Program Officer

Malaria Consortium is recruiting for a Program Officer  to join our team in Sokoto State.

Job purpose

The job purpose is to work with State Project Manager (SPM) to effectively manage project activities and resources. , provide leadership and stewardship to the project team and maintain collaborative links with the project’s key stakeholders at the LGA level.

Scope of work

The Program Officer (PO) while reporting to the State Project Manager(SPM) and based at the state office, will line mange the LGA Field Assistants within his area of coverage.

Key working relationships

The PO would be line managed by the SPM and would line manage the LGA Field Assistants in-charge of the assigned LGAs (presumably within a specific senatorial zone of a state). S/he would also maintain relationships with the country office departments, including Finance and Logistics. Key external relationships would be with staff at the LGA and State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), LGA health staff and leading community members and gatekeepers. S/he would lead micro-planning, training and coordination, through drug administration and supportive supervision, to reporting of activities at the LGA level. S/he would maintain close communication with stakeholders and influential persons in the assigned LGAs through the agreed frameworks.

Key accountabilities

Programme Management (70%)

Support the SPM and the state management team to lead activities for smooth programme management in the assigned LGAs in the following areas:

• Line management – build and performance manage an effective and technically fit SMC project team in the assigned LGAs;
• Be conversant with and guided by Malaria Consortium, policies, guidelines and the SMC Handbook towards the delivery of SMC in assigned LGAs;
• Planning (microplanning, selection of implementers at the local levels, training, database finalization, last mile distribution, SPAQ admin and reverse logistics);
• Engagement of stakeholders including government, communities and beneficiaries;
• Implementation (SPAQ admin) including QA and innovations, including the use of technology;
• General management including security, HR including line management, risk management, work planning and budgeting, VFM, optimization of grant, etc.;
• Risk Free operations including ensuring that all staff comply with MC values and start-to-finish (SFG) policies; and
• Coordination with other levels of government and internally, all MC functions.

Technical  (20%)

• Support M&E activities, including reporting of SPAQ admin and lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS); and
• Support programme review including end of cycle (EoC) reviews, end of round (EoR) reviews and EoR coverage survey.

Representations & Knowledge Management (10%)

• Lesson identification and use including adaptive management;
• Harmonisation with other partners; and
• Representation especially at the LGA levels.

Qualifications and experience:

Essential          

• Training in Nursing or Public Health;
• Five years’ experience of working in the Public Health sector;
• Experience in programme management at the LGA/state level;
• Excellent project planning, management and monitoring & evaluation skills.
• Experience managing project budgets;
• Experience in using digital data collection tools in SMC campaigns and other health programmes; 
• Some practical experience in Health Information and Disease Surveillance Systems, interoperability, and international standards; open Global Health Information System software and open data sources, such as, but not limited to, DHIS2, ODK, KoboCollect;
• Experience working at the LGA and community levels;
• Experience working on campaign style interventions (delivery of interventions or social mobilization and SMC would be an added advantage).

Work-based skills and competencies:

• Good understanding of the Nigeria health system;
• Understanding of communication for behaviour change and social mobilisation;
• Team player and demonstrated ability to work within a team as well as individually;
• Ability to travel to LGAs outside of state capital at least 80% of the time;
• Ability to perform under pressure;
• Excellent communication skills in English and the dominant local language in assigned state;
• Evidence of being resident in state of assignment.

We need to keep beneficiaries safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to safeguarding. Please find our Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy and Privacy Notice here.

​Due to the nature of this role we will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and the role might be filled and closed before the closing date. Early applications are encouraged.

This is a fixed term contract for the period of 8 months.

To apply for this position you will need to have the right to work in Nigeria.