Senior Program Manager at the North East Regional Initiative (NERI) Nigeria – 2 Openings

The North East Regional Initiative (NERI) Nigeria – An International Development Organization is seeking applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Program Manager

Locations: Kafanchan – Kaduna, and Jos – Plateau
Job Type: Contract – Full-time

Position Summary

• The Senior Program Manager (SPM) will be responsible for the design, implementation and close-out of the NLCB program activities. The SPM will work with in close collaboration with Senior Management (including USAID/OTI) and community stakeholders to identify, prioritize and design activities that will respond to community development priorities in order to further the objectives of the NLCB program.
• The SPM, working with a small multidisciplinary team of 8 to 10 staff, will be charged with oversight of project activities to ensure that all tasks are completed within timeframe and budget parameters defined during project design. The SPM will also supervise two or more Program Managers, each with their own activity management team and portfolio of activities.
• The SPM will serve as the main point of contact for state-level actors and community stakeholders to ensure that all activities fit within a strategic and coherent portfolio. The SPM will be expected to report daily to and receive guidance from Senior Management.
• The SPM will be expected to liaise with various levels of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations and community actors; the selected candidate must be able to maintain good relationships with all associated parties.
• This position will be based at Kafanchan or Jos, with program activities expected to be carried out in the North West/Central states. Travel is expected.

Reporting & Supervision:

• The Senior Program Manager will report to the Deputy Chief of Party – Programs (DCOP-Programs). The Senior Program Manager should expect direct interactions with the Chief of Party and the client, USAID/OTI.
• The Senior Program Manager will directly supervise two or more Program Managers. The Senior Program Manager will collaborate closely with all team members working in Kaduna and Plateau Sates, comprising Program Officers, Grants Officers, Procurement Officers or Assistants, M&E Officers or Assistants, Finance Assistants and Logistics Officers or Assistants.
• While these team members report technically to their line managers in Abuja, the SPM is expected to lead the team and ensure that they work together to design, implement, monitor and learn from activities.

Primary Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for general oversight of program activities. The geography of targeted communities as well as type of programming is expected to change frequently over the course of the program.
• In concert with senior management, advise on programmatic design of new projects, including identification of potential local partners and beneficiaries, monitor implementation to ensure timely completion and adherence to budget and administrative and programmatic closeout throughout the portfolio of activities.
• Advise the Senior Management Team on the evolution of the local political, legal, and economic situation and on how to continuously adapt the OTI program to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.
• Develop activity-level Theories of Change (TOCs), thinking strategically about the contribution of each activity to the overall program objective.
• Work alongside Government of Nigeria (GoN) officials, community stakeholders and civil society actors to ensure coherent and strategic programming as part of a unified project endeavor.
• Manage key security-sector relationships at the state level.
• In coordination with Program Managers and Program Officers, establish community-level project oversight committees to ensure community buy-in of activities.
• Help set up transparent management and oversight mechanisms and work to incorporate as wide a range of project beneficiaries, GoN and other important stakeholders as possible.
• Responsible for the proper use of the program database for project and program development and management, including updating information on projects and activities per week.
• Comply with all Creative and USAID procedures and policies with regards to ethics and compliance, grants management, HR, finance, operations and security.
• Perform other tasks, as assigned by the Deputy Chief of Party-Programs and Chief of Party.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• University degree in a related field is required.
• Three (3) years of experience with international donor programs is required.
• At least five (5) years of general work experience is required.
• Experience in working with communities to implement grassroots development projects is required.
• Proficiency at using Microsoft Office: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook etc. is required.
• At least two (2) years of supervisory experience is highly desired.
• Ability to work under short deadlines and efficiently handle multiple tasks.
• Attention to detail and the ability to function well in a team.
• Experience working in a conflict environment is a plus.
• Fluency in oral and written English and Hausa is required; fluency in other languages spoken in Kaduna and Plateau states is preferable.

Application Closing Date
25th January, 2021.