Senior Program Implementation Lead at VisionSpring Nigeria

VisionSpring is creating access to affordable eyewear, everywhere. Clear vision creates opportunities for increased learning, work, safety, civic participation, and quality of life. As a social enterprise, social change motivates us first. Our focus on sales and revenue targets serves and advances our mission objective—to increase functioning, productivity, and income earning potential for our low-income consumers by correcting refractive error and presbyopia with eyeglasses. We are working to transform the systemic dysfunction of an optical market that has failed to deliver eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology—to 2.7 billion consumers in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Program Implementation Lead

Location: Nigeria
Job type: Permanent

Description

• Are you a change maker who wants to play a pivotal role in restoring vision for millions of people in low-income settings across Nigeria? Would you like to work for an organization that is a pioneer in social impact practices?
• We are seeking a highly motivated, Fast rising young professional, dynamic, and self-driven candidate who would like to have a challenging and meaningful career path in the social sector. 
• The Vision Access Program is a key focus area at our organization and requires a proactive and dynamic approach. 
• The candidate must be dedicated, process oriented and sincere towards her/his work and should always be open to learning new things. 
• The candidate must have in-depth subject matter knowledge, expertise, and experience. Timely and high-quality delivery of goals would be essential and will be a key performance measurement criterion. 
• S/he will develop and grow our Vision Access Program, the aim of which is to make our communities refractive error free. 
• S/he will establish and roll out technical protocols, steward partnerships with sponsors and community stakeholders, oversee seamless execution of all field activities, and build evidence of the program’s efficacy. 
• The Senior Program Implementation lead will be based out of Lagos/Abuja, Nigeria, and will report to the Country Manager Nigeria (who is based in Lagos, Nigeria). 

About You

• You are passionate about improving the accessibility of affordable eyeglasses to communities/sectors vulnerable to poverty. You know this will be incredibly fun and requires technical excellence. 
• You are great at thinking on your feet. You recognize that programs in the field can sometimes deviate from the plan, and are always able to quickly move to Plan B. 
• You are a project manager. Nothing gives you more satisfaction than flawless execution and bringing in deliverables on time and on budget. 
• “Prove it.” Ideas are nice. Evidence matters more. You love evaluating projects to find out what worked, what didn’t, and what you should be doing in the future. 
• You are a stellar communicator and can tailor messages to different stakeholder groups. You have a particular knack for capturing kids’ attention and imagination. You keep partners engaged at all phases of the project. 
• You are a leader. You manage a team effectively through clear communication and goal setting. 

About Us

• VisionSpring increases lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. We believe in the wonder of clear vision for everybody. 
• We sell and deliver radically affordable optical products and services and develop markets for eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology that has failed to reach 1 billion people in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low-income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect quality, affordable products and eyecare services, and will spend limited discretionary income for the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• As a social enterprise, we are purpose first. We blend philanthropic and earned revenue, draw on non-profit and business practices, and use sales and efficiency metrics and social impact measures to bring vision correction to ever more people. 
• We catalyze collaborative action in an expansive, multisector partner network and use our evidence and experience to influence systems change and close the global clear vision gap.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers.
• Our big goal: Everyone who needs eyeglasses will have them by 2050.

Responsibilities
Program Management:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight across multiple projects, ensuring initiatives are aligned with organizational objectives and country-level impact priorities.
• Contribute to long-term strategic planning, including the development and innovation of vision access strategies to drive sustainable impact.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and communications with all project stakeholders. These include: 1) Field representatives of project sponsors (corporations, NGOs, government agencies); and 2) Implementing partners.
• Build and maintain high-level relationships with government health ministries, donor agencies, and senior leadership at implementing partner organizations to drive advocacy and systems-level change.
• Create program collateral (documents, presentations etc.) to support program delivery.
• Support the Head of Vision Access Projects in annual planning and budget development, and in tracking progress against VisionSpring’s three-year strategic plan.
• Identify and share opportunities for strategic partnerships with state and district level government agencies and school systems in support of business development objectives.

Program Integrity, Monitoring, and Reporting:

• Provide technical input for all Program design, delivery, and reporting framework.
• Develop a process to monitor accuracy of diagnosis and glasses fulfillment against prescriptions.
• Oversee field data collection and data analysis.
• Identify program successes and areas for improvement, and tailor project design accordingly. Share learning across the team. Establish quality improvement processes.
• Prepare comprehensive impact and progress reports for donors, government partners, and internal teams, using evidence to support program refinement and fundraising efforts.

Project Team Development & Implementation:

• Execute projects on-time and on-budget. Develop project schedules. Identify risks and develop field execution contingency plans.
• Supervise the day-to-day operation of the Implementing Partners. Manage project staffing and deployment to field posts.
• Train team members who have both optometric and project coordination experience.
• Ensure all implementing partner project staff are effective in creating a memorable and motivational experience for all people.

Resource Mobilization & Management:

• Support the development of funding proposals, concept notes, and program budgets in collaboration with relevant teams.
• Contribute to identifying new funding opportunities and donor engagement strategies for program scale-up.
• Ensure optimal use of financial and human resources across projects to maximize efficiency and impact.

Requirements

• Advanced Degree in Public Health, Development Studies, Optometry, or a related field; PMP or equivalent certification preferred.
• 7–10 years of experience, including at least 5 years in project leadership within public health, vision care, or social impact sectors.
• Proven ability to lead and manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects, including government, NGO, and donor-funded initiatives.
• Experience working within communities and engaging local and external partners.
• Strong understanding of behavior communication and community mobilization strategies.
• Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders in local languages.
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• Strong skills in strategic planning, budgeting, monitoring & evaluation, and data-driven decision-making.
• Proven team leadership abilities, with excellent stakeholder management skills and the capacity to drive results through collaboration and influence.
• Willingness to travel frequently across Nigeria and manage field operations in underserved communities.

Compensation

• Salary based on experience and education.
• Competitive benefits, including health insurance and generous vacation time.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.