Program Officers - 2

Job Title: Programme Officers (2)

Organisation: Africa Human Capital Development Plus (Africa HCD+)

Location: Abuja, Nigeria and Freetown, Sierra Leone

Date: 20th March 2024

Apply by: 3rd April 2024

BACKGROUND

Africa HCD+ is a platform funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and will have the capability to serve as an African voice for advocacy, accountability, and transparency on HCD. It seeks to accelerate political commitments, decision-making and funding for key priorities towards realising SDGs #1-6 in Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to incubate regional advocacy and technical assistance hub on Human Capital Development towards increasing African Government's commitment, funding, and accountability to HCD. The platform, through increased HCD advocacy, focuses on five pillars: (i) Health and Health Security; (ii) Nutrition and Food Security; (iii) Education, Skills Development, and Labour Participation; (iv) Entrepreneurship, Financial Inclusion, and Digital Transformation; and (v) Gender transformative HCD.

Also, HCD sits across multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in many African governments. Hence, there has not been any organisation that holds an integrated vision for HCD. This makes an HCD-focused institution like the Africa HCD+ highly critical to further supporting the HCD agenda on the continent. HCD+ focuses on four strategic objectives: (i) Creating transparency on the HCD performance across the continent; (ii) Advocating with heads of state and decision-makers to make HCD a priority; (iii) Ensuring effective coordination and collaboration with stakeholders and decision-makers; and (iv) Selectively driving the implementation of flagship programmes in education, health, and economic inclusion. The programme has since commenced its activities in Abuja.

POSITION OBJECTIVES

The Programme Officers will provide technical, administrative, financial, contractual, and management support for the designated portfolio of projects. They will work directly with project and technical leads of the designated project portfolio to ensure projects achieve quality programming and development outcomes.
 
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Provide technical support to the implementation of designated projects.
• Provide support to managing project finances and achieving contractual performance targets, playing a central role in monthly project financial reviews, technical/financial alignment of projects, producing technical deliverables, and troubleshooting any issues.
• Work with designated Technical Lead to ensure that technical activities and deliverables are of high quality and implemented per the contract scope of work and approved work plans.
• Proactively identify and analyses risk areas and advises the relevant stakeholders on preventative measures.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for operational and financial matters related to project implementation.
• Support performance management of resources, technical processes, and project outcomes; and promote collaboration within the broader organisation.
• Take responsibility for project outcomes by providing the necessary support for the project teams to succeed.
• Participate and provide support to project field teams during strategic planning sessions.
• Develop proposal and terms of reference as the need arises.
• Manage budget realignments, contract modifications, and subcontract modifications.
• Participate in research, pre-positioning and/or proposal management for opportunities.
• Manage project budgets and advise on options to keep the budget on track.
• Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation, master budget, etc.
• Produce reports to suit relevant stages of the projects.

REPORTING

• The Project Officers will report to the Chief Operating Officer.

REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

• Interested candidates should have a minimum of the first degree in any social science discipline, especially in economics, data science, statistics and business.
• 8- 10 years of progressive work experience in programme support and management capacity.
• A Master’s Degree or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive proposals.
• Demonstrable experience in supporting and management of programmes complete life cycle.
• Excellent project planning, management, and monitoring & evaluation skills.
• Demonstrable business acumen and global agility, including an in-depth understanding of project financial and budget planning.
• An excellent communicator with brilliant leadership, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and IT skills, including strong reporting/presentation skills and familiarity with a wide range of IT applications.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, highly motivated and driven with a passion for delivering to the client.
• Support capacity building efforts for the project teams to deliver on programme deliverables, ensure effective reporting, and financial management.
• Experience of closely working with government departments at local and state levels is highly desirable.

LANGUAGE

• Fluency in English and French is required.