Job Title: PROJECT MANAGER
Company: Self Help Africa
Location: LILONGWE

About Self Help Africa:

Self Help Africa Malawi is an international non-governmental organisation working to create opportunities for lasting improvement in peoples’ lives. We work in partnership with others to support a range of livelihoods and food security, WASH and health, sustainable energy and gender equality programmes reaching over 1,000,000 people a year across Malawi. Globally, we work in nine countries across Africa, Asia and South America, however our Malawi programme is by far and away our largest and most established country programme. SHA currently operates in 17 districts in Malawi, supporting 24 on-going projects. This is an exciting time to join us as we seek to tackle the global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.

Background:

Self Help Africa, in collaboration with ATEC Australia-International Pty Ltd (ATEC), is set to launch a clean cooking initiative in Malawi, aiming to transition 76,000 urban and peri-urban households from charcoal-based cooking to clean electric cooking using IoT-enabled induction stoves. This initiative seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve household economics, and enhance public health by eliminating indoor air pollution caused by biomass fuels. Supported through an offtake agreement with the KliK Foundation, as well as the governments of Switzerland and Malawi via Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), the project targets a carbon reduction of over 1 million tons of CO2 by 2030. In alignment with Malawi’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National eCooking Strategy, the project will make high-efficiency induction stoves available at subsidized prices, with flexible payment options, to ensure accessibility for low-income households. Additionally, a “Cook-to-Earn” incentive program will provide financial rewards to further offset costs. The initiative not only supports climate goals but also strengthens national energy strategies, reduces reliance on illegal charcoal production, and enhances grid load planning through aggregated usage data. With significant environmental, economic, and health benefits, this project represents a transformative step toward sustainable cooking in Malawi.

Job purpose:

The job holder’s core responsibility will be to lead the management of the project including work planning, assigning tasks to the project team, being the budget holder, line managing project staff, writing donor reports, overseeing logistics and being focal point for Last Mile Distributer partners. He/she will also be responsible for ensuring that all stakeholders comply with the project’s approach, that we are on track to meet our sales deliverables and ensuring that expenditure is in-line with the allocated budget and implementation is on-track.

The job holder will work as part of SHA’s portfolio of Energy projects contributing to the wider growth and development of Energy activities in Malawi.

Duties and responsibilities:

1. eCooking activities to Last Mile Partners

• Lead in the successful launching of the project, including recruitment, selection and contracting of Last Mile Distributers Partners (LMDs) of eCook stoves and engagement with district stakeholders.
• Design the marketing and sales strategy including innovative and dynamic approaches to ensure fast paced sales of stoves, and advising ATEC, LMDs and associated partners’ awareness and marketing initiatives
• Coordinating processes associated with the registration, validation, verification and issuance of ITMOs as required (e.g. preparations for Local Stakeholder Consultations, coordinating collection of baseline and monitoring data under the guidance of the carbon consultant, facilitating VVB visits)
• Receiving, centrally storing and managing the onward distribution of eCooks, spare parts and cookware to LMDs
• Provide support to LMDs in the implementation of activities (sales of subsidised eCook stoves), including the marketing and sales of products, compliance with monitoring and verification requirements
• Identifying and contracting LMDs through a transparent and competitive process
• Verifying the activities and performance of LMDs through spot checks and audits
• Oversee the disbursement results-based payments to LMDs regularly and in a timely manner upon satisfactory performance, removing/replacing underperforming LMDs as necessary
• Coordinating and monitoring LMDs’ in-person activities including user registration, follow-ups and after-sales service
• Managing the project’s national hotline with the main purposes of verifying all user registrations; making kick-off calls with all users; providing remote troubleshooting advice; and logging in-person follow-up and repair tickets for LMDs to action

2. Overall project management

• Develop workplans, assign, track and complete necessary tasks and monitor progress in line with the project budget and deliverables. This includes ensuring effective project budgetary control, forecasting and monitoring in line with SHA’s financial procedures and guidelines, and fraud and risk management policies.
• Provide management and guidance to the project team in all aspects of project implementation drawing on expertise from other project team members when necessary.
• Coordinate project activities with other SHA projects where relevant
• Ensure close collaboration and networking with all partners, including Government, private sector and communities, during all stages of project implementation.
• Work closely with ATEC Malawi’s focal point in the planning, delivery and monitoring of the project interventions

3. Reporting and data management

• Supervise and support the Portfolio Officers to gather the required data from LMPs for monitoring project implementation.
• Maintain project activity records and report using regular SHA internal reporting procedures as well as those of the donor.

4. Other

• Share learning and knowledge across all SHA’s Energy and other programmes’ projects
• Support in the identification and development of proposals for opportunities for new projects
• Uphold and promote SHA’s child and adult safeguarding policy, design a safeguarding plan, monitor the implementation of the plan and ensure safeguarding quarterly risk assessment

Experience and Qualifications

• A degree in any area related to sustainable development and/or project management, while a Master’s degree would be an advantage.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar position including field-work and office-based activities, particularly those related to cleaner and modern cooking technologies and/or results based finance projects.
• Appreciation of the cleaner cooking sector and technologies, particularly eCook stoves
• Understanding of carbon finance market in clean cooking is an advantage
• An understanding of urban/peri urban ecooking context with good stakeholder engagement and some knowledge in carbon financing
• Evidence of budgeting and project planning skills and experience.
• Demonstrable experience of designing, implementing and sustaining effective quantitative and qualitative monitoring systems
• Strong time-management skills including the use of electronic calendars, workplans, logframes and proven record of completing activities according to deadlines.
• High level computer skills particularly in database management, and proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc) and using online meeting platforms (e.g. Zoom, google meet etc.).
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills.
• Excellent communication, coordination and facilitation skills.
• Strong respect and empathy, and an affinity to SHA’s mission and values
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Chichewa.

How to apply: