Head of Health & Child Survival at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is a leading international organization helping children in need around the world. First established in the UK in 1919, separate national organizations have been set up in more than twenty-eight countries, sharing the aim of improving the lives of children through education, health care and economic opportunities, as well as emergency aid in cases of natural disasters, war and conflict.

In Nigeria, Save the Children has been working since 2001. The early focus was on getting children actively involved in shaping the decisions that affect their lives. Today, Save the Children is working in seven federal states - Zamfara, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi and Kaduna - focusing on providing basic healthcare and protecting children.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Health & Child Survival

Location: Abuja

Role Purpose

• As a member of the Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT), the Head of Health & Child Survival is responsible for leading the growth and management of the Nigeria country program’s health portfolio, as well as providing strategic leadership and ensuring program quality.
• S/he will anticipate appropriate opportunities for funding in-line with SCI’s strategy, and ensure effective partnerships with members and donor agencies, federal government agencies, and the private sector, towards achieving SCI Health & Child Survival program objectives.
• The Head of Health & Child Survival will lead the programming team in this sector with clear planning and priorities, and monitor and evaluate progress against those plans.

Key Areas of Accountability
Strategic Leadership and Program Quality:

• Ensure a Nigeria Health Strategy is developed and regularly updated to guide SCI’s direction in the health sector, ensuring that this strategy is innovative and aligned with SCI’s strategies and policies;
• Ensure that all Save the Children activities relating to health and child survival are effectively and efficiently contributing to strategic objectives, and that results are achieved as per expected technical quality standards;
• Oversee, in collaboration with the health teams, periodic technical reviews and manage changes in program direction and focus in collaboration with partners, donors, and SCI technical experts;
• Ensure that SCI Nigeria health programs are developed within the framework of Integral Human Development (IHD) and complementary to/aligned with other programs, including government;
• Ensure effective gender-mainstreaming across the health program in both programming and management;
• In collaboration with the programming and project-specific teams, ensure development of high quality training materials, delivery of quality training, technical assistance, and administrative and financial support to all partner agencies, including the selection and coordination of consultants;
• Promote the use of quality improvement, data-informed decision making and evidence-based practices (or sound practices where evidence is limited) among health program staff and partners.

Growth and Representation:

• Coordinate planning, prepositioning, partnership negotiations, and proposal development processes for health opportunities in compliance with SCI’ best practices and guidance in collaboration with the Head of Unit- Business Development;
• Ensure high quality, logical project design in new proposals;
• Establish, maintain, and strengthen relationships with potential and existing donors;
• Draft, and/or finalize communication materials, as necessary, to be shared during donor and/or partner meetings to ensure visibility of SCI’s health programs in Nigeria;
• Maintain and strengthen partnership, collaboration and communication with the Federal Ministry of Health and Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare Development, National Planning Commission, and other relevant government programs where appropriate;
• Maintain and strengthen partnership, collaboration, and communication with Members as related to health and child survival activities.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) and Knowledge Management:

• Promote effective knowledge management within the health program and across sectors;
• Collaborate with appropriate Regional and HQ Advisors to promote program quality and sharing of learning and identify relevant innovations;
• Work collaboratively across all sectors to ensure integration, complementarity, and learning;
• In collaboration with the programming team, provide guidance and oversight to partners and other collaborating agencies to ensure that lessons of sound practice are documented and disseminated;
• In collaboration with the head of MEAL, oversee the development and management of the CO’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) system for the health program;
• Ensure data is analysed to measure project performance and identify areas of improvement. Ensure that learning is incorporated into evolving program plans;
• Collaborate with Regional and Headquarters technical staff to identify and implement appropriate electronic data collection solutions to improve timeliness and quality of M&E and reporting.

Management and Administration:

• Promote coordination and cooperation between health programs and operations staff including working closely with the Director PDQ to ensure stewardship of resources and appropriate budget management of projects, collaboration in forecasting, and other business processes;
• Ensure accurate and timely management and reporting on financial and material resources as it relates to health programming;
• Ensure staff compliance with all SCI administrative and operational procedures and policies, as well as applicable donor regulations;
• Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors per agency policies and procedures and donor regulations;
• Assist with the development of the Annual Programming Plan and provide overall leadership to the development of the health budgets.

Human Resource Management:

• Lead, manage, and supervise the health programming team staff directly or indirectly according to the CO structure; 
• Conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with SCI’s performance management system and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork;
• Ensure and build  high quality staff at all levels.

Qualifications and Experience

• Preferred candidates MUST have a minimum Master's Degree or Doctorate in International Development or a relevant technical area such as Public Health, Medicine, or related field.
• Minimum ten years of international development experience managing and implementing complex programs in developing countries.
• Demonstrated capacity and experience with institutional strengthening of local civil society and government agencies.
• Experience leading business development, including proposal development, project design, and coordination, positioning with strong negotiation skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of key donor regulations.
• Proven leadership and inter-personal skills and ability to build and motivate diverse and talented teams.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining institutional linkages and relationships required.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving gender equality and gender responsiveness in programming and operations.
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
• Demonstrated personal accountability and driven to serve others.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally and representing SCI as required.

Skills & Abilities:

• The ideal candidate possesses excellent planning, research, and analytical skills, attention to detail and the ability to work costâ€�effectively and efficiently;
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills;
• Proven leadership ability and collaborative approach to finding solutions;
• Achieving quality work, and delivering outcomes and materials on time in a changing, fastâ€�paced, deadlineâ€�driven environment.

Application Closing Date
7th September, 2018.

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