State Coordinator at The West African Centre for Public Health and Development (WACPHD)

About Program

• WACPHD invites applications to hire eight State Coordinators for a FP supply-side project in 8 states in Nigeria
• The project’s primary goal is to conduct a rapid and comprehensive assessment of family planning supply-side constraints in service provisioning at the community level and health systems.
• The assessment is expected to provide focused guidance on strategies to address supply-side gaps and rapidly scale up the provision of family planning services for women with unmet needs.
• We are seeking a highly skilled and passionate StateCoordinator to join our team of WACPHD.
• The StateCoordinator (SC) will be the key nodal person for the project and will be responsible for meeting all deliverables and outcomes under the project.
• The SC will be based in the respective geography and will ensure that all deliverables and outcomes are met by the partner organizations/sub-grantees.
• The SC will ensure the smooth execution of project activities, including data collection, field operations, and stakeholder engagement, while adhering to timelines and maintaining the highest quality standards.

Key Responsibilities
State Coordination and Implementation:

• Oversee and provide support to all project activities in the state related to supply side baseline assessment
• Oversee the day-to-day operations ensuring timely and efficient execution of activities.
• Co-ordinate with government officials for necessary approvals as required under the project
• Facilitate collaboration where project activities will be conducted at facility and community levels
• Supervise project planning, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring, adhering to the project's proposal and work plan
• Liaise with field supervisors (NOIPolls), healthcare facility representatives, and stakeholders to ensure smooth logistics and operations

Capacity Building & Technical Support:

• Provide technical support to data collection teams to strengthen understanding of FP/MNCH supply-side systems and data quality standards.
• Support training/orientation for field staff on tools, ethical considerations, and community entry protocols.

Data Collection, Monitoring & Assurance:

• Conduct spot-checks and field monitoring visits to ensure high-quality data collection, adherence to protocols, and ethical standards.
• Lead troubleshooting of implementation challenges in real time and escalate unresolved issues.

Government liaison & Coordination:

• Coordination and liaising with the government for all key project activities including representing the project in critical meetings with the government, establishing effective channels of communication and knowledge sharing between project and the government
• State Coordinator will also need to understand the requirements of government within the scope of work of the project and communicate to NOIPolls.
• Facilitate coordination with NOIPolls and other partners, including demand-side partners and donors to ensure smooth execution of project objectives.

Reporting & Documentation:

• Prepare progress reports, project briefs, and presentations to update management, government and stakeholders on project status.
• Document lessons learned and best practices to inform future project activities and other related programs.

Compliance & Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with WACPHD policies, donor regulations, and laws governing project implementation.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to field operations, data collection, and stakeholder engagement.

Financial & Resource Management:

• Support budget planning and track utilization of project resources at the state level to ensure accountability and value for money.
• Ensure timely retirement of advances and compliance with donor financial guidelines.

Knowledge Management & Dissemination:

• Organize state-level review meetings to share progress, lessons learned, and preliminary findings with stakeholders.
• Support dissemination of baseline assessment results through state-level stakeholder workshops.

Qualification

• MBBS/MBChB/MD with a Master’s Degree / PG Diploma or equivalent in Community Medicine / Public Health / Health Management / Hospital Administration / Business Administration,
• At least 8 years of experience in Public Health, working directly or indirectly with government, or health partners, or funders; candidates with experience of at least 3 years of working with government health systems will be preferred
• Experience in managing large-scale data collection efforts, especially in family planning or maternal and child health projects will be desirable.
• Strong familiarity with the Nigerian health system and supply-side health interventions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with experience in stakeholder management.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight timelines.

Key Competencies:

• Strong organizational and coordination skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and adaptability to changing environments.
• High level of cultural sensitivity and ability to engage respectfully with communities and traditional leaders.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and project management tools.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders.