Head of Health and Nutrition at Save the Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Health and Nutrition

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Employment Type: Full Time
Grade: 2 (National) 
Job Category: Programme, Development and Quality
Contract length: 1 year (renewable)
Reporting to: Deputy Director, PDQ 
Team: Programme Development & Quality (PDQ) 
Post type: National
Staff reporting to this post: None 
Budget Responsibilities: None 

Role Purpose

• The Head of Health and Nutrition drives the strategic vision and delivery of high-impact health and nutrition programming in Nigeria. 
• Combining deep technical expertise, contextual insight, and strong partnership skills, the role leads the development of strategies, technical designs, and quality program implementation across humanitarian, development and triple nexus contexts. 
• The role provides technical support to Health & Nutrition programs, strengthens advocacy efforts, expands strategic partnerships for business development, and ensures learning, evidence generation and use for Health & Nutrition programs. 
• It focuses on building the capacity of project staff and local organizations, promoting sustainability and local ownership. 
• Serving as a key external representative, the Head of Health and Nutrition positions the organization’s work with donors, government, and partners. 
• In major emergencies, the role holder adapts to ensure the continuity of critical health and nutrition interventions. 
• Overall, the incumbent is responsible for advancing evidence-based, high-quality programming that improves outcomes for children and communities. 

Child Safeguarding: 

• Level 3: The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting the country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff. 

Role Dimensions: 

• Save the Children has been actively working in Nigeria since 2001.
• Our program is implemented in various sectors including Health and Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, and Food Security & Livelihoods.
• We engage in humanitarian, development, and triple nexus programming.,
• We work directly with families and communities, foster the participation of children, and partner with local organizations, UN bodies, International NGOs, and the Nigerian government to deliver results for children. 

Key Area of Accountabilities
Strategy and Programme Quality (Design and Implementation):

• Lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of Save the Children’s Health and Nutrition Strategy, aligning with global and country strategic plans in collaboration with field teams, and senior management. 
• Provide strategic leadership in the development of high-quality funding proposals, identifying opportunities for resource mobilization in alignment with organizational priorities and donor interests. 
• Ensure technical oversight and continuous improvement of the health and nutrition programs, guaranteeing alignment with national standards and global best practices. 
• Foster integration across all Save the Children health and nutrition projects, ensuring synergies and alignment with broader organisational goals. 
• Collaborate with global technical advisors to ensure programme quality, support innovation, and facilitate learning uptake. 
• Enhance cross-sectoral collaboration and integration with other technical teams to improve overall programme impact. 
• Oversee the timely preparation and submission of high-quality donor reports and internal updates that reflect programme impact and learning. 
• Strengthen team capacity in, technical delivery project management and compliance through ongoing mentoring, supervision, and tailored training opportunities. 

Representation and Coordination:

• Serve as the organisation’s lead representative on health and nutrition in national and sub-national technical platforms, building strong networks with government, UN agencies, donors, and implementing partners. 
• Represent Save the Children’s health and nutrition work to donors, contributing to policy dialogue and advocating for increased support and policy reforms in favor of children’s health and nutrition.
• Facilitate the exchange of best practices and learning across country programs and with global and regional partners. 
• Engage in high-level policy discussions with government and strategic stakeholders, contributing to national policy development and priority setting. 
• Prepare briefing materials, and technical updates, and represent the organisation in meetings, workshops, and conferences on health and nutrition. 

Knowledge Management and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):

• Promote effective knowledge management systems within the Health and Nutrition team and ensure cross-learning between sectors. 
• Support the establishment of robust monitoring and evaluation systems that assess quality including clinical quality assurance compliance, generate credible evidence to inform programming, advocacy, and reporting in collaboration with the MEAL team 
• Promote and integrate beneficiary feedback mechanisms and accountability systems throughout all program cycles. 
• Lead or support needs assessments, evaluations, and surveys, ensuring scientific rigor and timely dissemination of findings to inform programming and advocacy. 

Programme Management and Administration:

• Promote coordination between technical and operational teams to ensure efficient project delivery, effective resource use, and compliance with donor regulations. 
• Support in overseeing financial and material resource management including pharmaceuticals across health and nutrition programs, ensuring accuracy, accountability, and value for money. 
• Support the development of annual program plans and budgets, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and resource availability. 

Advocacy and Policy Influence:

• Lead advocacy efforts to promote policy and systemic changes that improve child health and nutrition outcomes. 
• Apply evidence and learning from programs to influence national health and nutrition policies, guidelines, and funding decisions. 
• Develop and implement strategies to engage stakeholders and policymakers in support of child survival and development goals. 

Safeguarding:

• Ensure adherence to Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and child safeguarding commitments in all operations and interactions. 
• Ensure safeguarding and safe programming is embedded in all Health & Nutrition program design and implementation. 

Skills and Behaviours (SCI Values in Practice):
Accountability: 

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values. 
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved. 

Ambition: 

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development, and encourages others to do the same. 
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others. 
• Future orientated, thinks strategically. 

Collaboration: 

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters. 
• Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength. 
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to 

Creativity: 

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions. 
• Willing to take disciplined risks. 

Integrity: 

• Honest encourages openness and transparency 

Qualifications / Experience / Skills

• Post-graduate, Master or equivalent in Nutrition, health, public health, or related field. 
• At least 8 years’ experience in leading the design and implementation of humanitarian and development programs in Health and Nutrition. 
• Direct experience in planning, implementing, and measuring the impact of health, hunger reduction, or other related programs including designing pathways to sustainable impact at scale. 
• Successful track record of developing large-scale proposals ($ Im and above) and securing funding from donors. 
• Clear commitment to, and experience of, developing and coaching staff, combined with the ability to give direct actionable feedback. 
• Successfully work with minimal administrative support. 
• Inter-personal skills to influence and guide the field team and other senior managers in identifying programming opportunities and resolving program and campaign challenges and working collaboratively within the Country Leadership Team. 
• Experience in context, capacity and policy analysis, influencing and advocacy at the regional/international level to hold duty bearers to account to realize children’s rights. 
• Skilled at networking, representation, and partnership development to promote learning, strengthen civil society, and mobilize resources. 
• Able to generate and use data and evidence to innovate, deliver, learn, and share what works and what doesn’t work for children. 
• Experience in supporting humanitarian preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Significant experience in training, capacity building, and mentoring.
• Fluent in English and high level of English writing skills. 

Generic Competencies;

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities. 
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalized children.
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery. 
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in their own work and in work with colleagues and peers.

Additional Job Responsibilities;

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience. 

Equal Opportunities :

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI’s global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Equality Policies, supported by relevant procedures. 

Child Safeguarding: 

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. 

Safeguarding our Staff: 

• The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy 

Health and Safety:

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures. 

Application Closing Date
29th May, 2025, 08:29 UTC.

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