Program Manager I- Soil and Water Management

Job Summary:

Leading the implementation of a collaborative soil and water management initiative in the southern region of Malawi specifically in Mangochi, Mulanje and Chikwawa. The project, involving a consortium of four member organizations, aims to deliver sustainable soil and water management interventions to improve water availability, reduce soil fertility depletion, and lessen impact of climate change to improve agricultural productivity. This program will build upon and integrate with existing projects to maximize impact across the region.

Please note that this position is contingent upon approval of funding.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

Program Coordination and Leadership

• Serve as the primary point of contact between the consortium organizations, ensuring alignment on goals, deliverables, and timelines.
• Facilitate collaboration and communication among consortium members to leverage synergies from existing projects.
• Develop and maintain a consolidated project plan, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of activities.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and nurture relationships with stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, and international partners.
• Represent the consortium in stakeholder meetings, workshops, and conferences.
• Actively engage with beneficiaries to ensure community buy-in and the sustainability of interventions.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Work with partners and MEAL Lead to develop and implement a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to measure the project’s impact.
• Coordinate and prepare high-quality progress reports for the consortium, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate identification of project challenges, risks, and opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations.

Resource Mobilization and Budget Management

• Oversee project budgets, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and efficient use of resources.
• Identify opportunities for additional funding to scale or replicate successful initiatives.
• Ensure financial and programmatic accountability across consortium partners.

Capacity Building

• Support member organizations in building technical and operational capacity in soil and water management practices.
• Organize training sessions, knowledge-sharing events, and collaborative workshops.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree in environmental science, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, or a related field.
• Experience: At least 8 years of experience managing large, multi-stakeholder projects, preferably in soil and water management or a related field.
• Proven track record in coordinating consortia or partnerships involving diverse stakeholders.
• Familiarity with the Malawian context and experience working on USAID-funded programs in the region is highly desirable.
• MEAL skills and experience preferred.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Key Competencies

• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and facilitation abilities.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in using project management and M&E tools.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is an asset.

Travel – include percentage of required travel, if applicable. Could be stated as Must be willing and able to travel up to 25 %.

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none) 

Key Working Relationships:

Internal – Land restoration Country Coordinator, HoP, MEAL Manager

External – Donors, Partners and key stakeholder

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, International Relations or in the field of soil and water management required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant field-based experience in coordinating or managing light to moderately complex projects required, preferably with an international NGO.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.

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