Position Title : Senior Manager, Project
Location: Freetown
ChildFund office: Sierra Leone
Manager/Supervisor title: Program and Sponsorship Director
Position type: Full-time fixed term
Work environment: On-site
About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that connects children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are. We work directly in 23 countries, with extended reach to more than 60 countries through our global partnership network.
ChildFund’s Values
We aspire every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.
ChildFund’s Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.
About This Role
Senior Manager, Project will lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of an outcome-based Early Childhood Care and Education project. This role ensures that interventions are evidence-driven, community-centered, and aligned with donor requirements. The Senior Manager, Project will coordinate stakeholders, manage resources, and guarantee that project activities deliver measurable improvements in child development outcomes in line with the project specific outcomes
Required Experience and Education
Required
- Bachelors Degree in Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences discipline or related field or equivalent experience. Masters is a plus or equivalent experience
- Minimum of 8 to 10 years of progressive experience in project management and leadership within INGOs or development organizations.
- Strong knowledge of ECCE frameworks, child development milestones, and inclusive education practices.
- Proven experience in outcome-based project management, monitoring, and reporting.
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, donor compliance, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and leadership skills
- Demonstrated ability to manage projects across diverse geographies.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
Preferred
- Proven track record and strong knowledge of ECCE frameworks, child development milestones, and inclusive education practices
- Demonstrated knowledge of project design and management, resource stewardship, and cross functional coordination
Primary Responsibilities
Project Planning, Implementation & Coordination
- Lead day-to-day management of project activities, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to quality standards
- Develop detailed work plans, budgets, and timelines for ECCE interventions across all five project districts.
- Lead the review of Project KPIs and ensure each team member understands the expected outcomes of the project
- Participating in the country review committee for the periodic review of the project and action plans
- Coordinate with local partners, government agencies, and community stakeholders to strengthen ECCE systems.
- Ensure project implementation incorporates best practices in early childhood care and education, inclusive education, and child protection.
- Supervise field teams and provide technical guidance to ensure effective service delivery.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL)
- Establish and oversee outcome-based monitoring frameworks to track progress against child development indicators.
- Collect, analyze, and report data to demonstrate project impact and inform adaptive management.
- Document lessons learned and best practices for knowledge sharing and scale-up.
Financial & Compliance Management
- Manage project budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources and compliance with donor regulations.
- Prepare financial and narrative reports for donors and internal stakeholders.
- Monitor procurement and logistics processes to ensure transparency and accountability.
Capacity Building & Team Leadership
- Train and mentor project staff, community educators, and caregivers in ECCE methodologies.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and performance-driven team culture.
- Promote professional development opportunities for staff to strengthen ECCE expertise.
- Champion equity, and inclusion within program teams.
Stakeholder Engagement & Advocacy
- Represent the project in coordination forums, donor meetings, and policy dialogues.
- Advocate for ECCE priorities with government and civil society partners.
- Build strong relationships with parents, caregivers, and community leaders to ensure local ownership.
Required Competencies
ChildFund’s Core Competencies
- Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
- Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
- Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
- Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
- Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
- Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.
Other Required Competencies
- Excellent proposal writing skills: concise, clear, and appealing writing style that complies with donor requirements.
- Strong networking and relationship-building skills.
- Strategic thinking and vision-setting.
- Program innovation and adaptive management.
- Results-oriented with a focus on measurable impact.
- Collaborative leadership and team development.
- Cultural sensitivity and commitment to inclusion.
