Project Lead - Challenge Fund at MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices

MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices is a result-oriented social enterprise, which uses modern management and marketing techniques to provide reproductive health care and allied services. MSION’s goal is to meet the needs of underserved Nigerians and dramatically improve access and use of a range of reproductive health services. MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices is part of Marie Stopes International’s Global Partnership which is in over 37 countries worldwide and it operates in Nigeria through six service delivery channels.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Lead - Challenge Fund

Location: Abuja (FCT)

Objectives

• MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices (MSIN) seeks a Project Lead in our Programme Operations directorate to oversee an anticipated large grant funded by the Children Investment Fund Foundation. The Project Lead – Challenge fund is responsible for the high-quality stewardship of newly approved and anticipated CIFF investments totalling over $25m to advance sexual and reproductive health services and increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in seven states in Nigeria viz Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto Gombe, Jigawa, Bauchi and Ebonyi.
• Reporting to the Director Programme Operations, the Project Lead will oversee the internal start-up and delivery of the programmes and followed by the support to MSIN teams including other partners implementing this project ensuring delivery of agreed deliverables (including payment by results KPIs). In addition, the project Lead will work across departments at MSIN to ensure learnings across the organisation, reflecting the technical leadership of this exciting portfolio. Alongside the Director Programme Operations, the project Lead will play a critical role in donor relationship management including complex cross-cutting reporting and co-funding management.
• This is an exciting senior manager role in MSIN that requires management, leadership and strong communication and facilitation skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent ability to work across teams to deliver results, and great attention to detail. S/he will be responsible for providing key day-to-day management oversight of the CIFF challenge grant, ensuring country programmes and support office teams are reporting, spending, and delivering as per proposal deliverables and objectives. The role also includes strategic data analysis of programme performance and report compilation. The role will build relationships across the organisation, including international operations. Furthermore, the role holds full responsibility for the management of the external partners on the challenge grant that are strategic to MSIN’s 2030 goals.

Overall Responsibilities
CIFF Challenge Grant Project Management & Compliance:
Under the oversight of the Director Programme-Operations, oversee all aspects of the CIFF Challenge Grant implementation including:

• Accountable for portfolio start-up and development of key guidance for sound implementation across the country programme and across the team of managers and advisers.
• Lead in the drafting, review, and implementation of CIFF Challenge project work plan.
• Lead in the execution of The Project’s activities according to plan and donor guidelines.
• Lead in the development of forms andset up files to ensure that The Project information is appropriately documented and secured.
• Monitor theprogress of The Project and adjust as necessary to ensure thesuccessful completion of projects.
• Accountable for ensuring donors and MSIN standards for delivery, reporting and compliance are met and exceeded through cohesive, accurate and high quality financial and narrative reporting; ensuring with country programmes and regional teams that implementation approaches are in line with donor expectations and will achieve the results required to deliver payment KPIs and to achieve logframe or other project monitoring results; ensuring corrective action is implemented where necessary.
• Ensure The Project activities are implemented on time and within budget and at the required level of quality.
• Lead in writing CIFF Challenge Project reports, position papers, and updates as required.
• In consultation with the appropriate manager support recruitment, interview and select staff and/or volunteers with appropriate skills for the project(s) activities.
• Provide oversight, advice and clear project guidance to regional teams, and departments. This will include work planning, reviews (visits), reporting, budgets, and forecasting.
• Conduct/organise regional support visits to monitor progress against project priorities.
• Ensure clear communication: convene regular review meetings and conference calls with teams for project coordination; provide written and other guidance as necessary to disseminate vital information.
• Ensure any changes to projects and agreement minimise risk to MSI and support implementation of MSIN’s 2030 strategy.

CIFF Challenge Fund Project monitoring, reporting and evaluation:
Work closely with the TSD and others:

• Accountable for stewardship and implementational performance of all projects and grants within the role’s donor portfolio ensuring all KPIs delivered on time and to budget and that all risks and issues are reported timely and accurately internally and to donors when necessary.
• Prepare and submit regular technical, progress and program monitoring reports to MSN and donors according to schedules and guidelines.
• Ensure clear project documentation systems are applied and up to date.
• Build strong internal/external relationships. This includes facilitating coordination and learning across implementing partners, teams etc.
• Write reports on CIFF Challenge Fund for management and for funders and support the preparation of financial reports and project documentation.
• Support MSIN’s M&E function in development of plans and operations research that support, and measures impact and quality of The Project as may be necessary.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Management:

• Build country programme capacity to effectively manage CIFF Challenge Grant Project and engage with CIFF as a donor.
• Support the regional manager in the formation of effective partnerships within the development arena to increase the status and level of recognition for project’s work and to influence policy, practice, donor decisions and the NGO sector in project states.
• Ensure visibility and raise the profile of project/organisation among key stakeholders, including selected donor partners, by organising and attending meetings and maintaining professional relationships with strategically placed individuals within target institutions for smooth project operations and overall programme success.
• Create and support opportunities to highlight project/organisation’s policy messages to a wider audience through media channels and special events, linking with communications and clinical teams as required.
• Build strong relationships with key policy makers and cooperating partners to influence policy change and place project and organisation in a strong position.
• Work with the external engagement unit to regularly take stock of the external environment through external stakeholder assessments and evaluations and allowing the results to help guide project and organisation’s strategic and external relations plans.
• Support the regional teams in leveraging on relationships with influential people to the benefit of the project, region and country programme.
• Work with the Communications team to facilitate the norm change interventions under the project.

Leadership:

• As a senior member of the programme operations team, the Project Lead must demonstrate a strong commitment to MSIN’s mission and goals and encourage a similar commitment from all team members in the assigned region/states.
• Manage the effective delivery of dedicated technical or operational areas for The Project, especially the learning agenda and associated dissemination strategy.
• Together with the Technical Services Department team, support data collection and documenting best practice, lessons learned and innovations for specific outputs or technical/thematic areas (to be identified); contributing to or co-ordinating TWGs across supported states and national.
• Link, train and harmonise different departments of the organisation to work efficiently together in order to meet field operations and project requirements.
• Ensure that a high level of communication is maintained with other MSIN departments, as well as with external partners and MSI while assisting the RMs in the resolution of problems.
• Establish a mechanism of ensuring regular dialogue with all regional team members to promote problem solving, team working and risk sharing towards instituting a common approach to major issues that could arise.
• Encourage a positive culture, work environment and attitude among all team members.
• From time to time represent the organisation at meetings, workshops, press conferences, or other forums.

Business development and fundraising:

• With support from the Director of Programmes, sustain increasing donor income from CIFF including government contracting, particularly for our core services.
• Work closely with the Programme Design and Development Manager, responsible for donor relationships, to ensure donor grant relationships grow in a manner that positions MSIN as the partner of choice, feeds into donor specific strategies, advances opportunities to fund the mission and shapes the sector.

Other Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the overall flexibility of resources use in the programme team by undertaking other assignments or tasks in accordance with skills and experience as delegated by the Director Programme Operations.
• Working closely with the Assistant Director, programmes/Operations, support broader MSIN programme department initiatives to ensure robust stewardship of donor-funded programmes, and to strengthen compliance capacity.
• From time to time address delegated duties assigned by the Director Programme-Operations and other SMT members.
• Actively contribute to the strategic direction and planning of the organisation while fostering oneness and professionalism.
• Provide support remotely to teams and assist on regional support visits as required in accordance with work plans and deliverables.
• Actively participate in the annual business plan development
• Any other duty reasonably assigned by theline manager.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Advanced Degree in Public Health or a related discipline required.
• Must have at least 8 years of project management experience and the last three years must be one managing a large grant on sexual and reproductive health preferably on family planning.
• Must have an excellent understanding of the sexual and reproductive health and family planning environment in Nigeria.
• Must have experience managing donors including CIFF, BMGF, USAID, FCDO, BMZ etc
• Must have accuracy, attention to detail and high numerate and analytical skills.
• Must have strong communication skills – both written and verbal; diplomatic and able to manage sensitive information.
• Must have highly developed interpersonal skills, including cross-team negotiating and relationship building and must have the ability to work under own initiative.
• Must have advanced advocacy skills and ability to engage with top government stakeholders.

Skills:

• Proven excellent technical oral, written, and editing abilities.
• Proven excellent project management abilities.
• Ability to present and write for multiple audiences.
• Extensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Ability to work well with others in team environments.
• Experience in Stakeholder engagement and management.
• Should be able to work in deadline driven/results orientated atmospheres.
• Strong people management skills
• Strategic guidance and planning skills
• Report writing.

Application Closing Date
31st October, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their comprehensive resume with a brief cover letter as one MS Word document or PDF to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• There are no relocation allowances available for this position.
• If you wish to be considered for the post, please specify the position in the subject line and the location. Note that if the underline instructions are not followed application will not be considered.
• This role is open until filled and we will be conducting Interviews on a rolling basis even while advertisement is still active.
• MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices provides equal opportunity in employment and prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, sex, colour, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability.