Regional Programme Manager

About The Role

The Regional Programme Manager will provide programme management and technical oversight of Amref’s Learning for Life (L4L): Building a Resilient and Responsive Health Workforce in Africa programme which sits within the Institute of Capacity Development (ICD). This 4-year programme in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation will be implemented in Kenya, Senegal and Zambia during this first phase. The estimated ratio of health workers per population in Africa is 11.2 workers per 10,000 people, far below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended ratio of 44.5. It is estimated that the global shortage of health workers will increase from 12 to 18 million by 2030 – which translates to a shortage of six million health workers. Africa also has the world’s fastest growing population, which presents governments and policy makers with both opportunities and challenges to ensure sufficient livelihood opportunities for its young population. To address these challenges and accelerate the current Universal Health Coverage (UHC) gains, Amref is implementing this innovative, multi-country, multi-million dollar programme with the ultimate aim of contributing to increased and sustainable job creation within primary health care (PHC) sectors across Africa.

Reporting to the Programme Director, the Regional Programme Manager will provide overall programme management support for effective programme delivery and sustainable impact, ensuring that the commitments made in the grant are attained and surpassed in line with the organisation’s strategy and goals. S/he will sit on the programme’s implementation team (PIT).

About You

You are a people person who understands the importance and power of building strong relationships to drive a common and ambitious goal. You inspire cross cultural teams that are either direct or indirect reports towards a common mission, driving them to deliver impactful results.

You have a high level of EQ, can connect dots and communicate clearly with a diverse range of audiences. You are a problem solver, looking at each challenge as an opportunity to find innovation in the way of doing things. You are highly organised and have great attention to detail. You are committed to achieving stellar results and success, and are not afraid to get your hands dirty and get involved when needed. You’re a team player, who’s pragmatic and driven, and ultimately has a passion to deliver impact!

Principal Responsibilities
Programme Management and Delivery

• Provide technical guidance and managerial oversight in the design, development, and timely programme execution, including working closely with the programme partners to set annual budgets, workplans, goals and targets.
• Ensure programme operational tools such as the programme charter, M&E frameworks, budgets, and work plans are used for harmonised and effective implementation.
• Work closely with the Evidence and Learning Manager to drive utilisation of data-driven learning to sustain relevance, timely course correction, programme adaptation and continuous improvement.
• As applicable, monitor and track programme alignment with the funder and Amref’s corporate strategies, policies, operational guidelines, and protocols.
• Support the development and design of cutting-edge programming strategies and investments in consultation with internal and external programme partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure timely submission, collation, review and finalisation of the programme’s narrative and financial reporting from all implementing partners in compliance with Amref and funder-specific requirements, policies and regulations.
• Work closely with the country implementation team leads and provide technical assistance and support as needed to enhance delivery.

Talent Management

• Support the development of the programme team and espouse a culture of high performance and resilience in line with Amref’s values of ubuntu, integrity and quality.
• Identify staff development needs in programme management and provide coaching and mentorship, as well as link to training and development opportunities, to spur performance.
• Support the building of cross-country and cross-entity team effectiveness and efficiencies, making strong operational and strategic linkages for the programme in the organisation.

Evidence and Learning

• Working closely with the Evidence and Learning Manager to support the realisation of the programme’s learning agenda, including documentation of promising practices.
• Provide technical and management input and oversight in the development of strategic knowledge products and facilitate continuous learning to improve efforts across the implementing countries.
• Review donor reports, evaluation reports, and other reports emanating from the programme to ensure timeliness and quality.
• Support the Evidence and Learning Manager to manage the generation and dissemination of strategic information to staff, partners and stakeholders.
• Support the implementation of learning forums within the programme for all the implementing countries and entities.
• Support the thought leadership agenda by identifying strategic fora to showcase programme outputs to advance the health and livelihoods agenda in the region and beyond.

Partnership Management and Networking

• Establish and maintain relations with internal partners and stakeholders, including implementing country teams and entities for seamless and effective implementation.
• Contribute to participation in relevant external technical working groups and committees to inform the health and livelihoods agenda in the region
• Support relationship management with critical stakeholders in public and private sectors, including funding partners, implementing partners, and collaborators critical to the success and expansion of the programme.

Business Development:

• Support the identification, pursuit and securing of funding opportunities for leverage and extension of the programme.

Education, Skills And Experience
Required qualifications and experience

• Advanced degree in business administration, management sciences or related field. Programme management certification will be an added advantage.
• Solid experience leading diverse teams and preferably managing complex, regional programmes.
• Five (5)+ years relevant work experience in management of multi-country programmes in the health and/or development sector.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and executing projects, including steering work planning, managing and mentoring colleagues, and overseeing compliant and cost-effective use of resources to deliver on objectives.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of current issues in the health and development sector.
• Superior programme management and process facilitation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience working with cross cultural teams.
• Fluency in English including excellent written and verbal communication skills, report writing and presentation skills. Knowledge of French will be an added advantage.