Program Manager, Just Economies at Oxfam

Requisition ID: 10581
Location: Abuja
Job Family: Program
Contract type: 1 Year Fixed Term
Internal Job Grade: C1- national
Reporting to: Head of Programs

Job Purpose

• The job holder will drive initiatives to promote economic justice across different thematic pathways relevant to the Nigeria context. This includes urban and rural livelihoods promotion, employability and entrepreneurship capacity programs, economic policy influencing, market systems improvement, labour and workers’ rights promotion and private sector engagement.
• The position will also focus on issues of tax justice (for the extractives and non-extractives sectors and consumer protection), access to finance by MSMEs, resilience building (community capacity building on climate, conflict and economic related shocks) and food and trade systems improvement programming for Oxfam Nigeria.
• The jobholder will manage existing projects under the Just Economies Program pillar and will contribute substantially to developing and designing new initiatives including business development and fundraising activities.
• The jobholder is also expected to establish new partnerships and manage existing ones with relevant ministries and agencies of government, the private sector, regional, continental and international organizations relevant to the program objectives and to Oxfam’s Country Strategy.

Dimensions

• Provide leadership on economic policy researches and analyses towards evidencing key policy gaps and to inform appropriate program level response.
• Lead on Oxfam Private Sector engagement strategy development for the country program.
• Manage and provide strategic leadership supports to Project Managers and Project Leads under the Just Economies Program pillar.
• Bringing expertise in entrepreneurship development, employability programming, and market systems development (MSD) among others.
• Provide leadership on activities relating to business environment reforms (BER) and investment climate reforms (ICR) for the promotion of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs).
• Demonstrate expertise in program design, implementation and evaluation for the purpose of business expansion for Oxfam in Nigeria.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Strategic leadership:

• Provide strategic analysis and direction through high quality advice, analysis of food security trends, and synthesis of learning from external sources and our programs to help the organisation make strategic program, policy and campaign choices.
• Keep up to date with national and regional trends in the area of economic policies, resilient livelihoods, food security and agricultural value chain development in order to fully understand the context within which Oxfam operates (present and future).
• Support gathering and sharing of good practice within thematic groups that are integrating disaster risk reduction, social protection/safety nets and sustainable livelihoods approaches to work in areas of chronic poverty and inequality.
• Actively represent Oxfam in the Cadre Harmonise analysis, Food Security Cluster and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Federal Ministry of Environment policy engagement at the national level among others.
• Facilitate capacity strengthening for teams on conflict sensitivity programming.
• Facilitate learning and contribute to knowledge management across our program, Oxfam International, and with partners and external organisations.

Programme management and implementation:

• As a member of the Programme Management Team (PMT), contribute to overall development of longer-term strategy and management of the Oxfam programme in Nigeria
• Ensure all projects under the program pillar achieve their planned outcomes, and provide supports towards effective program implementation framework.
• Anticipate and pro-actively share information within Nigeria country program and project teams and ensure that team members are coordinating effectively over activity planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Ensure adherence to Oxfam quality standards and integration of best practice in economic justice programme in close liaison with Oxfam technical advisers, finance, MEAL and other support staff.
• Ensure that program management information systems are integrated to relevant Oxfam platforms (database, website etc.), are maintained accurately and up to date.
• Ensure delivery of all project reports and donor reports to quality standards and within deadlines.
• Commission and supervise research or analysis to underpin programming and advocacy on every relevant thematic areas under economic justice.
• Share information within region and to other Oxfam colleagues related to projects under the program pillar and contribute to advocacy activities in Nigeria and within the region.
• Facilitate the implementation of counter-fraud, anti-aid diversion and safeguarding recommendations for operational excellence.
• Ensure adequate complaint and response mechanism is in place and functioning

Partnership management and external relationships:

• Work with the Head of Programs to design Oxfam Nigeria Private Sector Engagement Strategy
• Scan the private and public sector, CSOs and INGOs for viable partnerships
• Build and manage relationships and partnerships with trade unions/associations, economic interest platforms, producer organisations, NGOs, research institutions, private sector and other key stakeholders in the real sectors of Nigeria.
• Provide and facilitate technical support, training and information to partners to enable them to effectively use Oxfam resources and best practices in project implementation
• Represent Oxfam in coordination meetings related to economic justice at the federal level and some external relationships with donors and other key stakeholders.

People management:

• Line manage project leads / managers of projects under the Just Economies Program pillar across different locations in Nigeria.
• Develop arrangement for capacity and performance management for people working with her/him in line with Oxfam’s values, Oxfam Leadership Tool.
• Ensure that trainings on Oxfam Code of Conduct for staff and non-Oxfam staff involved in program implementation is implemented on regular basis.

Financial management:

• Ensure that budgets are drawn up for all projects, and that costs are kept within budgets, implement a monthly program budget monitoring (Budget Vs Actuals), quarterly analysis of trends and timely budget reallocation.
• Support project leads to develop supply plan and manage procurement in compliance with Oxfam’s and donor requirements.

Fundraising:

• Constantly scanning the donor and private sector landscape for opportunities
• Prepare capacity statements, concept notes and project proposals ensuring they are aimed at achieving economic justice, resilient income and food security for small holder farmers especially women and youth
• Ensure that proposals developed for specific calls are in line with co-financing targets and priorities of the country program.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, mid-term and annual reports to be submitted to Oxfam and donors (existing and prospective).

Job Requirements
Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking ability.
• Strong skills in economic policy, market systems development, entrepreneurship programming, and private sector engagement.
• Commitment to and knowledge of working with partner-led operational approaches, developing and supporting partner organisations to achieve direct impact and results relating to the programme objectives
• High levels of strategic and people management skills, able to support and mentor teams in their professional and personal growth and use a variety of strategies and approaches to motivate teams
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills an able to represent Oxfam to donors and external institutions
• Experience and ability to work well in, manage and lead large project teams and steer them to achieve and deliver results.
• Ability to work effectively with others persuading, influencing, negotiating and supporting, following as required in order to achieve targets
• Ability to manage competing tasks; ability to prioritise and produce high level output consistently.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using a computerised information management system (Ms. Word, Excel etc.)
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting women’s rights and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work
• Understanding of and commitment to Oxfam’s One Program Approach (linking humanitarian, development & influencing work)

Key Behavioural Competencies:

• Decisiveness: We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.
• Influencing: We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
• Humility: We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.
• Relationship Building: We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.
• Listening: We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear and consider different preferences.
• Mutual Accountability: We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values.  We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.
• Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity:  We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.
• Systems Thinking: We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organizational decisions and actions.
• Strategic Thinking and Judgment: We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.
• Vision Setting: We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.
• Self-Awareness: We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
• Enabling: We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job.  We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support.