Centre Coordinator / Manager at The Sahara Centre

About the Job

• The Sahara Centre invites applications, nominations, and expressions of interest for the position of Centre Coordinator, with the appointment to be effective on a date to be confirmed with the successful candidate.
• A more experienced candidate may be hired directly into the role of Centre Manager, based on demonstrated experience and performance.
• Reporting to the Executive Director, the Centre Coordinator/Manager owns delivery across the Centre’s programmes, research, communications, and operations, and holds responsibility for grants and partnerships to advance the Centre’s work.
• The Centre Coordinator is accountable for the standard to which the Centre operates day to day, so that the Centre’s programmatic and intellectual ambitions are matched by the discipline of their delivery.

Role Overview

• The Centre Coordinator exists to hold delivery together across The Sahara Centre, ensuring that research, programmes, communications, and operations move forward in a coordinated way.
• This role owns the Centre’s delivery calendar and cross-functional coordination. 
• The Centre Coordinator’s role also involves taking the lead on sourcing grants and suitable partnerships for the Centre’s programmes, from identifying opportunities through to reporting against grant terms.
• The coordinator role has a defined growth path to Centre Manager depending on results and by consistently demonstrating the ability to perform at Manager level.

Key Responsibilities
Project Delivery and Centre Coordination:

• Owns the Centre’s delivery calendar and cross-functional coordination across research, programmes, communications, and operations.
• Tracks timelines and deliverables across all active Centre initiatives, escalating risks, delays, and resourcing gaps to the Executive Director with recommended options.

Grants and Partnerships:

• Identifies and pursues grant and partnership opportunities aligned with the Centre’s mission and programmes.
• Manages the full grant lifecycle: proposal development, submission, compliance tracking, and reporting against grant terms.
• Builds and maintains funder and partner relationships in service of the Centre’s programmes.

Vendor and Event Management:

• Sources, negotiates with, and manages vendors and contractors supporting Centre operations and programming.
• Plans and executes logistics for Centre events, convenings, and programme activity.
• Supervises event setup and delivery to a consistently high standard.

 Required Qualifications
Education:

• Master’s degree in business administration, development studies, or a related field.
• Project management certification.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum three to five years of experience in project or programme management, operations management, or a comparable execution focused role.
• Experience identifying, applying for, and managing grants or institutional partnerships.
• Experience managing vendors, budgets, and multi-person teams.
• Experience working in a research, policy, development organization.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of project management practices and tools.
• Skill in proposal writing, grant compliance, and partnership management.
• Skill in vendor negotiation and event logistics planning.
• Ability to translate strategic direction into an operational plan without close supervision.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines.

Working Environment:

• Office based at the Centre in Lagos on a full-time basis.

Application Process
Application should include the following:

• A letter of interest
• Salary expectations
• Curriculum vita.