Programme and Partnerships Lead at Christian Aid (CA)

Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme and Partnerships Lead

Location: Abuja 
Type of contract: Permanent

About the Role

• Reporting in to the Global Head of Programme Policy and Practice, the Programme & Partnerships Lead is pivotal to the design, strategic oversight and impact success of signature programmes for the wider organization. It works closely with Multi Country Clusters (MCC) leadership to ensure coherence of the signature programme and ensure the programmes contribute to the wider organization's impact framework under the new strategy .
• The role oversees key technical capacity for global programmes covering MEAL, Programme partnerships and Programme Portfolio Management . The role provides technical oversight on the core signature programme architectural processes and methodologies, and provides leadership to the wider organization in ensuring programme , partnership and MEAL frameworks are enhanced and organizational capacity is built on decolonized and locally-led approaches to programming and partnerships.
• The role provides programmatic leadership to Impact department and sits on the leadership team of the Programme , Policy and Practice Division (PPPD). Across MCC programme portfolios this role will provide support to ensure a coherent application of our partnership principles and alignment with organizational values and goals.
• The role provides leadership in managing the MEAL Advisor , a Programme Impact and Portfolio Management Advisor, and a Partnership & Civil Society and Faith specialist to help deliver high-impact programmes with an emphasis on decolonial approaches and methodologies. The role will provide specific support to the development of Christian Aid’s faith based partnerships. The role spearheads localisation and CSO approach as an underpinning ethos of the new organizational mode.

Some of the main responsibilities of the Programme & Partnerships Lead include:

• Inspire and motivate the team and colleagues in the Programme Policy and Practice division to support MCC’s, to drive meaningful impact across our programmes.
• Work across Departments to support the design of signature programmes, including building connections across the MCCs, developing an appropriate MEAL framework and ensuring effective reporting and links to Organisational Effectiveness.
• Guide the Global MEAL Advisor and collaborate with Organisational Effectiveness Department to commission internal and external impact evaluations and research for signature programmes and the wider organization impact framework ; this will include a focus on decolonial approaches to evaluation.
• With an emphasis on signature programmes work with IPE and MCCs to identify opportunities for the further development of signature programmes.
• Ensure financial processes and guardrails are in place to support the strategic allocation of programme resources to MCCs.
• Develop and maintains strong cross sector and internal relationships that fosters cross-functional consensus.
• Collaborate with MCC's to develop

Requirements
Essential:

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Business, Economics, International Development, or a related discipline.
• Significant senior management/ leadership experience.
• Experience in problem solving to unblock obstacles for programme delivery success.
• Experience of developing innovative multi-country programmes.
• Experience of developing budget recommendations linked to multi-country programmes.
• Experience of team design and recruitment of programme delivery roles
• Substantial experience of partnership management.
• Substantial experience of project design, monitoring and evaluation tools.
• Openness to understanding and working with decolonised approaches to project design, monitoring and evaluation tools.
• Understanding of financial controls and procedures including due-diligence processes - highly numerate.
• Highly developed communication skill written and verbal.

Desirable:

• Developed understanding of operating with a total economy approach.
• Highly developed relationship building and facilitation and senior stakeholder engagement.
• Developed ability to devise and implement strategies.
• Highly developed negotiation skills.

Application Closing Date
27th July 2026.

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