Programme Manager - Nigeria at Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)

Position Description

• To contribute to CAFOD’s involvement in the Nigeria / Africa region in line with the agreed programme strategy, by taking the lead on the day-to-day operational management of CAFOD and donor supported Peacebuilding, Governance, Gender, Resilience, Humanitarian and climate change programmes and partnerships. This further includes supporting the humanitarian capacity strengthening and innovative programming.
• The post-holder would equally be expected to have supervisory responsibilities over CAFOD’s Core General Funded projects.

 Job Profile
The scope of the post falls into the following broad functions: 

• Programme monitoring and development in line with the direction set by the Nigeria Country Representative and outlined in Country Strategy: in co-operation with partners, developing CAFOD supported long-term Peacebuilding, Governance, Gender, Climate Change / Resilience, Emergency Response programmes
• Delivery of institutionally funded projects: provide operational guidance and oversight to the Donor funded projects to ensure its implementation to the highest possible standard;
• Managing effective relationships with partners: developing and nurturing partnerships and providing or facilitating capacity strengthening support, where appropriate;
• Internal and external representation: of the Nigeria programme, in co-ordination with the Country Representative, as appropriate;
• Financial management and monitoring of programmes and projects: developing and managing budgets, and monitoring expenditure in line with agreed parameters;
• Systems and compliance: ensuring the effective use of CAFOD’s systems to share programme knowledge and inform decision making. This includes ensuring compliance with agreements, regulations and requirements attached to our work, including donors compliance requirements, humanitarian principles and CAFOD codes of conduct and safeguarding policy;
• Thematic focus: complement partners’ thematic understanding on peacebuilding, Accountable Governance, Women and girls Empowerment, Climate Change, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Institutional Capacity Strengthening contributing to the development of relevant interventions that bring about positive change, in line with CAFOD’s vision, mission and values; 

Key Responsibilities
Programme management and development in line with the direction set by the Country Programme (40%):

• In co-operation with partners, develop and manage CAFOD-supported programmes (this includes peace building, Governance, Gender, Climate Change/ Resilience, Emergency Response, and Institutional Capacity Strengthening), contributing to the development and review of CAFOD’s Nigeria strategy;
• Jointly responsible with partners for the effective planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation (including facilitating external evaluations) and reporting on programmes, in line with jointly agreed standards (programme cycle management) and donor requirements;
• In agreement with partners, jointly develop programme and project proposals and assess the existing capacities to manage and implement the work. This includes contributing to preparation of funding applications and reports for external funders, in liaison with the Programme Development Funding Officer, country representative and the development of partner capacity development plans to address capacity issues;
• Set up and work with the team to feed into the projects monitoring, evaluation and accountability system that Promotes, captures and disseminates learning from partners and programmes, ensuring that this informs future programme development;
• Realise CAFOD’s principles by acting in line with CAFOD’s partnership standards, and by promoting and supporting partners’ adherence to jointly agreed accountability, gender, safeguarding, supply chain management/procurement good practice, and other standards, as these emerge;
• Oversee and support (where appropriate) the work of Programme Officers, Accompaniers, Volunteers/ Secondees and consultants working on CAFOD-supported programmes;
• Keep up-to-date with development issues and trends, both within Nigeria and globally, and more consistently engage with relevant clusters / working groups 
• Monitor the political and security context to contribute to organisational and programme risk assessments and security plans. 

Managing Effective Relationships with Partners (20%):

• Develop, nurture and manage relationships with CAFOD’s partner organisations in line with the principles and standards set in our Partnership Policy, guidance and tools, and in agreement with the Country Representative;
• Work with partners to regularly assess the quality of the relationship, ensuring that effective communication channels are in place, and that any shortcomings are addressed;
• Invest in partners’ capacities, by jointly identifying needs, developing plans to strengthen capacities, identifying sources of support, and allocating resources.
• Support partners in accessing the tools and support required to successfully implement capacity development plans; 

Internal and External Representation (15%):

• In co-ordination with the Country Representative develop, nurture and sustain relationships and effective communications with relevant stakeholders, including local government, national networks and other agencies working in Nigeria. This will include other Caritas/CIDSE agencies, Clusters or working groups and other forums as delegated by the Country Representative;
• In agreement with the Country Representative, contribute to the sustenance of relationships with relevant bi-lateral agencies, including technical focal points in the Dutch MFA, FCDO, USAID, The world bank, United Nations agencies and others, seeking opportunities for programme funding, where applicable;
• Communicate with other teams within CAFOD to ensure that the Nigeria programme, is well understood, and that information is available for fundraising and other communication, including publications, media briefings, education, etc. This may involve participation in sessions/events with Supporters, communities of practice, working groups, etc., as agreed with the relevant manager. 

Financial Management and Monitoring of Programmes and Projects (10%):

• In close co-operation with the relevant roles in the finance and funding teams, prepare, manage and monitor budgets relating to both CAFOD and partner-led expenditure, as agreed with the Country Representative;
• Deliver the programme within agreed budgets or recommend budget revisions according to evolving needs, in line with CAFOD’s finance guidelines and procedures;
• Develop relevant risk registers and monitor them in conjunction with the FAO;
• In collaboration with Finances, provide support to partners in interpreting and implementing donor and CAFOD financial compliance rules, guidelines and requirements
• Where appropriate, cooperate with finances to commission and manage (with partners) audits for programmes and projects;
• Carry out partner financial profiles and reviews, in co-operation with the finance team.

 Systems and Compliance (15%):

• Effectively use CAFOD’s programme management information systems to ensure programme and project information is up-to-date. This will include producing management information to support decision making;
• Ensure compliance with agreements, regulations and requirements attached to our work.
• Ensure CAFOD Nigeria Webpromise and sharepoint are regularly updated and reviewed; 

Thematic focus:

• Complement partners’ thematic understanding on Peacebuilding, Governance, Gender, Climate Change/ Resilience, Emergency Response and ICS sectors contributing to the development of relevant interventions that bring about positive change.
• Contributing to the delivery of CAFOD’s Donor funded projects including ensuring a successful delivery of these projects in line with donor compliance and hence strengthening CAFOD’s relationship with the Donors.

Job-Specific Competencies

• Degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Education or another relevant field.
• Ability to work with and build the capacity of programme staff and partner organisations
• Ability to lead and manage teams, resolve interpersonal conflicts and facilitate performance of team members
• Ability to manage programmes, demonstrate innovation and creativity.
• Knowledge of MEAL concepts, frameworks, and tools; able to manage, analyse and interpret MEAL data
• Excellent writing skills, including experience of donor proposal development and reporting.
• Knowledge on programme quality management.
• Knowledge on local context specific advocacy strategies and communication skills

  Desirable Criteria:

• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Understanding of the local context and ability to speak local languages.
• Able and willing to travel for up to 4 months annually within Nigeria and overseas (usually 1-to-2-week trips). This may involve occasional travel at short notice and to potentially insecure and difficult environments.

Salary
N15,342,844 - N16,109,986 per Annum.