Programme Manager at Options

Department: Programmes
Reporting to: Regional National Ownership Lead (WISH Programme)
Responsible for: N / A
Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week
Type of contract: Fixed Term Contract - up to 31st March, 2022 with the possibility of extension depending on funding.

Main Purpose of Job

• As Programme Manager you are responsible for the effective and efficient project management of the WISH Lot 1 project as well as the management of particular countries under the WISH Lot 2 (WISH2ACTION) project.
• Under the guidance of the Regional National Ownership Lead (Team Leader) you will work closely with other Options’ Departments and project teams to enable the projects to be carried out on time and to budget and within Options’ quality standards of delivery
• You will report to the Regional National Ownership Lead, and will be based in one of the Options’ offices in either Kenya, Nigeria, DRC or Malawi, with some overseas and national travel, COVID-19 restrictions permitting.

Note: Regardless of level of position in the organisation all roles assume a level of responsibility for safeguarding. Accountabilities will align with the level and scope of the position and appropriate training will be provided.

Liaison With:

• Finance, New Business and Partnerships, Technical Department, Programmes Resources Unit, Department for Design and Innovation, programme teams, clients, consortium partners.

WISH consortium and Options’ Role

• FCDO’s Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme (Lot 1) will provide approximately £78 million to deliver integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in 11 countries across West Africa. The WISH programme builds on previous successful initiatives supported by FCDO and others to expand sexual and reproductive health care services and support countries which have made FP2020 commitments to achieve them. The programme is expected to ensure that women are able to safely plan their pregnancies and improve their sexual and reproductive health, particularly the young and marginalised.
• The programme will increase access to family planning and integrated sexual and reproductive health services for women, men and young people across Africa and Asia through a combination of:
  • Rights-based provision of private sector sexual and reproductive health information and services, and strengthening of public sector health information and services;
  • Addressing barriers to family planning uptake at individual, interpersonal, community and institutional level; and
  • Improving policies, government financing and commodity security to create an enabling environment for family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• The programme is designed to contribute to the following four outputs:
  • Community/individual choice: people have the knowledge and community support to make informed SRHR decisions and advocate for quality services;
  • National Ownership: improved policies, government financing, commodity security and public sector SRHR capacity and services;
  • Private Sector Access: access to quality, voluntary FP and other SRH services, eliminating barriers for young and marginalised women; and
  • Global Goods: evidence-based innovations and practice shared globally to increase women’s choice and access to SRHR services.
• WISH Lot 1 is led by Marie Stopes International (MSI) with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF); IPAS; DKT International; Options Consultancy Services (Options); Leonard Cheshire and Thinkplace as consortium partners. Options is responsible for leading output 2 (National Ownership).
• Our approach to National Ownership comprises of four strategies: increase government commitment to SRH outcomes through domestic financing; use evidence-based advocacy and effective partnerships to strengthen policy and legislation; use evidence to hold government to account for SRH outcomes; and promote quality control and standards of service provision and care.

Main Duties
Programme Specific Responsibilities (approximately 80% time):

Project Management:
Manage specific long-term and/or short-term projects within the Options portfolio ensuring all donor guidelines are adhered to. This includes:

• Under the leadership of the Team Leader / Project Lead contributing to the strategic planning and monitoring of the designated projects, resolving issues and initiating corrective action as appropriate.
• Tracking project deliverables and work with other Options departments to ensure they meet appropriate levels of quality, are on time and within budget, in accordance with the project plan.
• Maintaining and managing an assessment of risks to the programme’s successful outcome.
• Appropriately escalating risks, including, but not limited to quality delivery, financial, security and safeguarding risks, to senior members of the programmes department.
• Liaising with clients, implementing agencies and other relevant individuals and organisations as required and ensure excellent relations are maintained.
• Supporting the Team Leader / Project lead in organisational reporting including support to producing monthly programme delivery reports for Programme Delivery Group meetings
• Supporting the Team Leader / Project Lead in the preparation and presentation of other reporting requirements.
• Supporting the Team Leader / Project Lead to define project tasks and resource requirements, including developing project work plans and supporting the design and implementation of effective technical assistance strategies.
• Keep the senior management team informed about the progress of the programmes and potential risks on a regular basis
• Ensuring programme administration, travel and logistics management are in place and operating effectively, engaging with other teams (management services and the Kenya pooled team) as needed.
• Managing and support effective communication and cooperation among partners, subcontractors and colleagues
• Line management of Assistant Programme Managers or Programme Assistants as required.
• Support the operational aspects of delivery on the project as required.

Financial Management:

• Development and management of project budgets (internal and client facing), Lead on programme specific re-budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Internal and external financial reporting, including invoicing and expenditure tracking and variance analysis, monitoring the expenditures and costs against delivered and realised milestones as the projects progress.
• Work with the UK Finance Team on all aspects of financial management related to long and short term projects and programmes, and contribute to the monthly management accounts, annual audit and budgeting process, and regular budgeting and re-forecasting.
• Actively engage with the country finance and admin teams to ensure project financial processes dovetail with organisational financial processes.
• Responsible (under the accountability of the Team Leader / Project Lead and Country Representative) for ensuring commercial targets are met on the project.

Contracting and Contract Management:

• Organising short term consultant inputs in line with organisational procurement policies and procedures including preparation of TORs, sourcing, negotiating, drafting contracts briefing and managing consultants liaising with and including HR and Legal and Compliance teams as required
• Under the oversight of senior members of the Programmes Department and Team Leader / Project Lead and in liaison with Legal and Compliance Team manage relationships with subcontractors in line with organisational procurement policies and procedures, including preparation of TORs, contracts and budgets and ongoing management of their inputs and deliverables.
• Work with HR and Legal and Compliance teams to ensure that the correct contractual arrangements are in place with long-term project staff,
• Managing the commercial aspects of contracts.
• Ensuring compliance with the terms of the head contract
• In liaison with the Legal and Compliance team, support due diligence of consultants and sub-contracts.

Cross organisational responsibilities (approximately 20% time):
Support Business Development and Design And Innovation:

• Work with the Country Representative (in relevant countries) and New Business and Partnerships to support the development of specific proposals, including technical and financial inputs. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Supporting pre-positioning on opportunities as required including, but not limited to, engaging with potential partners; developing early budgets; inputting to design of operational set up and early technical design, and
  • Supporting the development of specific proposals whether we are a sub or a prime which may include operational, technical and financial aspects of programme design and bid development and writing and/or reviewing technical and commercial proposals.
• Work with the Department of Design and Innovation to support the identification of innovations both from within our programmes and in global health. Contribute, where needed into the development of these into new initiatives from an operational, financial and technical perspective.

Other Responsibilities:

• Contribute to knowledge management within Options including in relation to the Programmes Department Resource Unit, highlighting key developments within programmes that can be communicated and shared.
• In the spirit of teamwork, provide flexible support to colleagues across all Options Departments as required.
• Contribute to the development of team tools/sharing best practice within the team/organisation and with communities of practice as established by the Programmes Resource Unit.
• Assist in building and maintaining Options’ portfolio of consultants.
• Cover for colleagues in their absence.
• Take on line management responsibility as required.
• Represent Options and the programmes in various fora.

Note: This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the job holder.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in relevant subject area or equivalent professional experience

Experience:

• Significant experience of working in international development at Programme Management level
• Extensive experience of the development and implementation of programmes
• Experience in people management and management of teams
• Experience in distance management of relations between a head office and an internationally based team
• Experience of managing large, complex donor-funded budgets
• Experience in strategic planning
• Experience working in resource constrained settings and low and middle income countries
• Experience of close working relationships with partners and consortia
• Experience of contracts and contracting
• Experience in delivering and managing commercial contracts
• Experience of networking to build successful relationships with potential clients, collaborators and consultants
• Experience in fundraising/business development.

Skills and Attributes:

• Excellent financial management skills
• Ability to work on a wide range of projects and other issues simultaneously
• Self-starter, can work independently or as part of a team
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Ability to plan and manage work in a highly organised way
• Excellent communicator both in writing and verbally
• Good negotiation skills
• Flexible attitude to work and ability to work in challenging working environments
• Sensitive to other cultures
• Knowledge of a spread of international donors, including FCDO, USAID, CIFF, BMGF etc.
• Knowledge of the Health sector and international development issues, with particular knowledge in one of the following areas: health systems strengthening, health financing, advocacy and accountability, gender, prevention of violence against women and girls, maternal, newborn child and adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, or social norms change.

Other Requirements:

• Commitment to equal opportunities
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Fluency in written and spoken French
• A commitment to the programme’s and Options’ principles of Safeguarding, Do No Harm, and to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Pro-choice
• Applicants must have the right to live and to work in one of the countries we are recruiting in.
• Ability to travel internationally for up to three weeks at a time.