Programme Officer EO at British High Commission

Programme Officers support teams, including Advisers and Senior Programme Managers, in the delivery of FCDO Programmes. This recruitment campaign will fulfill a current vacancy in the Humanitarian Team, working on the Humanitarian & Resilience Programme (HARP), but will be also used to build a list of reserve candidates to fill likely vacancies over the next six months. 

The jobholder will be responsible for programme finances and project management for specific projects, working as a key member of a small programme management team. The roles will be based in Abuja and the role holder will report directly to a Deputy Programme Manager.

EO Programme Officer roles are anchored to a specialism in Project Delivery, and applicants should be prepared to undertake work across any one of the several thematic areas (sustainable economic transition, human development, or governance) which FCDO programming addresses.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Support FCDO’s development programming in Nigeria by playing a key delivery focused role, coordinating internal and partner activity, managing financial and information flows between implementers and FCDO Nigeria, building relationships, and mitigating risks to delivery and to beneficiaries.
• Coordinate with implementers on the development of contracts, MOUs and grant agreements, ensuring that these are fully compliant with relevant FCDO programme rules.
• Monitor projects against objectives, ensure information is provided on schedule, evaluate project reports against expenditure from partners and ensure compliance to MoUs,  Programme rules and other agreements.
• Review programme/project progress and financial reports and updated budget forecasts from partners; conduct financial spot checks and oversee financial audits.
• Arrange monthly/quarterly partner meetings with all partners and lead financial discussions during the meetings.
• Monitor the overall programme budget allocation and oversee the management of financial risks including over/under spend, and fiduciary risks.
• Work with partners and the team to accurately forecast spend on a monthly basis, manage payments m resolve payment issues and ensure all financial information/processes is managed through FCDO platforms.
• Support effective management of commercial engagement, procurement process, lead due diligence assessments and relationship management on humanitarian programmes, in compliance with PrOF and to maximise every UK pound spent throughout the lifespan of the programmes.
• Support on  actively managing and monitoring risks, escalating issues as required.  Ability to develop programme/project risk registers and delivery chain maps by agreed timelines, hold risk conversations with partners and internelly, capture recommendations on risk mitigation in delivery plans and monitor implementation throughout the programme lifecycle
• Facilitate engagement and maintain contacts with GoN and development partners in Nigeria focussed on specific thematic areas/clusters as assigned by the programme manager.
• Conduct field monitoring, support annual reviews, programme audits and other assessments/reviews as required.
• Knowledge and Information management, including archiving key project data in an organised fashion, retrieving information on request, and supporting the team with transparency initiatives and commissions.
• Support communications efforts to showcase the portfolio and UK Aid 
• Be actively engaged in wider High Commission and cross-HMG activities and provide cover for other team members.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• Proven ability to communicate effectively to staff and external parties
• Ability to work unsupervised and strong teamwork skills
• Project delivery experience within FCDO Nigeria, or, a certification from an accredited Project Delivery professional body (PMI or APM qualifications at foundation level, PMD PRO, PRINCE2)
• Financial management/reporting skills
• Good organisational skills and ability to work effectively and flexibly;
• Willingness and desire for continual learning and development;
• A self-starter that can work well both individually and in a team;
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  
• Demonstrable experience of programme/project management and engaging with stakeholders in the government, international organisations, NGOs or contractors in the private sector
• Experience working in an international environment