Project Director at Save The Children

Job Summary

• Save the Children is recruiting for an experienced Project Director to lead on both technical and operational aspects of the Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make informed Choices for their Health (REACH) project in Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara states Northern Nigeria.
• The project aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health of married and unmarried adolescents by improving access to high quality, gender-sensitive and adolescent-friendly SRH services for unmarried and married adolescent girls and boys; increasing the decision-making of married and unmarried girls about their own SRH and rights; and improving the integration of civil society contributions and evidence-based best practices in ASRHR policy design and implementation at local and state levels.
• The Project Director will provide overall strategic and operational leadership in program implementation.
• The Project Director must bring a senior leadership profile with a proven track record in managing complex programming delivery in Nigeria.

Responsibilities

• The Project Director is responsible for ensuring programme delivery and quality, through capacity building of staff and partners, activities planning linked to budget management, implementation and monitoring including data collection and analysis of impact and durable changes brought about by the programme in the areas of responsibility.
• S/he is also responsible for representing the organization with the donor in country, in all programmatic coordination platforms in Nigeria and in meetings with the government.
• The Project Director will have budget holding responsibilities.

Programme Delivery, Management and Quality Assurance:

• Hold overall responsibility for development and implementation of all aspects of the REACH project in Nigeria.
• Provide strategic guidance, strong leadership and ensure technically sound decision-making processes.
• Lead and motivate the project teams in the areas of responsibility in the delivery of the projects goals and objectives.
• Support spot checks and audit processes throughout the project lifecycle while ensuring the implementation of recommendations.
• Create and nurture external partnerships; and in particular identify suitable local partners and ensure adherence to the partnership manual.
• Ensure compliance with and adherence to Save the Children and the donor’s rules and regulations in all aspects.
• Ensure timely start up of the grant in collaboration with the field managers of the relevant bases and the senior awards manager, the director of operations, through planning the project opening meeting, and developing all grants management documents such as phased budget, work-plan of implementation, procurement plan, monitoring plan, grants filing, staff recruitment plan, etc.
• Ensure regular monitoring and reporting on all grant management aspects: phased budget and actual expenses analysis, work-plan progress and updating, procurement plan revision, data collection and analysis and monitoring of indicators.
• Take full responsibility for the delegated budget holding function on the programmatic aspects of the managed grant, participate actively in finance meetings and contribute to financial decision making.
• Ensure value for money can be effectively demonstrated to the donor.
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation tools are systematically implemented and used by the teams, in cooperation with the technical education coordinator and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) staff.
• Produce high quality reports within agreed reporting schedules.
• Ensure programming interventions are implemented in cooperation with affected communities, particularly children.
• Ensure programming interventions are designed based on an analysis of gender relations and that programmes seek to support the different needs and opportunities of women, men, boys and girls.
• Conduct regular field visits, including discussions with beneficiaries, where a report is produced and corrective actions put in place and monitored.
• Ensure Save the Children’s Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy is understood by staff within the programme as well as partners and  stakeholders, and that it is integrated into all aspects of the team’s work.
• Document programme learning, and incorporate analysis and lessons learned into new strategies/activities and advocacy work.
• Ensure programme delivery happens in strict adherence to security policy and procedures.

Performance Management and Capacity Building:

• Line-manage the programme’s staff in the areas of responsibility.
• Lead, manage and motivate the programme’s staff, ensuring they have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performance regularly, in collaboration with the human resources department.
• Identify capacity building requirements of staff in collaboration with the human resources department.
• Lead on capacity building of staff and partners through coaching, mentoring and training.
• Create and maintain a cooperative and positive working environment where staff have clear roles and responsibilities, participate in decision making and are supported in progressing towards their objectives.

Coordination:

• Represent the programme and Save the Children at donor meetings in country and internationally as required.
• Communicate regularly across Save the Children and with SC Canada  to ensure strong communications internally and externally.
• Participate proactively and regularly in senior management meetings in the areas of responsibility, making concrete contributions to strategic and operational orientations.
• In collaboration with the field managers in the areas of responsibility, represent Save the Children Nigeria with local authorities and governmental counterparts (Ministry of Health, Women Affairs,  etc.), donors and members of the humanitarian community, and ensure that Save the Children’s work is coordinated with these bodies.

Programme Development and Fundraising:.

• Identify the most appropriate Sexual and Reproductive Health programming interventions for meeting the needs of children based on assessment findings.
• Lead on situation analysis/needs assessments in the area of responsibility and ensure all proposals respond to beneficiary needs.
• Play an active role in the development of a fundraising strategy in the areas of responsibility and in donor liaison where appropriate.
• Incorporate analysis and lessons learned into new strategies/activities.

Others:

• Contribute to advocacy and research initiatives.
• Advocate for the importance of child protection and education in emergency and post-emergency settings.
• Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child safeguarding policy, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.
• Any other reasonable duty as may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and level of responsibility.

Additional Job Responsibilities:

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Behaviours (Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength, approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

Requirements
Essential:

• Sound knowledge of  Adolecent Sexual Reproductive health issues and gender in Nigeira including institutions, policies and legal frameworks.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills and the ability to think and plan strategically.
• Ability to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically.
• At least 8 years experience of working in the Health sector essentially in the area of sexual and reproductive health;
• Prior experience in managing GAC/ USIAD/ DFID funded programmes.
• Management of large grants and complex budgets
• Knowledge and working experience of Child’s Rights Programming approach.
• Proven skills in programme management and administration, including grants management and donor compliance.
• Experience of building, leading and developing a team of senior staff with different backgrounds and expertise.
• Skills and experience in programme monitoring review, reporting and evaluation.
• Strong skills in people management, moderation, conflict resolution and capacity-building.
• At least 8 years’ experience of working at senior management level within fragile or conflict affected states.
• Ability to lead a programme and support a team working from remote locations.
• Excellent report writing skills and fluency in written and spoken English
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children aims, values and principles.

Desirable:

• Experience in protection programming and promoting children’s participation in programming, design, implementation and evaluation.
• Gender and sexual & reproductive health issue experience especially on girls’ education
• Working experience in Northern Nigeria and ability to wirk in difficult circumstances.
• Capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible
• Fluency in written and spoken Hausa will be an added advantage
• Previous safety and security training for working in conflict settings