Scope of Work

Dates: November 30, 2020-March 31, 2021
LOE: Up to 30 days total
Reporting to: Program Advisor, International Programs Department

Objective

The consultant will support the development of the Corus Project Management Manual, which will describe the policies, procedures and best practices for managing programs of varying definition (size, scope, etc.) at Corus International. The final deliverable will reflect current best practices in program management as well as Corus policy and donor regulations.

Activities/Tasks

• Lead, in collaboration with the Program Advisor, an analysis of the external resources (e.g. existing manuals in the industry), the Program Advisor is currently compiling; support the compilation of the same, and recommend updates to Corus policies based on analysis of external resources and best practices.
• Support the completion of the review of existing Corus, IMA and LWR policies, procedures, information systems, manuals, and templates that are germane to the Project Management Manual.
• Help refine the outline for the manual, organizing sections and advising on content, clarity and brevity.
• As part of the review by the Program Advisor and the internal Corus team working on the Project Management Manual, collaborate with the Program Advisor and the Project Management Manual Working Group to update the new manual sections that have been identified as needing changes and draft new sections, as needed.
• Develop associated tools and templates, as applicable.
  Serve as lead technical writer for the manual.
• Participate in at least weekly calls with the Program Advisor and Director, COVID Response and others working on the Project Management Manual, as needed.

Deliverables

As agreed with the Program Advisor (or, see paragraph 1), deliverables may include:

• A compendium with analysis of external resources on program management, startup and closeout.
• Comments on the outline of the proposed new manual, for review and mark up by the Corus Project Management Manual Working Group.
• A draft manual for review and markup, in collaboration with the Program Advisor, Director, COVID Response and the Corus Project Management Manual Working Group.
• Any revised or new tools and templates that are to be included in the manual, flowing from his/her guidance, the stakeholder analysis and the external resources review.
• Completed Program Management Manual containing:
• Instructions for how to utilize the manual
• Instructions on how to manage programs at Corus, including standards for project startup, implementation, and close out and relevant tools
• Case study examples articulating best practices gleaned from the stakeholder mapping (feedback from consulted entities within Corus at both HQ and country level)
• Clearly marked sections with guidance for use of the manual in practice based on donor requirements (such as USAID, BHA, FCDO, flagging for particular attention, for example, IATI Standard reporting when discussing management of donor reporting processes, as IATI is a DFID/FCDO requirement)

Necessary Skills:

• Experience developing curricula and demonstrated expertise in instructional design
• Experience developing Program Management or other operational manuals for NGOs
• Experience managing technical and operational elements of projects
• Experience working at both HQ and country level
• Familiarity with major donor rules and regulations