Manager, Programme Quality & Impact (PQI) at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has offices in countries with high levels of malnutrition: Bangladesh, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. To support work in those countries, we have representative offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Manager, Programme Quality & Impact (PQI)

Location: Abuja
Classification: Grade 5
Travel required: 40 %

Overall Purpose

• The Manager, Programme Quality & Impact (PQI) will drive strategic leadership to ensure that the programme delivers effective, efficient, inclusive, and value-for-money (VfM) programming aligned with agreed GAIN standards.
• The PQI Manager ensures that programme delivery is high-quality, results-driven, ethically executed, and operationally coherent across all partners and states.
• The role leads Organizational Capacity Assessments (OCA), partner performance and delivery, risk management, quality assurance, and quality improvement processes. By strengthening systems, reducing inefficiencies, and driving accountability across implementing partners and programme teams, the Manager, PQI ensures that programme consistently transforms evidence into action, performance into learning, and resources into demonstrable impact.

Tasks and Responsibilities
Programme Quality Assurance:

• Develop and enforce the programme Quality Standards Framework, including SOPs, performance benchmarks, QI systems, guidance notes, operational protocols, tools, and checklists in close collaboration with the Technical Integration Manager and Programme Manager to ensure harmonized, high-quality delivery across all partners and components.
• Conduct periodic quality and compliance audits to identify inefficiencies, deviations, or bottlenecks affecting delivery or cost-effectiveness.
• Lead programme risk management, ensuring early detection of operational, financial, and reputational risks and timely mitigation.
• Validate that planned activities, outputs, and deliverables align with programme results logic and represent efficient use of resources.
• Ensure technical and operational consistency across states, reducing duplication and maximising synergies.
• Facilitate causal pathway analysis to verify that all pre-conditions, assumptions, and enabling factors required for achieving expected outcomes are adequately addressed.
• Ensure partners and service providers are trained and supported in the correct use of reporting templates, and project management tools to strengthen reporting quality and delivery efficiency.
• Support the development and deployment of the programme MIS and lead capacity strengthening for programme team and partners to ensure consistent, high-quality use of the system for reporting, data protection, compliance tracking, and performance management

Quality Improvement:

• Lead the continuous improvement cycle, converting evidence and performance insights from Programme Monitoring and Improvement (PMI) evaluation, partner reports into structured improvement actions and effective interventions.
• Process Performance Analysis – assessing time, cost, quality, throughput, and error rates to understand how well delivery systems are functioning.
• Bottleneck Analysis – identifying constraints that slow down programme processes or partner performance.
• Value-Added Analysis – distinguishing activities that create value from those that consume resources without contributing to results.
• Root Cause Analysis – identifying underlying causes of inefficiencies, compliance gaps, and operational failures.
• Support quarterly learning reviews and after-action sessions focused on improving programme effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and delivery quality.
• Disseminate periodic improvement findings and trends, addressing systemic bottlenecks and recurring challenges.
• Support adaptive management by providing evidence-linked recommendations to Project Manager and Technical Integration Manager.
• Collaborate with the PMI team to interpret data and generate learning briefs and knowledge products for dissemination.

Partner Performance & Accountability:

• Define and track programme quality and effectiveness indicators, including delivery timeliness, implementation fidelity, partner performance, and efficiency metrics.
• Lead value-for-money (VfM) analysis, examining economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity across programme interventions.
• Identify inefficiencies in partner delivery and coordinate targeted improvement support or escalation. 
• Ensure partner workplans, spending patterns, and reporting meet standards of responsible resource use and maximised impact per dollar invested.
• Promote a culture of accountability and responsible stewardship of resources across all partners.

Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) & Partner Strengthening:

• Lead the full OCA process for implementing partners and government stakeholders, assessing systems, performance, and operational efficiency.
• Develop bespoke Capacity Development Plans (CDPs) and track their implementation and effectiveness in line with OCA findings.
• Provide targeted support to address institutional gaps affecting quality or cost-effectiveness.
• Build government partners’ capability to support agricultural systems and improve programme effectiveness at state level.
• Support internal teams to sustain a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and performance excellence.

Reporting and Strategic Support:

• Prepare periodic Programme Quality Reports focusing on quality trends, effectiveness, efficiency, VfM insights, and risk mitigation actions.
• Validate the credibility and quality of results in donor reporting, ensuring narratives reflect true performance and VfM.
• Develop synthesis notes and strategic recommendations to strengthen operational efficiency, reduce duplication, and enhance outcomes.
• Contribute PQI insights to programme design and redesign, sustainability planning, and strategic reviews.
• Ensure the programme MIS is fully embedded in programme reporting workflows and supports accurate documentation, quality assurance, and timely performance insights across components

Key Organisational Relationships

• Reports to the Deputy Country Director.
• Close collaboration with the other projects and operational staff.
• Liaises regularly with GAIN Programmes and Knowledge Leadership teams.
• Engages with partners, government MDAs, NGOs, INGOs, private sector, academia, donor stakeholders, and others

Job Requirements
Educational Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems, Data Management or related field.
• Postgraduate university degree or certification in quality management, process improvement and related fields are an added advantage.

Experience:

• Experience in programme quality management, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptive management within complex, multi-stakeholder development or humanitarian programmes.
• Proven experience leading Organizational Capacity Assessments (OCAs), capacity strengthening initiatives, quality audits, compliance reviews, and risk assessments.
• Demonstrated track record in improving programme effectiveness, operational efficiency, value-for-money, and overall accountability.
• Experience strengthening institutional systems, including governance, reporting, documentation, and operational processes, to reduce inefficiencies and enhance delivery outcomes.
• Significant experience designing and institutionalizing programme quality frameworks, performance monitoring systems, and learning platforms across multiple projects, sectors, or geographic locations.
• Demonstrated capacity in process modelling, analysis, and improvement, including the use of quality improvement methodologies.
• Experience contributing to programme design and aligning programme systems with donor standards, compliance requirements, and strategic frameworks.
• Strong record of partner capacity strengthening, including development of tools, templates, and training materials to improve organisational systems, reporting quality, and data use.
• Hands-on experience using digital data and analytics platforms (e.g., Power BI, SurveyCTO, CommCare, KoboCollect, DHIS2, Salesforce), with the ability to interpret and visualize complex datasets for management decision-making.
• Experience in qualitative analysis using tools such as NVivo.
• Familiarity with gender, inclusion, safeguarding, and resilience mainstreaming within programme quality frameworks.

Competencies:

• Strong expertise in programme quality assurance, VfM analysis, and partner performance systems.
• Proven ability to identify inefficiencies, performance gaps, and operational risks, and drive timely corrective action.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret evidence and convert insights into improved effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ability to conduct programme reviews, synthesize evidence, and translate findings into strategic decision-making and programmatic adaptation.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, facilitate reflection and learning sessions, and foster a culture of continuous improvement across technical and operational units.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills for leading learning sessions, reviews, and capacity building.
• Ability to strengthen institutional systems and embed accountability across partners.
• Sound judgement, adaptability, and proactive problem-solving.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, gender, inclusion, and compliance frameworks.

Other requirements:

• Must be willing and able to travel
• Fluent written and verbal English

What GAIN Offers

• A competitive renumeration package
• Flexible working hours through hybrid working opportunities
• Friendly working environment
• Professional development opportunities
• The chance to make a lasting contribution to reducing global malnutrition.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

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