Senior Program Officer-PLANE at FHI 360

Requisition: 2020201950
Supervisor: Output 1 Lead (Technical Director)

Basic Function

• Under the supervision of the Output 1 Technical Director, the Senior Programme Officer will provide support in coordinating program activities of the field offices.
• H / She will provide program management support and coordination in planning, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of assigned project activities.

Project Description
The newly awarded project Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) is a project funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), formerly known as the UK Department for International Development (DFID). PLANE is a 7 year project (2020-2027) that strengthens education systems to improve foundational skills in reading and math for children in the primary grades. PLANE’s focal states are Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa, with limited interventions in other parts of Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support in assuring effective planning, implementation, review and monitoring of project activities. Provide management support to the state offices and implementing agencies (IAs) on work plans, sub agreement management, periodic fund requests, and reporting.
• Develop and oversee execution of systems for initiation, implementation, monitoring, amendment and close out.
• Ensure that the Project delivers on all its promises to donors and other stakeholders (achieve set targets, deliver quality services).
• Monitor and enforce compliance with donor and FHI / AHNi policies by state offices and IAs.
• Ensure appropriate monitoring of sub grants to achieve financial, administrative, and programmatic goals.
• Guide and support state offices and IAs in establishing sound management systems to ensure cohesive implementation of project activities.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of systems that effectively respond to FCDO (DFID) / Nigeria requirements regarding implementation procedures, reporting and evaluation.
• Coordinate capacity development efforts in support of state offices and IAs staff and other partners.
• Assist in identifying, analyzing and disseminating best practices in the project through the identification of project learning sites and technical support to the program
• Liaise with multiple stakeholders and collaborators to share information, coordinate activities and avoid duplication in the implementation of the programs
• Assist in strengthening systems for tracking and reporting on program progress against stated objectives and monitoring and evaluation frameworks, according to the donor guidelines. Support in the provision of programmatic assistance to technical staff in implementation of activities at field level. Perform other duties as may be assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or HND in the Numerical Sciences, Development Science, Project Management, or related field
• 5-7 years’ work experience in monitoring and supporting education programs.
• Experience with word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
• Working knowledge of data processing computer packages
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of education programming in Northern Nigeria. Sensitivity to cultural differences, understanding of the political and ethical issues surrounding education in Northern Nigeria. Ability to work in a team, develop and maintain good working relationship with staff and partners.
• Proven ability to coordinate a multi-sectoral development project. Ability to organize systems to monitor administrative and implementation results.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage high volume work flow. Perform detail-oriented work with a high level of accuracy.
• Interact with diplomacy and tact and follow-up on requests in timely and efficient manner.
• Ability to plan and prioritize own work under tight deadlines, as well as to work on own initiative and as a member of a team. Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially reporting. Ability to travel in Nigeria minimum of 40%.