Director of Programs (ICHSSA-3 Project) at Save The Children

Job ID: 220005PO
Team: ICHSSA-3 Project
Grade: 2
Post Type: National
Reports to: Chief of Party
Employee Status: Permanent
Staff directly reporting to this post: All Technical Advisors

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3:  The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

Role Purpose

• The Director of Programs will be responsible for the technical oversight of the project and is specifically responsible for project implementation that relates to community, OVC and families, and ensures strong linkages with facility level and other service delivery points. He will report directly to the Chief of Party (COP) and will advise and support the COP in providing technical direction to project implementation and ensure the project meets stated goals, expected results and reporting requirements. He will take a technical leadership role in coordination with government, local community organizations, and other partners. He will be knowledgeable about evidence-based and state-of-the-art social service delivery approaches.

Key Areas of Accountability
The Director of Programs will work closely with the Technical Team to achieve the strategic objectives of the project – focusing on HIV prevention, care and support as well as supporting cross-cutting themes and integration efforts across the project with other areas of OVC programming, including Household Economic Strengthening and Nutrition. Key responsibilities will include:

•  Provide technical leadership in the development and implementation of strategies, interventions and activities that address the holistic needs of vulnerable children, including their health, education, psychosocial well-being, protection, and economic strengthening needs.
• Ensure that project strategies and activities addressing children and adolescents are evidence-based and in line with state-of-the-art, globally recognized best practices; as well as aligned with Government of Nigeria legislation and policies.
• Strengthen the linkages between community-based care activities and health facilities providing HIV care and treatment towards ensuring a continuum of care.
• Promote integration across a range of services for children to take a holistic, family-centered approach to improving their wellbeing.
• Ensure the project addresses the needs of highly vulnerable sub-groups of children, such as children living with HIV, Children of Key Population, Survivors of Violence Against Children, adolescent girls, and children living with disabilities.
• Support the development and management of relationships with key stakeholders at the national, state and LGA levels.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight for high quality implementation of the household economic strengthening components of the project.
• Facilitate linkages with government safety net programs and other stakeholders to ensure that activities complement other economic strengthening initiatives and adhere to country and global standards.
• Ensure all child-focused strategies are gender-sensitive and promote equitable programming.
• Improve the capacity of implementing CSOs in effective programming for vulnerable children and their families, HIV prevention awareness creation, community mobilization for HIV counselling and testing, PMTCT and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID), and improving referral and counter-referral systems between communities and facilities.
• Promote approaches that support integration and maximize country and community-ownership.
• Coordinate and maintain close liaison with project partners and relevant stakeholders in the focus state
• Take a leadership role in the development and timely submission of work plans, quarterly and annual reports, financial reports, and other reports and papers summarizing project results and evidence.
• Work closely with the MEAL team to deliver project quality benchmarks, baseline, monitoring, evaluation, and key lessons learned.
• Comply with Save the Children’s child protection policies, security procedures and other staff policies.

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.

Qualifications

• Advanced Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies or related field.

Skills, Experience And Education:
Essential:

• A First Degree in Medicine (MBBS or equivalent) with postgraduate qualifications in public health, social sciences, development studies or related field
• Minimum of five years of experience implementing OVC programs in a development context, specifically PEPFAR, with five of these years in Sub-Saharan Africa, preferably Nigeria. During this period, he should have been involved with socioeconomic services for vulnerable children and or public health, project design, clinical program implementation, system strengthening, reporting and evaluation, including experience working in evidence-based economic/livelihood projects for vulnerable groups, such as OVC or graduation programming.
• Familiarity with current thrusts of PEPFAR programming in Nigeria, especially on OVC and continuum of care for PLHIV
• Demonstrated state-of-the-art experience at a mid- or senior level in at least four of the following areas: child protection, household economic strengthening, social protection, education, health and nutrition including HIV/AIDS care and support; quality improvement; social service systems strengthening, including social services workforce development; M&E; and operations research.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government and civil society partners and communities as well as transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through workshops, training and meetings using participatory methods and adult learning principles.
• Proven leadership and inter-personal skills for effective teamwork; as well as the ability to work independently on a frequent basis, taking initiative, managing a variety of activities concurrently, and delivering outputs on schedule.
• Demonstrated ability to support partners working at a distance to achieve results against program objectives/targets.
• Demonstrated skills in project design, implementation, and reporting, preferably for USG funded programs.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation, and reporting TB/HIV Care & Treatment activities as well as OVC.
• Good knowledge of Government of Nigeria OVC programming terrain, HIV Care and Treatment and experience working with Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and other relevant entities.
• Strong writing and presentation skills about program activities, outcomes, and impact.
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills; Working knowledge of Hausa language.
• Excellent analytic, organizational and computer skills; proficient in MS Office including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Experience with SharePoint a plus.
• Familiarity with data analysis and visualization and the use of data for evidence-based programming decision making.  A strong interest in research and publication will be an added advantage.

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.