Programme Manager at Save The Children

ROLE PURPOSE:

• Save the Children seeks an experienced programme manager who will ensure effective financial and operational management of the Philanthropic Integrated Health and Nutrition project while working closely with the wider Operations Team.
• The position holder will based in Katsina and coordinate the overall programme activities for Philanthropic Integrated Health and Nutrition project across the three project’s implementing states of Katsina, Adamawa, and Borno States.
• The Programme Manager will be responsible for and provide oversight to the Philanthropic Integrated Health & Nutrition Project to achieve its strategic objectives, focusing primarily on project-related planning and implementation, timely and quality reporting, budget management, and providing technical support to staff and partners across location and fostering linkages and mutual benefit where possible.
• Save the Children’s Gender Equality Policy commits us to ensuring that all our programmes are gender sensitive at a minimum and gender transformative where possible. And, this project has been designed to empower girls to their futures and care for their children and the project will mainstream gender equality throughout the project cycle.
• S/he will also be responsible for effective stakeholder relationship management, including developing and maintaining strong working relationships with the donor, government and partner agencies, operating in the State and at federal level.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Programme Implementation and Management

• Provide strategic and technical leadership to the project team as it relates to planning and implementation.
• Use appropriate project management tools to plan, review and track progress on project implementation as well as on the utilization of project resources.
• Ensure iterative planning and adaptive implementation to achieve overall project goal.
• Conduct internal planning meetings/workshops with key program staff, TAs, operation team while ensuring adequate planning documents are established and maintained for different phases of project cycle.
• Conduct external planning meetings/workshops with key project stakeholders identified with sustainability mentality in Katsina, Adamawa and Borno state to update and adopt project scope review and implementation plans at different phases of project implementation.
• Ensure that the project meets its commitments to mainstreaming gender equality; identifying capacity needs for staff and partners and organizing gender training where appropriate; support the gender analysis and subsequent learning to inform programme; reporting on gender equality indicators.
• Continuously support the professional development of his/her team by providing clear orientation, feedback and learning opportunities.
• Provide leadership to promote adherence to save the children’s gender equality policy and minimum standards within the project and across the organizational culture.
• Represent Save the Children and the Project in coordination and cluster meetings.
• Ensure that Save the Children through the project maximizes impact on communities through coordination with other actors providing complementary services.
• Regularly communicate project progress, major issues and security incidents to the immediate supervisor and Security focal point, as appropriate.
• Ensure proper grant management, review of work plans, budgets and liquidations in coordination with the Program/Award and Finance.
• Coordinate with operations staff for purchasing and inventory control as per SCI/donor requirements.
• In collaboration with the finance/Award teams, review and analyze budget comparison reports and take necessary steps to ensure proper management and utilization of budgets.
• Ensure that all project assets and supplies in are maintained and utilized in a safe, secure and accountable manner.
• Ensure that implementation is accelerated and on track in line with approved budget and required quality.  
• Oversee timely expenditure of project budget, avoiding both underspending and overspending on grant line items.
• Take full responsibility for the delegated budget holding function, participate actively in finance meetings and contribute to financial decision making.
• Ensure programme delivery happens in strict adherence to security policy and procedures.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning.
• Work with the project MEAL Coordinator to document programme learning, and incorporate analysis and lessons learned into new strategies/activities and advocacy work.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator, create project dashboard if not available, and or maintain and improved upon already existing one.
• In collaboration with Knowledge Management and Learning, and MEAL team develop/update project brief.
• Make frequent visit to project sites to monitor and oversee project implementation and provide technical and managerial guidance/support identifying issues that need timely action and support at different levels.
• Ensure that effective monitoring and performance management systems are in place for achieving prior agreed programme activity targets, budget allocations and financial expenditures, ensuring that value for money can be effectively demonstrated to the donor and activities and expenditures are compliant with donor requirements
• Monitor progress of activities against the detailed implementation plan and log frames while evaluating the relevance and appropriateness of the intervention. 
• Work with the MEAL team to develop tools and ideas to ensure that the program is monitored against measurable and appropriate indicators.
• People Management and development
• Strategically plan staffing needs to implement the programme, supporting the timely recruitment, orientation, and training of new staff as required
• Technical management and supervision of programme staff, working closely with the Field Managers to ensure that they have clear objectives and received meaningful feedback on their performance
• Identify development needs, prepare and deliver appropriate training plans, and support program staff to access other relevant training and development opportunities
• Supervise assigned Coordinators: maintain updated job descriptions for each position, conduct annual performance evaluations, identify staff skills development needs.
• See that all staff and partners are aware of and understand SCI policies and procedures; take appropriate disciplinary measures as needed.
• Lead, manage and motivate the programme’s staff, ensuring they have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performance regularly, in collaboration with the human resources department.
• Lead on capacity building of staff through coaching, mentoring and training.
• Create and maintain a cooperative and positive working environment where staff have clear roles and responsibilities, participate in decision-making and are supported in progressing towards their objectives.
• Representation and Leadership
• Maintain good working relationships with government officials.
• Represent SCI and maintain good working relationships among the international and local NGO community, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations, and to visiting donor teams and other key contacts.
• Maintain focus on SCI programme principles.
• Encourage teamwork, openness, and honesty among staff and between SCI and its partners

Reporting Responsibility

• The donor’s preference is for virtual reporting, therefore, programme manager should remain innovative on reporting languages, styles while writing donor project picture, video and narrative reports.
• Manage project learning, working with the knowledge management and advocacy teams to document evidence generated, and produce short success stories and briefs on innovation/best practices.
• Programme manager is accountable for performance indicator tracking tables, as well as other reports needed/required by the donor and SCI.
• S/he will be the focal person for review and defending budget variance analysis (BVA) across the project implementing states (Katsina, Adamawa and Borno).
• S/he communicates with the Member on the overall progress of implementation, as well as all the key risks and mitigation measures. Timely flag and discuss key challenges, incidents and divergence from the donor-approved plans.

Other

• Ensure that every staff supporting the project are trained on gender equality.
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by the relevant line manager.
• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Accuracy and timeliness in all areas of responsibility
• High level of accuracy in work, and ability to analyse complex sets of relationships and situations
• Holds self and others accountable
• Ambition
• Creating best-in-class EA function
• Future-orientated, thinks pro-actively

Collaboration:

• Working effectively with stakeholders to achieve common goals
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Designing more effective admin systems
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Administrative & General Skills
• Communication & Interpersonal Skill Level - Excellent
• Language Requirements – English - Excellent
• Level of IT Expertise Required - Good

Essential:

• Master's Degree in Public Health, Social Science, International Relations, International Development or related field.
• Five years demonstrated experience in managing, coordinating and supervising a multi-location team working with government, local community organizations, families and communities.
• At least three years’ demonstrated experience in leading and managing an office with reasonable size of program, staff and financial resources
• At least five years demonstrated skills in project design, implementation and reporting, preferably for multi-location awards.
• Demonstrated ability with project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, supervision and performance management, etc.
• An understanding of gender analysis approaches and using gender sensitive facilitation methods and reporting gender equality indicators
• Ability to lead a multi-cultural team with a high level of respect for local culture.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and management and leadership skills.
• Experience with capacity strengthening and partnership building.
• Experience in vulnerability assessments, beneficiary registration, distributions, monitoring and evaluation in emergency situations preferred.
• Experience in business development/proposal development, preferred.
• Ability and willingness to work and live in diverse, challenging and potentially unstable environments.
• Knowledge of and experience working in the following areas: gender transformative approaches, empowering women and girls, changing gender norms, and engaging men and boys to promote gender equality.
• Commitment to SCI’s mission, values and approach (includes gender equality, child safeguarding, equal opportunities).

Desirable:

• Ability to work independently, but also coordinate effectively as part of a team.
• Capacity to work closely with, understand, and support local partners.
• Skilled in influencing and obtaining cooperation of individuals;
• Able to manage relationships to achieve results;
• Diplomacy, tact and negotiation skills;
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in English and Hausa.
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point).
• Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and handle multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.