Program Manager- SAY-WEE Project at TechnoServe

Job Summary:

The Program Manager will manage a team of up to 15 staff to implement this entrepreneurship, job creation and skills building project in Kano and Lagos state, Nigeria, over a 2 year and 4 months period. S/he will lead the overall implementation and management of the project, including providing oversight of activities, developing work plans, overseeing the project budget, overseeing M&E, and reporting to the donor on delivery and progress. The Program Manager will continuously develop operational efficiencies and drive innovations in delivery and will serve as the primary point of contact with the donor, ensuring that the project meets established objectives and targets.

Program/Practice/Department Overview:

TechnoServe’s Skilling Adolescents and Young Women for Entrepreneurship and Employability (SAY-WEE) project in partnership with MindTheGap, will leverage TechnoServe’s global Entrepreneurship and Gender expertise, replicating and scaling our proven multi-country approaches, which have provided 68,000 youth with the skills and knowledge they need to improve their livelihoods. SAY WEE will improve the employability and entrepreneurship capability of 37,000 adolescent girls & young women in Kano and Lagos states in Nigeria, targeting those enrolled in vocational training or formal education institutions and those running microbusinesses, providing them with the entrepreneurial, digital and soft skills to secure formal employment or succeed in entrepreneurial ventures.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Recruit staff and oversee their induction on TechnoServe and project systems and processes.
• Develop project work plans and M&E plans.
• Oversee project-related procurement.
• Identify staff training needs and oversee staff capacity development as required.
• Maintain a good working relationship with the donor, partners, project steering committee members and key stakeholders.
• Effectively plan and manage the project steering committee meetings.
• Lead overall project strategy to improve the employability and entrepreneurship capability of 37,000 adolescent girls & young women.
• Ensure that project objectives, outcomes, and deliverables are met on time and within budget, and that financial, operational, and reporting requirements of the donor and TechnoServe are adhered to.
• Guide team to develop effective monitoring and evaluation plans, turn data into actionable insights to guide implementation, and disseminate results and learning.
• Lead the development of reports for donors, as required.
• Develop and share internal and external project performance metrics.
• Manage the activities and performance of project staff and consultants, ensuring high-quality execution and delivery of project targets.
• Supervise, mentor and develop staff capacity to ensure project delivery, staff performance, and retention, overseeing the recruitment of new staff as needed.
• Ensure all payments/activities are in compliance with donor requests, restrictions and regulations.
• Develop and maintain a budget for each respective project work-stream, ensuring operational plans are aligned with project budgets.
• Monitor project expenditures and manage budget variances, realigning as required.

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing or related discipline with at least with 7 years’ experience in the following below. Alternatively, a Master’s degree in similar fields listed with 5 years’ experience in the following below:
• Experience in implementing private sector or SME development assistance programs.
• Experience with SMEs is strongly required.
• Experience with entrepreneurship and business accelerator programs strongly preferred.
• Experience with youth and gender programming is preferred.
• Experience leading entrepreneurship and skills development programs, with aparticular focus on entrepreneurship, digital and soft skills.
• Among the experiences, at least 2 years of post-graduate experience in analytical and strategic roles within the private sector and/or development spheres (ideally with a top-tier management consulting firm).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Related work experience and knowledge of the Nigerian economic, social and development context preferred.
• Experience in leading/managing donor funded projects required.
• Knowledge of the private sector/SME landscape in Nigeria and/or anglophone West Africa preferred.
• Good experience in working with FCDO funded projects.