Project Director, Evidence for Action (E4A) at Options Consultancy Services Limited

Options Consultancy Services Limited was established in 1992 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marie Stopes International. We are a consultancy organisation providing technical and management expertise in the health and social sectors to governments and international development partners to transform the health of women and children.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Director, Evidence for Action (E4A)

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract type: Fixed term, between February 2022 and April 2023
Department: Programmes Department
Reporting to: Assistant Director of Programmes
Responsible for: Leadership of Evidence for Action (E4A) Project
Liaison with: Country Leads in Nigeria and Kenya, E4A Project Team, Options colleagues across departments
Hours: 35 hours (full time)
Type of contract: Fixed Term May 2022 until 30th April 2024 (appointment is subject to successful award of funding from donor)

Main Purpose of the Job

• The Project Director will provide inspirational, strategic, technical and managerial leadership to the Evidence for Action (E4A) project (also called ‘MamaYe!’ by our partners). They will need to be a strong, proactive leader, a self-starter, initiate new partnerships to drive the project’s vision for a world where everyone is an advocate and has the power to use data to drive actions that transform health for all.
• The post holder will be accountable for the delivery of the project. Together with Country Team Leads based in Kenya and Nigeria, they will ensure that the programme achieves its objectives and outputs on time and to budget, and in a way that is gender transformative and recognizes the strength and potential of grassroot advocates. The Project Director will be the key focal point for partners, funders and other stakeholders.
• The Project Director is expected to guide the E4A team to achieve the project’s vision in a way that is aligned with the project’s values and the team’s deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It is important that they create a working environment that drives ambition, cross-country collaboration and innovation among team members.
• They will leverage the project’s talented team, strong technical approaches and attract new donors to with the aim to develop new opportunities for the project, expand its reach, venture into areas of work and enter new geographies to achieve the project’s ambitious strategies.

About the E4A Project

• Local health challenges for mothers and children are best understood and tackled by in-country actors and networks that are linked to global initiatives. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) E4A-MamaYe (E4A) fosters sustainable local advocacy partnerships which bring together disparate actors to share information and navigate political processes and interests to make health systems accountable to women's needs.
• This approach changes accountability ecosystems by radically shifting power imbalances in favor of more equal participation in decision-making. This enables citizens, particularly women and marginalized groups, to exercise their power, elevate policy issues that are a priority for them to the forefront of government agendas, and collaborate to transform health services.
• All levels of position in the organisation assume some degree of responsibility for safeguarding. Your accountabilities will align with the level and scope of the position and appropriate training will be provided.

Main Duties
Accountable for the Strategic and Technical Leadership of the Programme:

• Provide high-level technical expertise and inspiration across the programme to guide effective implementation and ensure activities lead to outputs, to outcomes, and to results.
• Ensure programme strategies and technical approaches are aligned with the best available international evidence and best practice.
• Advise and guide team members on technical strategies that use evidence and advocacy to achieve the outputs in the programme’s results framework in a way that is innovative, inclusive, gender transformative, locally driven and informed by latest evidence.
• Lead the technical planning and provide technical oversight to the core workstreams of the programme.
• Support the team to regularly review the programme’s Theory of Change, results framework and contractual documents agreed with the Foundation to ensure they are fit for purpose.
• Ensure timely and effective monitoring, learning and evaluation of the programme.
• Identify, monitor and manage any risks to the programme’s results.
• Establish effective Quality assurance mechanisms for all programme’s technical outputs and deliverables, ensuring that these are produced on time and in line with programme’s objectives.

Build and Nurture Global and Country Level Partnerships and Knowledge Sharing:

• Apply diplomacy, influencing and consensus-building skills to build alliances with a range of networks and coalitions where relevant at country, Africa regional and global level.
• Strengthen the project’s reputation as an agile project by overseeing an effective communications strategy to disseminate results and learning and enhance visibility with target audiences.
• This will include a specific focus on uptake of the project’s Global Public Goods.
• Manage the relationship with the donor, ensuring the project is regarded as highly successful in delivering its objectives and in communicating its learnings.
• Actively seek opportunities for expansion to new geographies and clients.
• Communicate the project’s results and impact to partners and potential donors.
• Represent and promote the project’s vision and results at high level policy and advocacy forums such as conferences and international platforms.

Lead and Manage the Project Team in a way that is inclusive and Enhances Performance and Encourages Initiative:

• Ensure the programme follows Options Project Cycle management approach, steering the programme through different phases of delivery and utilising programme management tools as appropriate such as the Programme Quality Assurance Plan to ensure high quality delivery.
• Line management of Country Team Leads and the Project Manager, and lead the senior management team.
• Mentor, coach and support staff to ensure all project staff are motivated and encouraged to think out-ofthe-box in order to deliver maximum impact.
• Oversee project staff management and hiring.
• Ensure that robust systems are used for contracting, managing and ensuring the quality of deliverables from consultants and other subcontractors, guarantee that they provide high-quality cost-effective services to the project.
• Participate in Options’ Team Leader meetings and liaise regularly with the colleagues to support learning and knowledge sharing across Options’ programmes.

Accountable for Planning and Budgeting of the Programme and Monitor Performance Against Plans:

• Accountable for ensuring that the project is delivered on time and to budget and that the project’s financial objectives are achieved.
• Establish and oversee the implementation of plans to budget, leading corrective action where necessary.
• Convene and lead annual planning and budgeting exercises to produce a detailed and costed workplans for the following year feeding into the organisational consolidated budget.
• Approve expenses within financial authority and delegate authority as allowed.
• Accountable for ensuring project expenses are tracked and reported in line with Options’ financial reporting systems and deadlines and guarantee that funds are available to implement the project as planned.
• Accountable for ensuring due diligence is performed on all recipients of the project’s funds; staff, subcontractors, and their sub-contractors, control and report on the use of all project funds.
• Implement Options’ policies and guidelines on fraud, bribery and corruption involving project funds and report any suspected cases immediately to the Director of Programmes.
• Ensure that security of our staff, sub-contractors and visitors is managed in line with Options security processes.
• Act as safeguarding lead for the project. Accountable for ensuring appropriate safeguarding processes are in place in line with Options’ processes.

Expand the Project Technical and Geographic reach by Attracting New Donors:

• Take an entrepreneurial approach to identifying and developing new business opportunities - turning E4A into a multi-donor funded project.
• Represent Options in meetings with current and potential new clients, partner organisations and at external events to raise Options’ profile.
• Work proactively to identify new business opportunities for the project.
• Lead the development of bids to expand E4A’s technical areas of work and geographic operations

Requirements
To be successful in this role:

• Visionary and inclusive leader who is committed to making health systems more accountable and equitable, so that they provide quality RMNCH and FP services for women and children.
• Experience of developing and maintaining close working relationships with clients and partners, and demonstrable experience of winning new business.
• Experience leading multi-country and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong communication and knowledge sharing skills.

Application Closing Date
15th February, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here for more information (PDF)