About us
Would you like to work on projects that make sense and have a real impact?
Do you want to work towards a fair and sustainable energy transition? Then join us!
Set up in 1976, Geres is a French based international development NGO which works to improve the living conditions of the poorest and tackle climate change and its impacts. As a grassroots actor, Geres considers the energy transition as a major lever in all its actions. In order to drive societal change, Geres promotes the development and dissemination of innovative and local solutions, supports climate-energy policies and actions, and encourages everyone to commit to Climate Solidarity by taking action and supporting vulnerable populations.
In West Africa, Geres has been working mainly in the sphere of energy poverty and access thereof, development of productive use of electricity and support for SMEs, energy efficiency in building, and overall better natural resource management, following as much as possible inclusive market-based approaches and access to finance.
Geres is currently implementing projects in Benin, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, and our main donors in West Africa are European Union, AFD (French Agency for Development), World Bank and private foundations.
The recruitment for this position is concomitant with the opening of a new Geres representation in Sierra Leone from the beginning of 2025, in the wake of a new 4-year project financed by AFD (French Development Agency) with 4.8 million euros for budget, project named "Energy 4 Access".
For Geres, acting in this new country is an important strategic issue, and it will be necessary to meet challenges of a new installation in a country that accumulates many difficulties.
Among the challenges to be met in 2025, it will be necessary :
- to obtain authorizations from national authorities to operate in the country as an INGO,
- to recruit a competent team invested in our actions,
Consult our website to watching the complete offer.
Job Description
The Country Representative/Project Manager will have the mission of launching Geres activities in Sierra Leone, by structuring the country representation from a logistical, legal, HR and communication point of view. Meanwhile, She/He will have to implement the Energy4Acces project, starting with a 6-month first period aimed at carrying out some territorial and energy uses diagnostics, to better understand SMSEs activities, business plans and needs, at having a better knowledge of existing mini-grid operators results depending of the local economic dynamics.
Under the hierarchical management and with the support of the West Africa Director, She/He will be in charge of declining and rolling out Geres regional strategy at national level with the project team. She/he will represent Geres in country, established and maintained administrative and institutional links. She/he will liaise with the NGO and IO networks, and coordinate Geres communication and advocacy towards national and local authorities. She/he will also be in charge of security.
With the operational support of a team of around twenty nationals and internationals employees that must be recruited, She/He will manage the country team, and will directly lead the Energy 4 Access project as Project Manager. She/He will specifically be defining relevant objectives/activities and ensuring their achievement, through proper project cycle management, efficient financial management & smooth partnerships management. She/He will assure representation towards donor and ensuring the quality & impact of the project. She/He will ensure compliance, quality of implementation, monitoring and reporting.
She/He will work in close coordination with West Africa Financial Controller and technical experts based in HQ.
As Energy4Access Project Manager:
1/Oversee Project Cycle Management
Lead and support project staff in planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring activities
Support the monitoring and evaluation process, in particular by developing methodologies M&E tools to measure the results and impacts of the projects (particularly highlight gender's positive impacts indicators)
Smoothly tackle implementation constraints and put in place the necessary corrective measures in consultation with stakeholders (including authorities, partners, and beneficiaries)
Supervise and ensure compliance in the use of external service providers and internal support missions
Ensure quality and timely preparation of internal and external reports
Ensure and maintain a knowledge management system, incl. archival and sharing, enabling capitalization
Ensure ownership and capacity building of the team across the entire project cycle management
2/Manage project partnerships
Lead, monitor, assess and facilitate the work with the implementing partners; Understand their mandate and agendas, nurture their involvement in the project
Ensuring commitments of Geres towards its partners are dully filled and reciprocally, that project partners abide by their respective commitments towards Geres
Prevent and, if need be, solve issues and disputes with partners
3/Supervise administrative, logistical, and financial management of the project
Develop and/or guarantee a framework of operations and responsibilities between the stakeholders in accordance with the rules of the financial partners
Supervise the planning and delivery of financial expenditures and accounting flows in collaboration with the Administrative and Finance Officer
Communicate to teams and ensure compliance with logistical, administrative, and financial procedures
As Sierra Leone Country Representative:
1/Organizing and structuring the launch of Geres in Sierra Leone
Obtaining administrative and legal authorizations to operate as an INGO from the national authorities, concluding an MOU with the Ministry of Energy of Sierra Leone, obtaining work visas for expatriate staff, ensure mandatory tax and social security registrations
Search for functional offices at the best price in Freetown and in 2 secondary cities close to the project activities, acquire activities equipments and vehicles necessary for the implementation of the project
Structure the antenna's operating processes in all areas and have them applied by the team and ensure that all practices and processes are in line with the rules developed by the Finance and Admin Direction of Geres
Prepare a security risk analysis and propose security plans, processes and rules in the respect of the Geres Security management Policy.
2/Structuring of human resources, team management, administrative and financial supervision
Recruit the team for the HR structuring of the national representation and the implementation of the project, in accordance with the organization chart established for the project
In line with Geres HR policy and for national colleagues, supervise the elaboration of the Country-level HR policy, submit it to Regional Direction/HR at HQ for validation
Initiate a team dynamic committed to the success of Geres in Sierra Leone, ensure ownership of the team across the entire project cycle management, maintain a team atmosphere and ensure information flows amongst the members of the team, ensure the well-being and proper work conditions for the team
Ensure hierarchical management of Sierra Leone team (integration, training, appraisal, workload, work planning and prioritisation); Develop skills and competencies, support and include members of national team
Ensure the good management of offices related to Human Resources, logistics, administration, and finance/accounting. Make sure that the national legislation is duly respected
Organise and regularly check the quality/consistency of the budget planning, disbursement plans, financial and accounting reporting
3/National representation, leading and animating the country strategy and partnerships
Analyse the country context, strengths/weaknesses/challenges/opportunities; implement the country strategy in coherence with Geres Regional Strategy; evaluate and update if deemed necessary
Relay key relevant information to Regional Director and HQ, liaise with resource persons at HQ and in other West African countries of intervention; monitor, assess, and facilitate current and prospective partnerships
Facilitate the identification and formalisation of partnerships at country level, nurture the relationships ahead of funding opportunities in a long-term strategic perspective
Ensure proactive and regular communication with institutional partners and development stakeholders, develop networks and identify strategic partnerships with donors, international NGOs, national entities, national and local authorities, private sector
Manage the external communication of Geres in country, with the support of HQ Comms Department
4/Management of in-country Security
Continuously assess and analyse context, key actors, and incidents; integrate relevant national networks follow-up on these contextual analyses (incl. political) and liaise with Regional Director and Executive Director
Keep up to date the required security documents/processes, ensure proper diffusion to members of the team
Ensure security, law and internal rules are respected in country and by everyone
Manage incidents (with Executive Director for critical incidents), relay information to Regional Director and HQ
5/Fundraising & project portfolio development in coherence with the country strategy
Perform prospective work and develop field understanding of the country
Prospectively identify donors, donors' trends & strategies and related funding opportunities
Identify partnership opportunities in order to prepare swiftly concepts and consortium for calls for proposals
Ensure & organise the development of funding proposals with the Regional Director and HQ
Required qualifications
Master's Degree, preferably in Economics, Political Sciences, Development, Engineering, Energy or Environmental studies or any diploma related to Geres activities in Sierra Leone (required)
10 year-minimum experience as a project manager in the international development sector (required)
3 year-minimum experience as a country representative/director/manager (required)
Proven experience in multicultural team management (required)
Experience managing large sized grants for a recognised international donor, ideally AFD (required)
Previous experience in Sierra Leone/English speaking's West African countries (required)
Previous experience in support to local entrepreneurship (appreciated)
Previous experience in renewables energy projects/Energy access/PUE/Mini-Grids (appreciated)
Fluency in English both written and spoken; Advanced knowledge of French both written and spoken (required)
Negotiation and diplomatic skills with high-level governmental/institutional relationships (required)
Proficiency in Project Cycle Management, Theory of change, M&E systems (appreciated)
Excellent project writing/formulation and internal/donors reporting skills (appreciated)
Proven skills in human management, capacity to coach, mentor and build capacities of national colleagues (required)
Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to establish contact with people from different background and cultures (appreciated)
Rigor, autonomy, method, flexibility, organisation and attention to detail especially in meeting deadlines (required)
Conversant with energy and climate change questions, energy efficiency/access and renewable energies (appreciated)
Working knowledge of gender principles and main applied tools in the development sector (appreciated)
Working Knowledge of Sierra Leone local languages (Krio, Mende, Temne) (appreciated)
