Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy, PlayMatters

The Project Coordinator will oversee the Outcome 4 component of the PlayMatters 3.0 initiative, coordinating delivery across Ethiopia and Uganda. The role involves project planning, partner management, provider support, monitoring and evaluation, and donor relations, with frequent travel between the two countries.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate delivery of the Outcome 4 inception phase workplan across Ethiopia and Uganda, ensuring milestones are met on time and within budget.
• Work with GDI and GSF to finalise the geographic selection criteria, and support delivery of the landscape assessment and childcare provider mapping in both countries.
• Facilitate the process for confirming target geographies, weighing co-location opportunities with PlayMatters 3.0 implementation areas against childcare demand, provider density, market viability and government partnership opportunities.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and induction of Outcome 4 staff in Ethiopia and Uganda, and establish the operating routines, tools and systems the component will use from January 2027.
• Provide leadership for project planning and scheduling for Outcome 4, from the high-level planning phase to detailed short-term activity scheduling in both countries.
• Track project progress against high-level and detailed plans, troubleshooting and flagging barriers to success with relevant staff and leadership.
• Manage and oversee the Outcome 4 budget, track expenditure across both countries and maintain accurate projections.
• Support country teams to develop, manage and implement key project management tools, such as workplans, spending plans and procurement plans.
• Ensure that project communications are timely, relevant and accurate, including regular status updates to key focal points within PlayMatters, IRC’s Education Technical Unit, and Philanthropy and Partnerships.
• Ensure Outcome 4 activities are integrated with the wider PlayMatters 3.0 outcomes so that synergies and complementarities are realised rather than duplicated.
• Act as the primary programme focal point for technical partners, ensuring partners are on track with their deliverables, targets and spending.
• Operationalise the systems integrator function: mapping and convening childcare providers, financing partners, technical service providers and government stakeholders, and brokering the connections between them.
• Support engagement with relevant ministries and district and woreda authorities in Ethiopia and Uganda on childcare policy, standards, registration and quality assurance.
• Serve as the main liaison with IRC technical unit focal points for ECD and ERD, ensuring they provide technical insight and support to Outcome 4 activities and objectives.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to the country-level implementation of direct coaching support to childcare providers, drawing on IRC/ PlayMatters in-country staff as the primary operational presence in both countries.
• 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, working alongside technical and financing partners.
• Identify capacity gaps among providers and coordinate the training and technical support needed to address them.
• Work with the IRC/ PlayMatters MEAL team to operationalise Outcome 4 indicators, including child development outcomes anchored in the Nurturing Care Framework: social-emotional learning, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and MHPSS.
• Oversee routine tracking of provider economic sustainability indicators, including operating cost coverage ratio, cash flow consistency and provider graduation rate.
• Coordinate documentation of evidence and learning to build the investment case for childcare and demonstrate provider viability beyond the grant period.
• Ensure safeguarding, child protection and accountability standards are applied consistently across all Outcome 4 activities, including partner-delivered work.
• Coordinate with the International Philanthropy & Partnerships team to ensure that all feedback and requests for information from the UBS Optimus Foundation and LEGO Foundation are timely addressed.
• Contribute to donor reporting, ensuring narrative and financial reporting for Outcome 4 is accurate, evidence-based and submitted on time.
• Represent Outcome 4 in donor-facing conversations, technical working groups and external fora as delegated.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in education, early childhood development, international development, economics, business administration or a related field; a master’s degree is an advantage.
• 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.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently between Ethiopia and Uganda and to field locations, estimated at up to 40–50% of working time and higher during the inception phase.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing and presentation skills.
• Working knowledge of Amharic and/or a relevant Ugandan language is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and representation skills.
• Strong commitment to the IRC's mission, purpose and values.

Skills

• Project Management
• Cross-Functional Coordination
• Child Development Programming
• Nurturing Care Frameworks
• Childcare Economy Knowledge
• Childcare Provider Business Models
• Childcare Market Dynamics
• Provider Financing
• Childcare Policy and Regulation
• Financing Instruments Knowledge
• Results-Based Finance
• Blended Finance Structuring
• Grant-to-loan Pathways
• Humanitarian Response
• Post-Conflict Program Experience
• Partner Management
• Consortium Management
• Project Budgeting
• Expenditure Tracking
• Training and Coaching
• Capacity Building
• Donor Relations
• Program Representation
• English Writing and Presentation
• Multi-location Coordination
• Small Business Development

Languages

English