State Team Lead (Jigawa) - PLANE (Education) at Palladium Group

Location: Jigawa, Nigeria

Project Overview and Role   

• PLANE is a UK aid funded education programme focused on the North Western & South Western states of Nigeria. It is aimed at influencing policy making and strengthening education systems at both the National and Federal level. The programme is set to run for 8 years (2019-2027) in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa and selected Southern states, and is valued at up to £95m.
• PLANE’s overall objective is to enable a more inclusive and effective state and non-state systems to deliver foundational skills to all children through:
  • Improved teaching techniques, learning approaches and materials
  • Improved state systems- personnel management, planning and financial management
  • Improved performance of non-state systems/actors to delivering basic education
  • Effective mining and communication of results to allow for citizen engagement and education service delivery
• Palladium is looking for a driven, reform-minded and passionate State Team Leader to help the programme have a sustainable impact on the future of education in Jigawa.
• The position is contingent on contract-award.

Responsibilities
Relationship Management:

• Bring and/or develop and manage strong working relationships with the programme’s contact points at all levels of the State Government and agencies; DFID and other donor programmes; project partners and other stakeholders.
• Represent the programme at the state level and with other audiences as needed, including with national and global communities of practice.

Strategy and Operational Planning:

• Support the development of the Theory of Change and lead on a state-specific and adaptive approach to deliver the programme Outputs in cooperation and consultation with technical advisors, the state team, Project Director, DFID, project partners, the government and other key stakeholders.
• Maintain a strong working relationship with the Team Lead and reach a consensus on PLANE’s overarching, as well as component specific, technical approach and direction.
• Lead in the preparation of state work plans and budgets; staffing plans; performance improvement plans and other plans as required.

Project Management:

• Provide guidance, oversight and quality assurance for all state activities, outputs and deliverables.
• Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of state work plans to ensure delivery is on time, within budget, meets client and stakeholder expectations and is contractually compliant
• Monitor implementation progress; maintain up to date project logs and registers; work to resolve issues, manage and mitigate risks; and escalate material issues and risks as appropriate.
• Develop and implement plans for results measurement, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, value for money analysis and communication management at the state level.
• Ensure good staff management practices including staff planning, recruitment, on-boarding, appraisal and development.

Financial Management and Administration:

• Ensure the state activities are performed efficiently and demonstrate Value for Money.
• Assume responsibility for consistent implementation of company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Guidelines at the state level.
• Ensure the programme adheres to the state budget and oversee budget variations

Requirements   

• Relevant Academic qualification in a related field
• Experience working with key state government departments and institutions involved in Education and existing relationships with high level stakeholders from government, civil society and donors
• In-depth knowledge of the context of basic education planning and delivery in Jigawa
• Strong expertise in leading donor programmes, including managing and mentoring inter-disciplinary staff
• Ability to work adaptively
• Ability to speak, read and write in English and Hausa