Country Coordinator & Civil Society Organisation Grants Advisor at Options Consultancy Services

Options is an international development consultancy organisation working in the health sector to transform the health of women and girls in developing countries. We work in partnership with governments, health workers, civil society and businesses to bring together knowledge, expertise and influence to ensure everyone has access to the health care they need.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Country Coordinator & Civil Society Organisation Grants Advisor, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme

Location: TBD (South West Nigeria or Abuja)
Department: Overseas Programmes 
Reporting to: Team Leader, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme
Responsible for: M&E Officer, Finance and Logistics Officer / Assistant
Liaison with: Programme / Options staff, consortium partners, funders and external stakeholders
Hours: Full Time:
Type of Contract: Fixed-term until January 2022

Background to the Programme

• There are still gaps in our knowledge and understanding of effective adolescent health programming, especially at scale, and there are very few sexual and reproductive health services that have been tailored to adolescents. We need to explore new approaches and to implement promising ones
• Adolescent girls are twice as likely to have an unmet need for contraception compared to women in their twenties, putting them at increased risk of unintended pregnancy. They are also more likely to face agerelated stigma and barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, as well as lack of information and agency, increasing the risk that they delay seeking services
• Over the last decade, abortion rates have fallen in high income countries but have remained constant in sub-Saharan Africa, with abortion-related deaths highest in west and central Africa.  WHO estimates that 10,000 girls die every year as a result of unsafe abortion and that for every death, 15 suffer life-changing injuries.1 Yet, when performed safely, abortion is an extremely low-risk procedure. 

Programme: Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme (ASRH)
The Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Programme aims to reduce adolescent deaths and injury from unsafe abortion in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Options Consultancy Services is the consortium lead for the programme, working in partnership with consortium members and local civil society organisations. Taking a Human Centred Design approach, the programme will: 

• Ensure girls are able to access quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive services, including through referral networks and support to civil society organisations (CSOs).                                                       
• Foster and support a community based movement to shift social norms and build girls’ agency, though mobilising both ICT platforms and interpersonal networks. Build the capacity of local organisations to reduce unsafe abortion. 
• Under the Human Centred Design, the programme will start with in-depth research and analysis, generating insights into girls’ pathways to unsafe abortion and access to contraceptives. 

Main Purpose of Job
The main purpose of the job is two-pronged: country level representation and programme coordination and oversight of CSO grants and capacity building of grantees:

• A strong country coordinator is required for Nigeria to oversee implementation of work plans and support a cohesive one-team work approach
• They will ensure our strategy is cohesively implemented, overseeing quality of country activities, and externally representing the programme as needed.  
• CSOs will play a key role in helping the programme reach its objectives and to ensure sustainability of the approach once it comes to an end. As such, the programme will select up to 8 local organisations through a grant mechanism to build their technical, institutional, and programme management capacity to support girls’ knowledge of sexual health and access to quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive services. The Country Coordinator will oversee and manage the CSO grant programme and provide support to grantees to ensure workplans and objectives are on track.

Main Duties
Country Activity Coordination:

• Provide high-level technical expertise and inspiration across the Nigeria programme to guide effective implementation.
• Oversee and coordinate the implementation of the ASRH programme Nigeria workplan, ensuring coherence between the four strategies, focusing on:
  • Timely and efficient delivery of activities;
  • Coordination of donor reporting; o Achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (working closely with the M&E Officer);
  • Oversight of the budget (approx. $450,000 per year) and supporting the Finance Manager on financial reporting. 
• Facilitate internal coordination of the ASRH programme consortium, promoting a one-team approach and integration of activities where appropriate.
• Work closely with the Nigeria team and consultants to ensure all interventions are delivered to the highest standard.
• Close monitoring and management of programme risks.in close coordination with partners
• Work closely with the Nairobi-based Team Leader to ensure he/she is up to date with country progress and promptly escalate any programme problems and risks.

Country Programme Representation:

• Represent the programme with stakeholders.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant key stakeholders in the ASRH field (NGOs, state government).
• Where appropriate, influence change to improve access to and quality of adolescent SRH.

Manage the establishment of the CSO grant programme scheme based on recommendations from best practice:

• Establish the grants’ framework: application, review, selection process, and tracking and monitoring systems, ensuring clear communication about the framework to relevant stakeholders and potential applicants;
• Agree  selection criteria with the team to ensure awarded grants are in-line with and contribute to the programme’s objectives.

Oversee and Manage the CSO Grant Component: 

• Deliver the CSO grants programme efficiently to reach the set objectives;
• Establish guidelines for grant management, including compliance, financial, and administrative requirements;
• Review grant applications in consultation with others, ensuring applications are in line with selection criteria and the aims and policies of the programme, and financially sound.
• Ensure complete and timely technical narrative and financial reporting on the programme according to grants scheme’s requirements and guidelines;
• Oversee due diligence and contracting of grantee organisations as per the scheme’s guidelines (with support from the finance and programme management teams);
• Develop a risk matrix for each grantee (with inputs from team and grantees) and regularly track it, escalating potential issues as needed to the ASRH Team Leader.  

Capacity building and Learning:

• Develop and oversee implementation of a capacity building plan for the CSO grantee organisations; 
• Support the capacity assessment and capacity building of grantee organisations;
• Facilitate and support / lead on relevant capacity building areas (e.g. programme cycle management, communications, financial management, donor compliance);
• Support cross-learning among grantees.
• Liaise with the Kenya and South Africa Grant Managers to share knowledge and lessons learnt across the three countries. 

Monitoring and Evaluation of Grants:

• In collaboration with the M&E Officer, closely track and monitor awarded grants Document the achievements of grantees and their contribution to  improvements in adolescent sexual and reproductive health; Support the design and implementation of reviews, mid-term and/or final evaluations;

Other Areas of Programming:

• Participate in the Human Centred Design that will guide programme strategy;
• Provide technical input to the overall programme strategy, using best practice on what works to achieve change in adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes;
• Represent the programme in meetings, at public events or conferences as required;
• Work with others in the team to ensure key areas of work are prioritised..

Other:

• Ensure that all work is aligned with the programme’s Do No Harm and Safeguarding guidance.

Note: this job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the job holder.

Person Specification
Qualifications :   

• Master's Degree in relevant subject area

Experience:

• Strong proven technical expertise in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights and social and behaviour change in relation to sensitive issues
• Experience of senior management of programme
• Proven experience of engaging with a range of stakeholders at a senior level
• Significant experience in managing grants, with a proven track record in disbursing grants directly to grassroots organisations in remote and diverse contexts.
• Experience in programmes aiming to reduce unsafe abortion
• Proven experience in planning, budgeting and programme control
• Experience in setting-up processes and procedures, and communicating these to external audiences often in remote locations
• A demonstrable track record of bringing about transformational change in challenging environments and relating to complex and sensitive issues.
• Proven experience in risk and change management
• Experience of managing contracts and contracting suppliers
• Experience in Monitoring and Evaluation
• Line Management experience
• Experience of working on multi-country / multi-state programmes
• Strong in-depth working knowledge of the health sector in Nigeria

Skills and Attributes:    

• Strong relationship management and communication skills
• Capacity building skills of grassroots organisations
• Excellent financial management skills
• Strategic thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills
• Proven planning, coordination, and organising skills

Other Requirements:

• Strong commitment to human rights, equal opportunities and pro-choice
• Fluency in English (spoken, written, reading)
• Fluency in Yoruba (spoken, written, reading).

Application Closing Date
13th February, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's with a summary note of their skills and experience to "Joanna Drazdzewska" via: [email protected]  Candidates should state the name of the role (Country Coordinator) and their name in the subject header.

Note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview.