Influencing Program Manager at Tearfund

Tearfund is a Christian international relief and development agency working globally to end poverty and injustice, and to restore dignity and hope in some of the world’s poorest communities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Influencing Program Manager

Job ID: 3092
Location: Nigeria
Contract Type: Fixed Term 
Job Category: Global Influencing & Programmes
Responsible to: Regional Influencing Lead
Reports to: Regional Influencing Lead
Works closely with: Influencing Impact Officer and Influencing Admin Assistant, all Regional staff (SIQ, Finance, Administration, Operations & Assurance, HR, Logistics, Advocacy, Communications, Gender Protection, RPs, C2R, DMEAL, etc.), and relevant Global Teams
Potential Interview Date: 8 August 2025

Main Purpose 

• The Influencing Programme Manager is responsible for implementing Tearfund’s work of envisioning and strengthening the Church, advocating with national authorities, and promoting Integral Mission to influence change in churches, government, society and countries in line with Tearfund’s vision, strategy, corporate priority areas and policies and procedures.
• The Influencing Programme Manager reports to the Regional Influencing Lead. He is responsible for implementing the influencing work within the designated area of the region in line with the overall direction of Tearfund's strategy, networking, advocacy and influencing, linked to the key regional attributes of the model 1 countries.
• Influencing long term change within the geographical remit of the role (national, sub regional or regional level) is a key function of this role.

Key Responsibilities
Strategy, Influencing and Advocacy

• Facilitate the designing and reviewing of the influencing strategy for the cluster ensuring input from local stakeholders and relevant Tearfund staff,
• Mobilise a prophetic and biblical movement of Christians and churches living justly and sustainably and inspired for integral mission.
• Work with churches, NGOs, networks and allies to inspire, empower, develop, mentor and mobilise them to influence change in government policy, economic systems, legal systems and social-cultural practices;
• Influence and support advocacy networks and engage in movement building efforts in line with Tearfund’s priority areas;
• Support the identification of advocacy and influencing opportunities, developing position statements and briefing papers, and leading representation to government authorities at local, national, Regional and Global levels, in consultation with the Advocacy Team;
• Promote the role of theology, prayer, land leadership development in churches to influence change
• Develop a preparedness/contingency plan and strategy to respond to crisis, using existing networks TF works with already in country;
• Monitor, review and analyse the country context and changing role of aid and development, and adapt Tearfund's strategy accordingly
• Inspire, envision and strengthen networks and movements of churches, theological institutions and civil society actors, as well as individuals who seek to influence policy and practice;
• Promote Church & Community Transformation (CCT) with an emphasis on catalysing and strengthening the Church for Integral Mission;
• Promote Environmental and Economic Sustainability (EES) by working with churches, governments, partners and allies to influence them to adopt more environmentally and economically sustainable approaches and policies.
• Promote Reconciled and Peace Filled Societies (RPS) by working with churches, governments, partners and allies to adopt peacebuilding and other approaches to reduce and end conflict within countries.
• Promote Crisis to Resilience (C2R) by working with churches, governments, partners and allies to adopt peacebuilding and other approaches to reduce and end conflict within countries.
• Ensure Tearfund’s Quality Standards are upheld at the country level;
• Ensure alignment between the country strategy and Tearfund’s global work on the 4 corporate priorities working closely with regional roles;
• Ensuring impact, monitoring, evaluation/review and learning
• Ensure appropriate reporting is received and used for learning, accountability, communication, and strategic adaptation

Team Management and Coordination:

• In agreement with stakeholders and colleagues, identify the capacity building needs and develop a training plans and follow up on a regular basis
• Organise relevant workshops, trainings and other relevant events to build capacities of stakeholders involved in various activities.
• Develop and model a team culture characterised by a shared understanding of Tearfund’s vision and programme objectives, and commitment to Tearfund’s values and behaviours.
• Lead the team, ensuring clarity over plans, budgets and priorities, providing supervision, guidance and mentoring, encouraging effective teamwork and inclusiveness
• Implement Tearfund’s performance management system with with any staff, with objective setting, probationary reviews, regular catch ups, 6-monthly performance appraisals, development planning and exit interviews, carried out for staff, and take appropriate remedial action to address areas of poor performance.
• Provide spiritual leadership to the programme and pastoral support to staff where appropriate
• Line manages staff under his/her leadership.
• Responsible for oversight of project and core budgets, reviewing the monthly management accounts, identifying any corrective actions required;
• Accountable to manage TF resources and report against the same;
• Ensure appropriate Tearfund registration, legal, tax and insurance requirements are met and maintained on an ongoing basis, in cases where Tearfund has an office and staff;
• Proactively draw down on technical support from Regional and Global levels to support technical quality;

Funding:

• Develop bids for fundraising from trusts, foundations and key individuals;
• Responsible for development of budget and fundraising strategies for influencing across the region;
• Request approval from Influencing Lead a for any funding relationships and ensure they arecompliant to Tearfund policies and procedures;

Relationship building:

• Actively invest time and effort in building relationships with key stakeholders, both external and teams across Tearfund, who are critical to outwork and achieve Tearfund’s vision and strategy for the country/ies;
• Strategise, build relationships to influence and envision key church, denominational, and, mission leaders, governments, policy makers, partners and allies;
• Facilitate allies to find common ground, enabling movements;
• Network with other INGOs in relation to the Corporate Priorities and other bodies
• coordinating humanitarian response

Effective portfolio management:

• Ensure all reports are submitted on time and in accordance with required reporting formats;
• Monitor Tearfund supported allies, network and individuals to demonstrate progress and impact through visits, reviewing reports and ongoing communication, and identify corrective actions;
• Assess networks and individuals, managing risk, and agreeing capacity development plans;
• Actively promote the capturing of learning through reporting and monitoring, and discussion groups, ensuring that learning is used effectively in the country and transferred to the wider organisation;

Corporate policy and compliance:

• Ensure the programme is compliant to policies and procedures set out in Tearfund’s Global Operating Manual;
• Ensure that policies and commitments regarding the safeguarding and protection of children
• and vulnerable adults and the prevention of fraud and bribery are consistently applied;
• Ensure compliance of projects to Tearfund’s Global Process System (GPS) for the
• development and implementation of project proposals, reporting, monitoring, evaluation, implementation of audit recommendations, learning, project completion;
• Ensure audit and evaluation recommendations are implemented and adopted within ongoing operating procedures;
• Responsible for the corporate monthly, quarterly and annual reporting;
• Ensure representation of the programme and raising its profile to the wider organisation through provision of information and stories for internal and external communications by other teams;
• Oversee and ensure the implementation of the restricted party screening procedures.

External representation:

• Responsible for high-level representation to the government, securing and maintaining the necessary approvals to operate, ensuring coordination and constructive working relations;
• Responsible for representing Tearfund externally through building relationships and
• networking with nationalChurch leaders and networks, government and where relevant other NGOs;
• Responsible for developing media positions and press statements, serving as the principal local Tearfund spokesperson in media interviews, and facilitating media visits, in consultation with the Global Media Team;

Grade: 9

Application Closing Date
29th July, 2025.

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

Note

• The candidate should have the  right to live and work in any of Tearfund West Africa's operational countries including: Nigeria, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo.
• The candidate should have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, good interpersonal skills to work in a cross-cultural setting. 
• Proficiency in French Language is required.
• The recruitment process will include specific checks related to safeguarding issues.
• In addition, personal identification information will be submitted against a Watchlist database to check against criminal convictions as a counter-terror measure