State Project Manager

Malaria Consortium is seeking an experienced State Project Manager to join our team in Kebbi State, Nigeria.

Job purpose

To work with the country office team and Senior Project Manager to effectively manage LSM project activities and resources, provide leadership and stewardship to the state project team , oversee LSM implementation in accordance with approved project protocols, and maintain collaborative links with the project’s key stakeholders at national and state level.

Scope of work

The State Project Manager will support the programme activities at the state level overseeing implementation to ensure timely delivery of workplans and achievement of set targets and objectives. S/he will liaise with the SPM to provide technical and managerial oversight for the state project team and ensure activities are carried out according to approved budget and value for money principles. This includes overseeing LSM field operations, coordinating larval habitat mapping and Bti application activities, supervising field teams, and working closely with M&E and entomology teams to support the project's evaluation objectives.

Key working relationships

The State Project manager will work with the state team and stakeholders in Kebbi State, especially the State Ministry of Health, State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), relevant environmental health authorities, LGA authorities and community leaders, to manage the rollout and implementation of the LSM Project. S/he will monitor project partners’ activities at the state level and ensure approved terms of reference for partners’ work in the project state are adhered to. The State Project Manager will work with the country office project technical and management staff (Senior Project Manager, M&E and entomology/research teams, and Data Analyst) to translate plans and decisions to action at the state level, while ensuring coherence, alignment and proper coordination with appropriate stakeholders. S/he would report to the Senior Project Manager.

Key accountabilities

  1. Project management (60%)

• Work with the project team and other relevant personnel in the country office to lead activities for smooth project start up and activity planning in line with donor- approved project workplan.
• Work with the relevant personnel to prepare all necessary project start up and planning tools on time.
• Provide performance management oversight for the LSM project team in the state.
• Work directly with the SPM and be responsible for coordinating overall project implementation in the state and see that activities are carried out on time and within budget.
• Liaise regularly with the SPM to provide timely and comprehensive updates and reports as required.
• Liaise with the SMEP, environmental health authorities, LGA representatives, relevant vector-control partners and community leaders for successful project implementation in the state.
• Work with the project team to develop and implement annual work plans.
• Work closely with the SPM to prepare the programme monitoring and evaluation plan in conjunction with the project M&E Officer and relevant technical and research teams. Work with the project team to implement it.
• Work with the country finance team and project Finance Officer to prepare and track progress of project and activity budgets.
• Be responsible for State project budget management and reporting.
• Work with the project Finance Officer and SPM to prepare quarterly financial reports.
• Work with the relevant country personnel and the SPM to prepare an exit strategy and to implement it, to see to smooth project close-out.
• Coordinate with other donors and implementers to ensure complementarity of implementation of the LSM project in the state by leveraging resources and harmonizing efforts where possible.
• Work with the Senior Country Technical Coordinator, SPM and external relations team for MC to see that a communication strategy is developed and implemented for the project.
• Coordinate the documentation of project activities in form of activity-specific reports and ensure proper archiving of such for easy access and reference.
• Contribute to preparations for periodic coordination meetings in form of progress updates and power point presentations.
• Be responsible for quarterly lessons identification and learning documentation and dissemination in liaison with the M&E Officer, Data Analyst and entomology/research teams.
• Be responsible for building functional partner relationships among the project’s stakeholders and local partners.
• Oversee project partners inputs and subcontractors’ activities to deliver harmonized, aligned and effective outputs.
• Manage risks to Malaria Consortium including financial, reputation and security in a challenging environment.
• Work with the project M&E Officer, Data Analyst and entomology/research teams to ensure that high quality project data is collected, analysed and disseminated to relevant stakeholders at all levels and reported to the donor.
• Oversee the planning and coordination of LSM field operations, including larval habitat mapping, field-team deployment, Bti availability and distribution, and implementation schedules, in accordance with approved project protocols.

2. Technical performance management and quality assurance (30%)

• Work with the project teams, SPM, the Senior Country Technical Coordinator and Country Entomologist to  determine technical support needs to implement the project effectively and with high quality. Liaise with the Senior Country Technical Coordinator to obtain regional or global technical support.
• Contribute to the development and production of dissemination documents to allow wider sharing of Malaria Consortium’s experiences, lessons and successes.
• Oversee monitoring and evaluation of project performance against workplan, including LSM implementation progress and adherence to approved protocols.
• Keep abreast with evidence and best practices in LSM and malaria vector control that are related to the project.
• Work closely with the M&E and entomology teams to monitor implementation quality, ensure timely documentation of field activities and address operational challenges.

3. Representation (10%)

• Represent Malaria Consortium at state level meetings related to LSM implementation and malaria vector control and  keep key stakeholders abreast of project implementation.
• Participate in national level meetings and workshops as appropriate with the SPM’s support.
• Liaise regularly with the SPM, keeping the relevant Country Team in loop of communication.

Person specification

Qualifications and experience:

Essential

• Postgraduate or Master’s degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, Medical Entomology, Health Policy, Epidemiology or another relevant specialty is a minimum requirement.
• Extensive experience of working at national or state level in developing countries on a donor-funded project.
• Excellent project planning, management and monitoring & evaluation skills.
• Experience managing project budgets.
• Proven leadership skills and team leading.
• Experience in advocacy and policy influencing.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable

• Experience in malaria vector control, larval source management or implementation research.
• Experience in leading a project at state level.
• Advance knowledge of Microsoft office.

Work-based skills and competencies:

Essential

• Proof of strong interpersonal and negotiating skills.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills are also needed.
• Understanding of public health issues in West and Central Africa.

Safeguarding

Malaria Consortium is committed to keeping beneficiaries safe, and the selection process for this role reflects our commitment to safeguarding. The successful candidate will be required to comply with Malaria Consortium's Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy, and data protection/privacy requirements. To take up this position, the candidate must have the right to work in Nigeria.

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.

Qualified female candidates are strongly advised to apply.

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.