Previous experience in institutional development or reform project/s is an added advantage.
• Language: Fluency in English and Arabic.
• Computer skills: MS-Office (Word, PowerPoint, command Excel), and internet.

Personal/Interpersonal Skills

• Effective organizational skills, Ability to work under pressure and prioritize workload.
• Effective verbal communication and coordination skills, ability to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues from varied professional backgrounds.

Interested consultants shall submit her/his applications including (Cover letter, CV describing similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc.) which must be delivered by email addressed below no later than 14/03/2024.

[email protected]