The Education Program Manager is head of the Education Unit which is consisting of Provincial Manager, Project Officers, MEAL Officers, Teacher Trainers, EiE-Specialist, CM, and other supporting staff, The Program Manager is responsible for the management of the OCCD education project at National level to ensure the quality of the education projects through visits, to the education project sites, though should ensure, at the PO level, that the OCCD Education Program objectives and outcomes are achieved and well reflected the concerned stakeholders including the donors and MoE.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The Education Program Manager is reportable to to OCCD Deputy Managing Director. The following are the main responsibilities of the Education Program Manager:

• Lead OCCD’s overall education program in Kandahar province.
• Build and maintain strong/excellent relations and Coordination and Synergy with relevant departments especially PED, DED, and UNICEF.
• Preparation and ensuring implementation of project monthly and weekly work plan
• Ensure a strong technical relationship with program support units and support functions.
• Ensure appropriate structures, internal and external standards, staffing, resources and policies have been adhered.
• Ensure clear understanding of project assumptions by all project staff to aim at effective and timely achievement of project goals, outcomes and outputs.
• Ensure that all terms and conditions agreed in the signed MoUs with the donor and MoE are adhered to throughout the life of the project
• Ensure that all project activities meet core humanitarian and government standards.
• Manage and mitigate any risks within the project that could have financial, Human Resources (HR) or Legal consequences or negatively impact ministry or OCCD’s reputation.
• Ensure that proper community development practices and “Do No Harm” practices are incorporated and upheld throughout the planning and implementation of the project.
• Provide managerial guidance and support to the project staff in order to implement the project components timely and smoothly.
• In coordination with OCCD Deputy Managing Director, regularly monitor and evaluate the progress of the project
• Build a team of highly committed and competent staff, ensuring cooperation and coordination among relevant staff within the Project.
• Create an enabling environment for dialogue, information sharing, partnerships and, and cooperation between local communities, government structures and local partners when delivering project interventions.
• Coordinate closely with other NGOs in the area to ensure complementary programming.
• Effectively represent OCCD operations and mission when accompanying visitors, e.g. donor and/or Government representatives and other delegations to project sites

Reporting and Administration:

• Ensure accurate quality narrative and financial reports are submitted in a timely manner and according to donor requirements.
• work and meet deadlines of donor for financial reporting and sharing it with sector lead on due time
• Track the performance of the project activities and outputs against expected results and adjust implementation processes to ensure the project is progressing towards the intended outcomes.
• Analyze the impact of projects and promote learning by documentation of best-practices. Use this information to support decision- making processes.
• Track project progress, project expenditure against approved budgets, anticipate any deviations and recommend and take action on relevant and required adjustments.
• Track projects risk in order to timely adjust and implement the existing contingency plan.
• Any other task assigned by Education Director.

Personnel Management:

• Manage CBE senior officers Project Manager, and operation team.
• Coordinate and implement new employee project orientations and trainings.
• Identify staff capacity needs and undertake pro-active on-the-job training to strengthen their capacity to deliver interventions.

Financial management:

• With support from OCCD Finance Department, assume primary responsibility for budget reviews and monthly financial reports, highlighting concerns as they arise.
• Ensure proper coding and budget availability of all projects’ expenses.
• Oversee the submission of monthly cash requests for project operations.
• Ensure contractors and creditors are paid in a timely manner.
• Review and approve expenditures and contract according to assigned levels of authority.

Tasks of inter organizational relation

• Promotes gender equality and non-discrimination with regard to ethnic, political and religious background.
• Participate in workshops, seminars & conference organized by the education program/UNICEF and PED.

Accountability:

Holds self-accountable for making decisions managing resources in the training efficiently achieving and holds the team of CM and Teachers accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.