GRID3 Country Implementation Manager Job Description

Role: Country Implementation Manager

Job Code: G3CIM_0718

Salary: up to £55,000

Location: Southampton UK (with flexibility for part-time remote work e.g. from London)

Start date: Immediate

Reporting to: Implementation Director

Position Background:

The GRID3 programme, funded by DFID and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), is a global initiative that aims to improve the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to create, use and share high-resolution data on population distributions, administrative boundaries and other key geospatial features to support countries’ decision-making processes. The programme has a strong potential to positively influence the lives of millions of vulnerable people.

The high level of government involvement and multidisciplinary nature of GRID3 means that we have need for highly technically-minded project managers with excellent capacity to liaise and coordinate with stakeholders and partners in participating countries. As Country Implementation Manager with GRID3, you will be responsible for coordinating the successful delivery of WorldPop (at the University of Southampton) and Flowminder’s (WPFM) components of the GRID3 programme in two or more low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Delivery components include both production of analytical outputs produced by the team in Southampton UK, as well as clear communication with and support to governments, to use data products in their respective countries.

Within the larger framework of the GRID3 programme, you will work with a strong team of researchers, GIS specialists, project managers and other technical staff, who will be responsible for overall programme structure, high-level stakeholder involvement, research outputs and individual technical deliverables. As Country Implementation Manager you are responsible for making sure that project deliverables match government requests, that products are delivered on time and that governments are supported in making use of data produced by researchers, aiming to mainstream the use of project data in national decision-making processes. The position falls under the leadership and support of the Flowminder Implementation Director.

The Country Implementation Manager in Context

You will provide the vital bridge between academic and technical teams, on the one side, and the governments and partners in your designated countries, on the other.

You will take the lead in liaising with government and UN agencies, partners and in-country stakeholders to achieve successful and timely completion of the projects deliverables. You will advance project objectives through teamwork, technical competence, problem solving, diplomacy, creativity and drive.

Measures of your success will include 1) well-managed and open channels of communication with in-country, 2) GRID3 and WPFM partners' observable and sustainable uptake of data products by governments of participating countries in which the programme is delivered 3) measurable increase in country capacity to use new methods and data 4) identification and development of new opportunities and “use-cases” for engagement in partner-countries that have already implemented GRID3 data methods.

Main responsibilities:
Work with GRID3 partners and management to establish and maintain clear lines of communication at the country-project level with relevant partners and stakeholders
Research and report data and training needs and priorities as relevant to WPFM’s GRID3 deliverables.
Provide overall direction and prioritisation for the implementation of deliverables for country teams in GRID3 in consultation with country team members and programme leadership
Ensure WPFM implementation plan is aligned with country needs
Report to GRID3 Implementation Director, WPFM GRID3 Project Board and GRID3 Partners on in-country communications, strategy and progress
Where delegated by the Implementation Director, represent GRID3 at high-level international stakeholder meetings with country government agencies, statistical offices, NGOs and partners
Supervise in-country GIS technicians (one per country) to ensure that their work is aligned with project objectives and research needs
Work closely with the Project Officers to develop project plans, timelines and monitor project progress
Work with Researchers to turn research findings into products relevant to country needs
Work closely with the research team to develop use-cases for data outputs (primarily on population distributions and characteristics) to support the needs of the government and other stakeholders
Participate in production of publication materials and presenting GRID3 programme outcomes at conferences, or exhibiting work at other appropriate events.
Support training team in developing capacity-strengthening programme to achieve use cases
Assess the capacity of countries to use gridded datasets for their own research and planning needs
Coordinate with the Implementation Director and development team to manage data releases and update cycles of data
Provide assistance to raise additional funds for the expansion of the GRID3 project into additional countries
Travel internationally to represent WPFM (including National Steering and Technical Committees meetings)
Specifically, we are looking for:
Postgraduate qualification in statistics, geography, demography, GIS applied in the social sciences, or equivalent experience with significant quantitative elements
Significant experience working in international development projects or government projects in low and middle-income countries
Demonstrated experience of managing complex projects
Ability to work independently
Experience working in multicultural settings
Experience interfacing with academic researchers, ideally through work in a multi-disciplinary, applied academic research setting
Strong analytical, management, and organisational skills, including attention to detail with an ability to work well under pressure
Ability to work effectively in a team environment and proactively work to achieve consensus on policy, project, and administrative matters
Experience working with international partners in programmes funded by international donors, such as DFID and/or BMGF
Ability to work effectively in fast-paced and rapidly changing environment
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English required
Preferably a good level in one or more of the major languages spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa including French, Swahili or Portuguese. Other major languages are a plus.
Ability to travel internationally
Ability to relocate to UK.
How to apply

We will be taking applications until the position is filled.
(Date posted: 19 July 2018)

Please submit a cover letter with your CV as a single .pdf file, with the file name containing your last name. Please submit this single PDF via email to careers+G3CIM_0718@flowminder.org.

Your cover letter is an essential component. In your letter, please explain how your previous experience relates to the responsibilities outlined in the job advert. Please also include your eligibility to work in the UK and your expected availability to start.

We recruit the best people and acknowledge the unique contribution that all potential candidates can bring in terms of their education, experiences, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, gender, nationality, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

We offer a flexible working environment to encourage applications across our diverse population. This includes remote working and compressed hours. We also offer a relocation package. A number of Flowminder staff live in London and other surrounding areas and work part-time from there. Flowminder may in the future consider locating a small office in the London area for these staff. While the ideal candidate works full time in Southampton, we will consider candidates who work remotely up to two days per week.

We regret that we are only able to notify shortlisted candidates. We will not be accepting candidates from unapproved recruitment agencies.

About GRID3:

In many countries around the world, basic information on the distribution and characteristics of human populations is unavailable or outdated. This lack of fundamental population data has had a significant impact on the ability of governments and organisations to plan, resource and respond to the needs of the population. Consequently, citizens are not being represented in democratic processes and governments are unable to monitor the wellbeing of their populations. The private sector is also limited in its ability to provide services and efficient programmes to support vulnerable populations.

The GRID3 programme aims to improve the capacity of low- and middle-income governments to create, use and share high-resolution data on population distributions, administrative boundaries and other key geospatial features. GRID3 works in partnership with countries to strengthen local capacity and to bring high-quality data into decision-making processes through close collaboration with national statistical offices. The programme uses cutting edge methods in remote sensing and statistical modelling together with traditional data collection methods in the field. This provides new data on population distribution, characteristics and dynamics. It is anticipated that this programme will have large-scale impact with the potential to affect and improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

The GRID3 programme is funded by Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Flowminder and the WorldPop Programme at the University of Southampton work in close partnership in the project to deliver the majority of the technical outputs. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University are core partners of the GRID3 programme.

The WorldPop Programme at the University of Southampton, under the leadership of the Scientific Director, provides the research underpinning the technical deliverables of the programme. Flowminder, under the leadership of the Implementation Director, focuses on the implementation and scaling of the developed research methods. Flowminder also engages with, and provides capacity building for, partnering government agencies. Flowminder and University of Southampton staff work closely together in the delivery of all aspects of the work.

About Flowminder

Flowminder is an award-winning, non-profit organisation funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DFID, EU, World Bank, IDB, WFP, UN Foundation and others.

Flowminder’s mission is to improve public health and welfare in low- and middle-income countries using data from mobile operators, satellites and geo-located household surveys. Flowminder has pioneered a number of new approaches and tools to address development and humanitarian challenges, among them the use of of mobile operator data. Much of its work is focused on understanding, monitoring and predicting the distributions, characteristics and dynamics of human populations, providing insights, tools and capacity building to governments, international agencies and NGOs. Flowminder works to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, count. Discover more at www.flowminder.org.
Within the WorldPop programme, Flowminder works together with researchers at the University of Southampton, developing and operationalising new approaches to solving developmental and humanitarian challenges. Find out more at www.worldpop.org.

Job Email id: careers+G3CIM_0718(at)flowminder.org