Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy, PlayMatters

Overview

The Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy will provide day-to-day coordination and oversight for the Outcome 4 component of the PlayMatters initiative, focusing on comprehensive support to the childcare economy in Ethiopia and Uganda.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate delivery of the Outcome 4 inception phase workplan across Ethiopia and Uganda.
• Finalise geographic selection criteria, and support delivery of the landscape assessment and childcare provider mapping.
• Facilitate the process for confirming target geographies.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and induction of Outcome 4 staff in Ethiopia and Uganda.
• Establish operating routines, tools and systems for the component.
• Provide leadership for project planning and scheduling for Outcome 4.
• Track project progress against plans, troubleshooting and flagging barriers.
• Manage and oversee the Outcome 4 budget, track expenditure and maintain accurate projections.
• Support country teams to develop, manage and implement key project management tools.
• Ensure timely, relevant and accurate project communications.
• Ensure Outcome 4 activities are integrated with the wider PlayMatters 3.0 outcomes.
• Act as the primary programme focal point for technical partners.
• Operationalise the systems integrator function: mapping and convening childcare providers, financing partners, technical service providers and government stakeholders.
• Support engagement with relevant ministries and district and woreda authorities in Ethiopia and Uganda on childcare policy.
• Serve as the main liaison with IRC technical unit focal points for ECD and ERD.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to the country-level implementation of direct coaching support to childcare providers.
• Plan and undertake regular coordination, advocacy and monitoring visits in Ethiopia and Uganda.
• Support providers to strengthen business practices and to access appropriate financing instruments.
• Identify capacity gaps among providers and coordinate training and technical support.
• Work with the IRC/ PlayMatters MEAL team to operationalise Outcome 4 indicators.
• Oversee routine tracking of provider economic sustainability indicators.
• Coordinate documentation of evidence and learning.
• Ensure safeguarding, child protection and accountability standards are applied consistently.
• Coordinate with the International Philanthropy & Partnerships team to ensure feedback and requests from foundations are addressed.
• Contribute to donor reporting, ensuring narrative and financial reporting is accurate and submitted on time.
• Represent Outcome 4 in donor-facing conversations, technical working groups and external fora.

Required Experience

• At least 5 years of professional experience in project management, including large-scale, cross-functional, multi-location projects.
• Experience coordinating delivery across more than one country is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in education and/or early childhood development programming, ideally including work grounded in the Nurturing Care Framework or comparable ECD frameworks.
• Familiarity with the childcare economy, including childcare provider business models, childcare demand and market dynamics, provider financing, and the policy and regulatory environment for childcare provision.
• Understanding of financing instruments relevant to small providers — for example results-based financing, blended finance, grant-to-loan pathways or small business development support — and comfort working with operating costs, cash flow and cost coverage.
• Professional experience responding to complex humanitarian crises and/or post-conflict situations; experience in Ethiopia and/or Uganda is an added advantage.
• Experience managing and supporting partners, including consortium or multi-partner arrangements.
• Experience managing project budgets, tracking expenditure and maintaining accurate projections.
• Experience with training, coaching and staff or partner capacity building.
• Experience representing programmes to donors or clients, ideally including private foundations.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in education, early childhood development, international development, economics, business administration or a related field; a master’s degree is an advantage.

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