Project Lead

Position Overview

The Project Lead is a pivotal leadership role responsible for orchestrating and managing a multidisciplinary team to achieve the objectives outlined in the project. This position involves overseeing project activities, ensuring compliance with established standards, and collaborating with various stakeholders to drive successful project implementation and completion. The Project Lead will champion plastic waste management and reduction for a just transition towards a circular economy while engaging stakeholders to advocate for inclusive, evidence-based policies.

The Project Lead will oversee the overall implementation of the Green Shift project, providing day-to-day strategic direction and supervision of the project team to ensure effective coordination and management of activities. The role also involves monitoring project progress and ensuring accountability for planned outcomes. In addition, the Project Lead will guide and monitor the activities of consortium partners, ensuring alignment and synergy in achieving project goals.

The Project Lead is expected to exercise full compliance with organizational rules and regulations.

Roles and Responsibilities

Project Planning and Strategy

• Develop comprehensive project plans, including timelines, resource allocation, operational strategies, and risk mitigation plans.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align project objectives and strategies.
• Regularly monitor project progress and address any concerns or obstacles.
• Implement feedback mechanisms to gather input from stakeholders and adapt strategies as needed.
• Research, Monitoring, and Knowledge Management
• Conduct baseline research in project provinces and identify relevant stakeholders in collaboration with the project team.
• Monitor project progress, document lessons learned, and share best practices.
• Identify challenges and opportunities for developing and implementing Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP).

Budget Planning

• Develop and regularly update an accurate project budget in collaboration with the finance team.
• Monitor expenditures against the budget to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Conduct project completion audits to evaluate financial management and adherence to grant requirements.

Compliance and Documentation

• Develop a system for tracking adherence to project policies throughout the project lifecycle.
• Prepare regular compliance reports for review and auditing purposes.

Coordinating and Networking

• Maintain close coordination with provincial and municipal governments for MoU signings and collaborative efforts.
• Regularly liaise with local government solid waste/sanitation/environment divisions as necessary.

Grant Monitoring and Evaluation

• Utilize project management tools to monitor progress and evaluate outcomes in collaboration with the MERL Officer.
• Implement progress reporting mechanisms to provide regular updates to donors and stakeholders.

Quality Assurance and Reporting

• Establish and enforce quality standards for project deliverables to ensure alignment with expectations.
• Prepare and submit periodic project status reports to the donor and the Project Steering Committee.

Risk Identification and Mitigation

• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments to identify potential challenges and obstacles.
• Develop proactive strategies to mitigate identified risks.

Communications Strategy

• Oversee the development of a comprehensive communications strategy to ensure effective messaging and outreach.
• Implement feedback mechanisms to adjust communication strategies based on stakeholder input.

Consortium Partner Guidance

• Provide strategic guidance and monitoring for consortium partners to ensure their activities align with the project’s objectives.
• Facilitate regular meetings with consortium partners to track progress and resolve challenges collaboratively.
• Ensure synergy among consortium partners to achieve cohesive project outcomes.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Master’s degree in environmental science, social work, international relations, law, or a related field.
• Proven experience at the senior officer level for a minimum of 10 years or managerial level for a minimum of 5 years. Candidates with previous experience in solid waste management are preferred.
• Strong understanding of project management cycles, including proposal development, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and GESI approaches.
• Demonstrated expertise in promoting inclusion and life transformation for vulnerable communities.
• Willingness to undertake frequent field visits (40% in the field and 60% at the head office).
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, presentation, and public relations skills in both English and Nepali.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to work effectively under pressure, both independently and in a team, to achieve tangible results.
• Energetic, empathetic, and receptive to learning.