Project Director at Pan Atlantic University

Role Overview

• The Project Director provides overall strategic and operational leadership for the NiWEMA Scale-Up Programme, bearing full accountability for the successful delivery of its commitment to reach 750,000 female-led micro and small enterprise participants and create 975,000 jobs over five years.
• The programme operates across two delivery modalities, an LMS-based online cohort model (40% of participants) and physical training delivered by EDC and implementing partners (60% of participants) and engages participants both as individuals and through sector-based clusters in fashion, food, agriculture, and other industries.
• The Project Director provides strategic leadership across all workstreams, manages funder and stakeholder relationships, and ensures programme quality, financial integrity, and impact at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for the full NiWEMA programme across both online and physical delivery modalities, ensuring workstreams are aligned and outcomes are being achieved.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the funder, managing the relationship with professionalism, accountability, and transparency including all required reporting, budget conversations, and programme updates.
• Lead and develop the NiWEMA project team including the Finance Director and all Lead roles, fostering a high-performing, gender-responsive, and values-driven team culture.
• Oversee the development and execution of annual workplans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks across both delivery streams and both participation models (individual and cluster-based).
• Manage the implementing partner network responsible for physical training delivery, ensuring partner performance, quality compliance, and contractual obligations are met.
• Lead the development of a cluster engagement strategy that enables sector-based clusters in fashion, food, agriculture, and other sectors to participate effectively in the programme.
• Oversee risk management across the programme, with particular attention to the risks inherent in large-scale field operations, implementing partner management, and community-based engagement.
• Ensure full compliance with funder requirements, EDC policies, safeguarding standards, and all applicable Nigerian regulatory frameworks.
• Champion gender equality, inclusion, and safeguarding principles throughout all aspects of programme design and delivery across both online and physical channels.
• Represent NiWEMA at high-level external engagements, conferences, government forums, and sector events.
• Lead programme learning and adaptation using data from both delivery streams to continuously improve the programme model over its five-year life.
• Any other related task on the engagement.

Qualifications & Experience

• Master’s Degree in Development Studies, Business Administration, Project Management, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 15 years' progressive experience in programme or project leadership, with at least 5 years at senior management level.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale, donor-funded programmes with both digital and field delivery components, preferably with a women's economic empowerment or enterprise development focus.
• Proven experience managing implementing partner networks in a multi-state or national programme context.
• Strong track record of funder relationship management and results-based reporting at scale.
• Deep understanding of sector-based enterprise clusters and value chain dynamics in the Nigerian context.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent project management certification is an advantage.
• Key Competencies:
• Strategic leadership across complex, multi-modal programmes
• Implementing partner and stakeholder management
• Dual delivery model (online and physical) oversight
• Results orientation and accountability at scale
• Team leadership and people development
• Gender-responsive leadership.