Acted PSEAH Policy:

The Project Development Officer has the responsibility to adhere to the PSEAH Policy (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment). And has the obligation to complete all mandatory trainings related to the Code of Conduct and the PSEA policy and report any safeguarding concern such as breaches of organisational policies or codes of conduct according to Acted’s procedures. The Project Development Officer carries out work duties in a way that does not harm children, vulnerable adults or other staff or volunteers.

Location: Damascus – Syria

Start Date: ASAP

Duration Of the Contract: 6 Months - Renewable

Job Purpose:
The Project Development Officer (PDO) contributes to the development of project proposals in line with Acted’s global and in-country programme strategy, and ensures proper grant management, incl. timely reporting of Acted’s and partners’ project achievements to donors. In doing so, the PDO facilitates internal communication and coordination with relevant departments and partners, whilst also contributing to Acted’s external communication strategy.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Contribute to the funding of Acted’s programming strategy.
2. Ensure good donor relations through proper, qualitative and timely grant management.
3. Facilitate internal coordination and communication with partners.
4. Raise Acted’s profile and credibility with external stakeholders by communicating a positive image of Acted’s activities and engagements in the country.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :
1. Fundraising
1.1 Context Analysis
a) Analyse the country’s socio-economic situation, (donor) trends, needs and gaps.
b) Regularly conduct stakeholder analysis, in particular who does what and where (3W).
1.2 Fundraising and proposal development
a) Identify funding opportunities.
b) Contribute to the identification of potential relevant international and/or local partners (private sector partners, national and international NGOs, think tanks, academia, etc.) to be included in proposals.
c) Liaise with MEAL to contribute to the ToRs of assessments to be conducted for proposal development and to request their input in the log frame development (esp. formulation of SMART indicators);
d) Contribute to the development of fundraising documents (be it expression of Interests/ Concept Notes/ Proposals) in line with Acted country strategy and donor requirements and in close collaboration with Acted HQ GMU (Grant Management Unit) and finance.
e) Liaise with Area Coordinators, Project Managers and Technical Coordinators to ensure that proposals are relevant and technically sound.
f) Integrate learning from previous interventions (e.g. lessons learnt and best practices) into new proposals
g) Involve FLATS teams in the development of fundraising documents, particularly finance for the budget and logistics in case of specific donor procurement rules.
1.3 Contracting
a) Contribute to addressing in a timely manner all comments by donors on proposals in liaison with relevant staff in country and Acted HQ GMU and finance.
b) Read thoroughly all contracts before signature, seeking Acted HQ GMU and finance advice when required.
2. Grant Management
2.1. Contract follow-up:
a) Ensure that contractual obligations (including visibility requirements) and reporting deadlines are known and met by Programme, MEAL and FLATS team.
b) When any issue is identified in meeting deliverables in the given timeframe and budget, inform relevant staff in country and seek Acted HQ Program Department advice on potential solutions that would meet donor rules.
2.2. Reporting:
a) Participate in and take minutes of kick-off and close out meetings for each project
b) Write quality narrative reports, reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with Acted HQ GMU and finance, which will contribute ultimately to steady cash inflow.
c) Work in close relation with MEAL to incorporate MEAL data (incl. data on input, process, output, outcome and impact indicators, lessons learnt and best practices) in reports and review M&E reports from MEAL.
d) Liaise with FLATS teams when preparing reports, especially with finance to ensure greater coherence between financial and narrative reports by crosschecking the matching of data in the narrative and financial reports.
e) Contribute to the monthly update of the Reporting Follow Up (RFU) and ensure smooth and regular communication with Acted HQ GMU.
f) Ensure ad hoc requests from donors are addressed in liaison with the CD, programme and support teams;
g) Serve as a focal point for national and internation partners to ensure smooth grants management of all projects involving partners.

2.3. Partner Follow-up:
a) Liaise with partners when required to develop relevant grant agreements in close coordination with Acted HQ GMU and finance.
b) Ensure partners report to Acted in a timely and qualitative manner as per the requirements of the grant agreement.

3. Management and Internal Coordination
3.1 Internal Coordination and Communication
a) Facilitate interdepartmental communication and information sharing from the Base to the Area, Capital, and even up to the regional and HQ offices by taking minutes of the various Acted coordination meetings
b) Ensure these meeting minutes are sent monthly to HQ.
c) Keep Acted HQ GMU and finance updated on latest developments, opportunities and challenges so that GMU can best advice on the way forward.
3.2 Filing

a) File properly contractual project documents both in hard and soft copies.

b) Update regularly the Resource Centre at the office with appropriate and relevant external and internal resources.

4. External Communication & Visibility

4.1 Visual Communication Outputs:

Contribute to Acted external communication strategy by feeding regularly Acted HQ Communication Department with updates and content on operations, including pictures, articles, flash news, success and human-interest stories, and more

4.2 Social Media

Build Acted’s social media standing and output with regular, high-quality social media posts highlighting Acted’s operations and projects in Syria, with a focus on beneficiary impact.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• % success rate of proposals.

• % of proposals submitted in a timely manner.

• % of reports submitted in a timely manner [for final reports by Acted internal reporting deadline].

• Regular and timely holding of internal coordination meetings and submission of minutes/reports.

• Number of internal and/or external articles/news/videos, etc. published about Acted mission during the past 6/12 months.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, ideally in a relevant field such as social sciences or development.
• Experience and knowledge of Grants Management and Fundraising for NGOs, including project reports and proposals for institutional donors (minimum 1 year experience)

• Strong report-writing skills and attention to details.

• Strong ability to produce visual information and communication products, including but not limited to factsheets, capacity statements, presentations, social media posts, and more.

• Ability to effectively liaise with and coordinate multiple stakeholders, including internal teams, partners, and HQ .

• Experience working on the Syrian context .

• Proficient in written and spoken English and Arabic.

• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and able to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines.

• Able to communicate complex information clearly, with excellent interpersonal skills.

• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple competing priorities and handle busy periods.

• Excellent MS Word, PPT, and Excel skills.

Please send your resume/CV