Programmer Manager at Westminister Foundation for Democracy (WFD)

Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is an independent political foundation sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) specializing in parliamentary strengthening and political party development. It does this primarily by supporting the development of parliaments, political party structures and civil society organizations. It is uniquely placed to draw directly on the expertise of the Westminster political parties in all its work.

Established in 1992, WFD has supported transitions to democracy in central and Eastern Europe, strengthened multi-party democracies in Africa, and extended its work to Asia and Middle East and North Africa in recent years.In 2012, the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary a year in which it's set to greatly increase its role and impact as a world leader in supporting the development of democracy. For more information, please visit www.wfd.org

We are recruiting for the position of:

Job Position: Programmer Manager

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Description

• The Programme Manager Nigeria will have responsibility for leading the planning and management of WFD's parliamentary strengthening programme in Nigeria.
• The Programme Manager will play an important role in stakeholder management of senior parliamentary figures and democracy organizations.
• This will include maintaining crucial relationships with parliamentary staff and members of National Assembly, NGOs and National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS).
• The main aim of the programme is to increase skills and mechanisms for gender budget scrutiny and also to provide capacity support for members to improve their legislative roles.

Responsibilities

Programme stakeholder management

• Consult and agree with the National Assembly leadership and other democratic institutions in the region to plan and organize activities for the programme.
• Develop and maintain stakeholder mapping
• Establish and maintain key donor relations

Programme Management

• Maintain an up-to-date risk register
• Coordination and planning of inward and outward visits
• Development of materials and tools for training
• Source and contract suppliers for delivery of programme activities
• Review progress of programme according to WFD's monitoring and evaluation guidelines
• Conduct programme activity follow-up
• Develop and apply programme communications strategy
• Based on the outcome review either close-down of programme or transit into second phase

Financial Responsibility

• Oversee the profiling and forecasting of programme budgets
• Oversee preparation of cash flows
• Oversee the preparation of accurate monthly accruals
• Oversee accurate and timely financial reporting to WFD
• Oversee the tracking of finances and expenditure

Reporting and analysis

• Research, analyse trends and report on parliamentary practice in Nigeria and wider ECOWAS.
• Use information to explore new opportunities for parliamentary strengthening
• Undertake information gathering for WFD Board of Governors and other analysis as required for WFD.

Qualifications and Skills

• Masters Degree level in a relevant discipline such as political science or international relations.
• Thorough knowledge of the political environment in Nigeria and ECOWAS, combined with an understanding of the challenges of democracy building in the region.
• A sound understanding of the Westminster parliamentary and political systems.
• Significant number of years experience in designing and implementing programmes.This should include management experience of parliamentary strengthening or related democracy development work.
• Excellent English written and oral communications skills necessary to produce proposals and reports and to present them to WFD's Board and funders, to donors, and to local partners and other stakeholders.
• Thorough understanding of financial management and numerical competency
• Significant experience of gathering and consolidating information for monitoring and evaluation purposes
• Significant experience of producing programme reports with analysis and documentation of outcomes and programme learning.

Key Competencies

• Credibility and confidence to lead programme implementation and coordination
• Proven experience of programme monitoring and evaluation methodologies The flexibility to work in a fast changing environment with the ability to manage and prioritise a range of operational, financial and administrative responsibilities
• The ability to consult and negotiate with others to develop advice for decision makers on new areas within his/her area of responsibility
• Good judgement in taking decisions where there is sometimes no precedent or specific guidance
• Ability to work independently and effectively, and drive to manage workload, with limited supervision or guidance from more senior colleagues
• Ability and confidence to multi-task in an international  environment
• Strong diplomatic skills and ability to influence and negotiate with senior officials, politicians, and representatives of international organizations and NGOs
• Ensuring that lessons learnt are captured to inform new ways of working and identify future opportunities and challenges
• Achieves a level of delivery which exceed client expectations and enhances the reputation of the organization.

Application Closing Date
12th April, 2013

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should click here to download the wfd Application Form. The filled wfd application form should be forwarded to: recruitment@wfd.org Please click here to access/download the guidance notes to assist you in your application.