Deputy Country Director at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Career Category: Donor Relations / Grants Management

Overall purpose

• The GAIN Nigeria office is now seeking a dynamic Deputy Country Director to support the Nigeria Director in fulfilling the vision and strategy of the food and nutrition portfolio, as well as contribute to securing future funding to ensure sustainability.
• The Deputy Country Director will be responsible for overseeing the design, development, and successful implementation of the GAIN Nigeria Programme Portfolio. They are responsible for ensuring that GAIN’s programmes and projects are of excellent technical quality, delivered on time and on budget and coordinated.
• As part of the senior management team of the GAIN Nigeria office, the Deputy Country Director assists in ensuring organizational efficiency and effectiveness through participation in decision making, advising on strategic programmatic areas, solving problems, communication and implementation of agreed decisions.

Tasks and Responsibilities
StrategicLeadership:

• Support the Country Director with the development, implementation and quality management of the Nigeria strategy so it maximizes impact to transforming local food systems for better nutrition.
• Support the Country Director with the planning and tracking of progress of the implementation of the Nigeria strategy, including the development and review of annual business plans, to support the vision set out in the Nigeria strategy.
• Working with the Country Director in building relationships with external constituents – for the purposes of advocacy, influencing, and identifying appropriate partner organizations.
• Supporting the Country Director in the building of a strong sourcing network and long-term pipeline of programme investments and impact grants.

Programme Design and Implementation:

• Lead the program team to conceptualize and operationalize impactful interventions to improve nutrition outcomes in Nigeria, including providing leadership in GAIN design and implementation QUADS.
• Lead and provide management support to the implementation of all projects and ensuring effective and successful delivery of the project milestones and results, ensuring an appropriate programme or project management framework in line with GAIN’s Project Management Process.
• Ultimately responsible for ensuring the high quality and timely delivery of donor reporting (narrative and financial) for all projects, as well as compliance with GAIN’s internal reporting processes.
• Ensure that respective donors’ contractual requirements, and all relevant laws and regulations of NIGERIA, are fully adhered to by the team, by overseeing the development and implementation of appropriate plans to meet requirements.

Financial Management:

• Oversees and ensures effective delivery of programmes in line with budgets.
• Work with the Head of Policy & advocacy and the Head of Operations to coordinate the programmes portfolios’ financial execution and reporting.
• Manage and monitor expenditure against budgets for strategic and annual programmatic plans in adherence to financial guidelines while ensuring value for money.
• Carry out regular budget monitoring and forecasting to ensure spend within the agreed budget parameters.

Resource Mobilisation, Advocacy and Communication:

• Acts as an advocate for private sector engagement in nutrition in Nigeria, on behalf of GAIN.
• Plan, guide and showcase GAIN Nigeria programmatic service delivery, research and achievements.
• Ensure that learning from the programme experiences are well documented and the evidence is used to further inform programming, as well as advocacy and policy and resource mobilization work.
• Engaging with external stakeholders through a positive, proactive and strategic approach to brand building and effective representation of GAIN’s programmatic work in Nigeria.

People Management:

• Line manage a number of direct reports including supporting work plan development and performance management.
• Develop team members in order to maximize their contribution to the team and organization;
• Coach, guide and mentor leaders within programme team and the department so that they are effective as leaders and managers in managing their teams.
• Ensure the recruitment, management and development of high performing team in line with the demands of the programmatic strategy.

Key Organizational Relationships:

• Reports to Nigeria Director, GAIN Nigeria.
• Line management and mentoring of GAIN Nigeria Project Managers.
• Close collaboration with the Head of Operations, Head of Policy and advocacy, and technical specialists.
• Liaises regularly with GAIN Programme Services Team and Knowledge Leadership teams.
• Government, Donors, NGOs, Private Sector, Academia and others

Job Requirements

Education:

• Master's Degree level preferably in Nutrition, Food Science/Technology, Agriculture, Public Health, or Development

Experience:

• Substantial management experience in leading international/economic development projects in multi-cultural environments working with and through governments, the private sector, civil society, and other partnerships.
• Strong experience in donor reporting, designing, setting up and coordinating, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment systems and processes.
• Experience in building effective personal networks at a senior level, showing a track record on successful fundraising with statutory, private and corporate donors.
• Strong people management and leadership experience within a multicultural environment
• Demonstrated in‐depth understanding of program issues and policy work at organizational, national and international levels. Understanding of key trends in international and humanitarian development.
• Broad understanding of the nutrition-food systems nexus, public health and community development.
• Demonstrated success in building and managing multi-disciplinary teams

Other Requirements:

• Fluent in written and verbal English.
• Proficiency in local languages is highly desirable
• A willingness and ability to travel in Nigeria and overseas as and when required

Competencies:

• Excellent management, leadership, planning and strategic skills.
• Ability to use initiative, multi-task, and work well under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, presenting clear and structured arguments with strong interpersonal andnegotiation skills, able to able to win donors’ commitment to a common vision and clearly stated goals.
• Excellent people management and leadership skills,
• Ability to work as part of, and lead, a multicultural team.
• Strong skills in developing strategies, conceptualizing programs and demonstrating impact on a large scale.
• Excellent networking, influencing, negotiation and advocacy skills
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

What We Offer

• Flexible working hours
• Friendly working environment
• Professional development opportunities