Program Officer at Pathfinder International

Job Purpose

• Provides overall program management during the full project lifecycle by establishing or supporting sound project and program management practices to ensure successful outcomes.
• Contributes to the development and monitoring of project workplans and helps to track project spending. Contributes to Pathfinder’s new business development.
• Works with a multi-disciplinary team and may serve as the Pathfinder spokesperson on behalf of the project to promote the project goals, achievements, and strengths to key stakeholders.
• As appropriate, supports Pathfinder’s technical workstreams. Collaborates with project team on project activities that have a combined program focus.
• Collaborates with other members of the project team to ensure that deliverables meet the needs of intended populations. Ensures that the project team draws on state-of-the-art knowledge and practices in the areas specific to the program area.

Major Activities / Responsibilities
Technical Assistance:

• Provides technical assistance to country offices, host-country governments, local partners, and other agencies by contributing to report reviews; technical reviews; identification and provision of topic-specific technical assistance; and capacity building and working with local partners. Reviews and provides input on project reports, data, and progress against project workplans

Project Work Plans and Execution:

• Supports development of and provides oversight of execution on the development of project work plans and revises as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.
• Identifies resources needed and assigns individual responsibilities. Provide guidance, tools, and resources to manage dayto-day operational aspects of a project and scope. Reviews deliverables prepared by team before passing to client. Enforces organizational standards. Ensures all project documentation is complete, current and stored appropriately.

Financial, Resource, and Risk Management:

• Provides oversight on project budgets, conducts monthly financial reviews and analysis to ensure compliance with Pathfinder and client requirements. Supports project staff to effectively procure and manage resources, following Pathfinders and/or client systems and processes. Resolves and/or escalates issues in a timely fashion.
• Facilitates identification of issues and resolutions to mitigate risks.

Project Meetings:

• Holds regular status meetings with project team.
• Ensures multi-directional communication between the project and country teams and other relevant organizational team members.
• Facilitates team meetings.

Donor Compliance:

• Complies with and helps to enforce standard.
• Policies and procedures, serving as a Trainer of Trainer on specific USG and Pathfinder rules and regulations.

Communication:

• Delivers engaging, informative, well organized internal and external presentations

Business/Proposal Development:

• Contributes to Pathfinder’s proposals, including responses to competitive bids. Inputs into program designs, staffing plans, workplan and budget alignment, adherence to donor and
• RFA guidelines, as appropriate, and other tasks as assigned.

Quality Assurance:

• Monitor and works with the technical team to ensure that best practices for services and service integration being implemented are well documented, evaluated and poised for scale up.

Partner Management:

• Supports the development of partner agreements, including supporting identification and tracking of deliverables and budgets.

Minimum Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Management, Public Health, Business, Marketing, Social Science or related discipline.
• 5 years program management/support experience working in international development, preferably in implementing programs in Nigeria.
• Experience working in international non-profit
• Prefer: Experience in project design
• Prefer: Experience living or working in the Northeast part of the country and understanding of program context, field realities, and technical needs.
• Community Relations: Intermediate skills in facilitating working relationships between project teams, donors, partners, government officials, and communities.

Competencies/Attributes
Minimally Required Job-specific Competencies:

• Country Specific Public Health System: Basic understanding of the countries’ public health systems.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Basic knowledge of contraception and reproductive health principles and rights, practices, and services, including program strategies and indicators, and the latest developments in the field.
• Program Operations and Development: Intermediate skills in implementing and managing global health program operations in the developing world.
• Proposal Development: Basic skills in project management-related tasks within proposal development from concept to full proposal.
• Leadership: Advanced skills as a leader in program or project management as part of health and health service delivery strengthening in developing countries.
• Program and Project Planning and Management: Intermediate skills in program and project management and planning to fulfill performance objectives, including the timely implementation, and reporting of donor funded program activities.
• Operations and Financial Management: Basic knowledge of operations and financial management in developing countries.
• Change Leadership: Ability to demonstrate a high degree of flexibility in managing change across a broad group of stakeholders in an inclusive manner.
• Presentation Skills: Ability to make presentations on results and products to diverse stakeholder groups.

Minimally Required Organizational Competencies:

• Software Applications: Advanced knowledge of MS Office products, including MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Services: Foundational knowledge of family planning and reproductive health principles, practices and services including strategies and indicators.
• Passion for Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: commitment to family planning, reproductive health services, gender, maternal, child health services, and eradication of harmful traditional practices.
• Communication: Advanced oral and written communication skills.
• Languages: Advanced writing and speaking skills using local language and English language.
• Project Planning and Management: Advanced skills in project planning, coordination, monitoring and management.
• Customer Service: Advanced customer service skills.
• Organization, Planning and Multi-tasking: Advanced organizational and planning skills, project planning and project management skills. Proven ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and multi-task with minimal supervision.
• Self-Management and Teamwork: Ability to work independently or as a member of the team, ability to be detailed-oriented, and ability to manage stress.
• Global and Cultural Effectiveness: Ability to communicate, collaborate with diverse stakeholders and achieve operational outcomes.
• Matrix Management: Ability to thrive in a matrixed organization.
• Confidentiality: Proven ability to maintain confidentiality on work-related issues.

Other Information:

• Travel required (up to 30%)
• Process new hires for the program or project, coordinate and participate in new hire orientation, and complete payroll documentation processing for new hires.
• Serve as the program/project or functional area’s first point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.