Alive & Thrive is an initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth and development. Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, is critical to enable all children to lead healthier and more productive lives. Alive & Thrive is scaling up improved infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition through large-scale programs in several countries in Asia and Africa and through strategic technical support and the dissemination of innovations, tools, and lessons worldwide. Alive & Thrive is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of Canada and Ireland.
Job Summary / Responsibilities:
The Program Director for A&T/West Africa Regional Initiative will provide program and technical leadership, management, and coordination for the Alive & Thrive activities under the West African Regional Initiative. Focal countries for this initiative will be defined based on scoping activities. S/he will be required to liaise closely with donors and key partners including governments, UNICEF, Development Banks, SUN initiative and NGOs at regional and national levels to plan and implement activities to enable achievement of project results. S/he will be responsible for ensuring policy level stakeholder engagement, development and completion of collaborative agreements, and quality of technical inputs as per agreed upon work-plans. S/he will monitor the project from initiation through delivery ensuring completion of project on schedule and within budget constraints. The position will be based in West Africa region and will report to the Africa Director, Alive & Thrive based in Washington, D.C.
Essential Job Functions
- Plan, direct, and coordinate activities for A&T in partnership with stakeholders engaged at policy level under the West Africa regional initiative
- Ensure relevant linkages with the Burkina Faso Country program to facilitate replication of effective Alive & Thrive initiatives from Burkina Faso to other francophone West African countries
- Provide technical oversight of program activities in alignment with Alive & Thrive approaches and lessons learned, and work in close co-ordination with partners to ensure that support is locally adapted, relevant, timely and appropriate.
- Provide leadership to the project team and partner agencies working under the regional initiative, ensuring clarity over plans and priorities, encouraging effective team work.
- Seek out and maintain partnerships with development partners to build networks and platforms for program activities and inputs. Identify and support the formation of and partnerships to leverage technical and financial resources to enhance implementation of program activities.
- Oversee development of high quality annual work plans, reports, and other project deliverables including the business plan; determine scheduling, procedures, staffing, and allotment of resources needed for projects in alignment with Alive & Thrive policies and guidelines.
- Oversee planning and execution of high quality monitoring, learning and evaluation activities and ensure high quality documentation and dissemination of lessons, tools and processes
- Represent the project at national, regional and global fora as appropriate and contribute to global learning and thought leadership on breastfeeding, and maternal, infant and young child nutrition
- Identify and support resource mobilization and business development opportunities in countries and the region.
- Oversee implementation of financial and contractual procedures. Ensure that rigorous systems and internal controls are in place in accordance with organizational policies, donor regulations and the laws of the host countries.
- Oversee human resource and administration functions. Supervise technical and management staff. Provide training, mentoring and coaching to regional, country, and project staff as they mature in their responsibilities. Manage administration risks and develop risk mitigation strategies.
Qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 10 years with project management experience.
- Highly prefers 12-15 year(s) of relevant experience, preferably at high levels of government in a country of the region; or as a donor or leader of a regional governmental or quasi-governmental or UN agency
- Demonstrated experience in multi-sector project management and implementation.
- Demonstrated strategic planning, staff development and capacity building experience.
- Demonstrated experience in leading and managing complex projects that are strategic in nature and national/international in scope.
- Must be able to read, write, and speak fluent English; fluent in host country language.
- Experience operating in insecure environments.
- Experience working in a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Specific Knowledge and Skills
- Thorough understanding of policy making in the public health sector, with a focus on maternal infant and young child nutrition globally and more specifically in West Africa
- Demonstrated and thorough understanding of policy processes especially in the field of public health, foo security and/or nutrition
- Prior work experience in West Africa
- Demonstrated ability to work with diverse teams and across diverse geographies
- Experience in working with government counterparts and international agencies, exposure to the UN system a plus
- Excellent writing and presentations skills in English and fluency in written and spoken French
- Ability to work efficiently, independently, to assess priorities and competently complete a variety of activities with a high level of accuracy and timeliness.
- Demonstrated strategic thinking, leadership and partner mobilization skills
- Effective team building and communication capabilities across types of agencies, sectors and countries
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work effectively both as a team member and independently.
- Ability to initiate and implement activities with minimal oversight and supervision.
We offer competitive compensation and an outstanding benefit package.