Programme Manager at Primary Healthcare Health Workforce Capacity Building Programme

Organisation: NIDSG/NEEM Foundation/UATH Health Partnership

Location: Abuja, Nigeria (some hybrid working may be allowed)

Contract Type: Fixed Term (1 year), starting from 1st February 2024

Dual Line Reporting To: 

• Chair, Steering Group - Primary Healthcare Health Workforce Capacity Building Programme 
• Head, Psychology and Training - Neem Foundation 

Background & Objectives

The NIDSG/NEEM Foundation/UATH Health Partnership requires a Programme Manager for a Primary Healthcare Health Workforce Capacity Building Programme in Nigeria. The objective of the programme is to upskill frontline health workers (Nurses, Midwives and Community Health Workers) in Primary Healthcare Centres in eight States across Nigeria, in two clinical areas; mental health and psycho social support (MHPSS) and maternal and Neonatal child health (MCH). Specifically, the partnership will:

1. MCH - "Train the trainer" in Emergency Maternal and Newborn Care - to help reduce the appalling maternal and neonatal mortality in childbirth 

2. MHPSS Training as lay mental health and psycho-social support counsellors - to help trauma victims and other people suffering mental health issues in their communities. The partnership also will help State mental health leaders to create and implement a mental health delivery framework for their State.

Following the initial training, the partnership will also set-up remote assistance, mentoring and support for the Primary Healthcare Workers who have been trained in each of the two clinical areas.

The programme is funded via a small grant from the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
 

Key Responsibilities: The Programme Manager has day to day accountability for delivering successful outcome in relation to the objectives of this Primary Healthcare Health Workforce Capacity Building Programme. 

1. Project and Programme management:

   • Develop and execute comprehensive project plans, ensuring delivery within-budget and on-time, in alignment with the project's objectives and timelines.

   • Regularly assess progress towards completion of the programme deliverables and outcomes, and provide update to relevant stakeholders

   • Prepare and submit comprehensive project reports to the Project Director and funding partners.

   • Drive timely delivery of project activities, milestones, deliverables and outcomes

   • Manage issues, risks and challenges., and escalate as appropriate

2. Support Steering Group and Technical Working Groups 

   • Attend Steering Group meetings (led by Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, Former Director of Public Health in Federal Ministry of Health) and participate in technical working groups, and other meetings as required 

   • Support the Steering Group and MCH and MHPSS Working Groups in any way required to achieve a successful outcome. This includes, but is not limited to, scheduling and arranging meetings, recording meeting notes and actions, tracking and following up actions to ensure they are delivered, supporting content creation, etc 

   • Provide effective and timely responses to inquiries and concerns.

3. Support Capacity Building:

   • Manage successful delivery of the in-person training events in Emergency Maternal and Newborn Care and Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support – training venue selection, delegate logistics, event planning and management, admin (travel, hotel accommodation, printing, audio-visual equipment, etc), vendor sourcing and negotiation,

   • Help to establish remote assistance, ongoing support and mentoring system for trained Primary Healthcare Worker in MCH and MHPSS

   • Help setup virtual mental health framework development workshops and any follow-up remote training delivery 

4. Monitoring, Evaluation and Donor Reporting: Lead Monitoring, Evaluation, (M&E) to ensure that the aims and objectives of the programme are met and that the terms of the THET grant agreement are adhered to. 

   • Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan that is acceptable to THET and establish robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of the capacity-building programs

   • Lead regular monitoring and reporting of the delivery and success of the programme, meet THET requirements, to ensure that activities are closely monitored and documented throughout implementation and that these 

   • Provide a narrative operational report on its use of the Grant and the delivery of the programme (a “Narrative Operational Report”) every six (6) months during the Grant Period.

5. Oversee Budget and Financial Management - monitoring and managing project budgets effectively and ensure compliance with THET financial regulations and reporting requirements.

   • Deliver a delivery chain map in THET’s template form (a “Delivery Chain Map”) within the three (3) month period following the start of the Grant Period, such Delivery Chain Map to detail the funding flows to Downstream Partners,

   • Provide THET with a detailed financial report containing details of expenditure to date and an up-to-date budget in respect of its use of the Grant and delivery of the GHWP project every six (6) months during the Grant Period and in such format as may be reasonably required by THET (each such report a “Financial Report”). 

   • provide THET with a final report in the form requested by THET which shall detail the budget and all expenditure in connection with the GHWP project and demonstrate whether the GHWP has been successfully and properly completed in accordance with THET’s, DHSC’s and the iGHWP requirements.

   • Provide THET with further information, explanations and documents as THET may reasonably require in order for it to establish that the Grant has been used properly and in accordance with this Agreement

   • Participate in internal and external audits and ensure that these are undertaken to a high-quality standard

   • Retain and safely store all accounting records, including all invoices, receipts, and accounts and any other relevant documents relating to the expenditure of the Grant for a period

   • Develop and maintain an Asset Register for Programme Funded Assets

   • Compiling of annual accounts

6. Donor and Stakeholder Management 

   • Develop a strong knowledge of donors’ policies and guidelines and the grant agreement and ensure adherence to these

   • Participate in regular liaison meetings as required by THET for THET’s monitoring purposes, including six-monthly project progress update meetings with THET

   • Coordination and ensuring effective collaboration of the partnerships, to achieve maximum impact from the programme

   • Build and maintain excellent relationships with senior-level colleagues from the partners and interact productively with a wide range in internal and external stakeholders, such as State and Federal Health authorities, vendors and end beneficiaries of the programme. 

7. Support Fundraising: Provide support as required for proposal development or requests to secure additional funding from international or local donors

8. People Management: Act as Line Manager to an NYSC Programme Support Officer 

Ideal Qualifications Skills and Experience:

• A degree in international development, health administration or another relevant field
• Strong project and programme management skills and experience, including planning and execution
• Eight or more years of relevant professional experience delivering international donor funded projects, particularly in the health sector or Civil society initiatives
• Experience of designing and delivering monitoring and evaluation frameworks for international donor funded programmes
• Understanding of budget management and financial monitoring of donor funded projects, 
• Experience in writing project progress and operational reports, communication strategies
• Governance experience - supporting High level Steering Committees and Technical working groups
• Strong Stakeholder Management skills and the ability to engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Has the ability to manage a NYSC Programme Support Officer, who is likely to have a Finance or international development background

Required Personal Attributes

• Strong computer skills (Word, PowerPoint, Excel Google Office Suite).
• A self-starter - pro-active, a problem solver, able to work independently without requiring much hand holding.
• Organised and able to meet deadlines
• Diplomacy, and excellent written and oral communication, and negotiation skills.
• A mature and reliable individual, with high integrity