Job Description

Posted on May 28, 2021

TITLE: Regional Program Manager
BACKGROUND
Healthy Leaners is an award-winning non-profit organization committed to improving the health of children in Zambia and beyond. We partner directly with the government and local communities in Zambia so that school children can stay healthy, learn effectively and have a brighter future. This year Healthy Learners was the inaugural winner of the 2021 Duke F.M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact and the UBS Optimus Foundation COVID-19 Relief Prize and has seen strong, steady growth in philanthropic support over time.
School-aged children in low resource settings suffer from a high burden of disease and lack access to even basic healthcare, which causes for otherwise preventable and curable illnesses to frequently result in life-long health challenges or disability. In the short term, these illnesses contribute to school absenteeism, poor academic performance and high drop-out rates. In the long term, they undermine physical, cognitive and emotional development and hinder economic prosperity.
Healthy Learners is solving this gap through our unique model of school-based community health. By training teachers in community health and making schools entry points into the public healthcare system, children now receive medical attention in substantially greater numbers, improving health outcomes and reducing absenteeism. We currently serve 250,000 students in Lusaka and are working with the Zambian government to scale nationally.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As we prepare to enter a new and exciting period of growth, we are looking for a talented, driven, and dedicated Regional Program Manager. This new position will be responsible for overseeing programs and operations within assigned districts as we scale nationally. A strong candidate should be passionate for the mission of Healthy Learners and demonstrate excellence in project management. The job will require significant travel within Zambia between provincial project locations.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Program Operations and Management (50%):
Provide management and oversight of programs in assigned districts;
Promote, strengthen and maintain Healthy Learners’ organizational culture and values across assigned district offices;
Work closely with the Vice President of Operations (VPO) to ensure functional systems and managerial tools are in place for effective project planning, budgeting, preparation, start-up, implementation and monitoring;
Ensure activities and related expenditures for the program are completed on time, with high quality and on budget;
Work closely with the Director of Programs to provide technical guidance on the program and its implementation within new sites;
Oversee implementation of quality control measures and procedures for programs in assigned districts, flagging issues and areas of concern and disseminating lessons learned and best practices;
Ensure all assigned district offices and field staff comply with Healthy Learners policies and procedures;
Ensure that security guidelines are prepared and followed in the assigned district offices and that any breaches of these are handled appropriately and reported to senior management;
Ensure district offices implement knowledge-management and sharing tools and platforms;
Serve as the key liaison between district offices and HQ, modeling HL’s culture and values and representing the organization’s perspectives on policy issues;
Ensure requirements of Healthy Learners’ Child Safeguarding Policy are fully complied with by all staff and partners in the respective districts;
Support Program Coordinators to effectively manage relationships with implementing partners within assigned district and provincial sites;
Reporting and M&E (25%):
In collaboration with the M&E team, ensure the effective implementation of M&E work-plans, indicators, performance tracking, monitoring tools and benchmarks within assigned districts;
Support the M&E Team to capacitate Program Coordinators and other district staff in monitoring, evaluation and learning;
In collaboration with the M&E team, help to develop program targets and benchmarks and regularly review progress on indicators and achievement of targets within assigned districts.
Oversee the compilation, refinement and submission of district program reports;
Discuss monitoring findings from assigned districts during program coordination/review meetings, review M&E reports to highlight key project strengths and areas of improvement through action plans, and use learnings to improve implementation.
Staff Management and Development (25%)
Supervise Program Coordinators in assigned districts, ensuring they have clear work plans and objectives and receive timely feedback and reviews.
Manage the performance of assigned staff through the effective use of the performance management system, KPIs and ongoing mentoring/coaching.
Support the Admin and HR departments on the recruitment and orientation of Program Coordinators;
Help to facilitate staff trainings on program management, standard operating procedures, M&E, effective communication, and partnership management and mentorship.
Establish and maintain strong collaboration and coordination with relevant regional and district stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and sustainability of the program;
Support professional development of staff in assigned districts, particularly in new/leanly staffed districts;
Help to prepare for donor and member visits to ensure project progress is showcased as per the expected standards;
Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual with extensive program management experience to grow and further develop a proven program that has already made significant impact. The successful candidate will partner with the Vice President of Operations and Director of Programs and work collaboratively with a high-performance team.
Specific requirements include:
Action-oriented, flexible, and innovative approach to program management.
Excellence in organizational management with the ability to supervise mid-level staff to manage and develop high-performance teams and effectively implement organization strategies.
Track record of effectively managing a complex array of programs and demonstrated capacity and prior experience in managing the personnel, administrative and logistical functions of programs and projects;
Excellent project management skills.
Proven ability to prepare and effectively monitor budgets, work plans and reports
Strong analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations;
Strong experience in planning and fiscal management.
Well organized and consistent in setting, prioritizing and meeting realistic deadlines, with meticulous attention to detail;
Unwavering commitment to quality service delivery and data-driven program evaluation.
Experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Possesses humility, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed.
Ability to operate as an effective tactical and operational thinker.
Willingness to spend significant time traveling between provincial program sites.
Passion for Healthy Learners’ Vision & Mission.
Minimum Requirements
Minimum BS/BA degree with at least 6 years of experience and a track record of increasingly senior level responsibilities.
Master’s degree in relevant field is a plus.
Interested applicants should email their CV and 1-page cover letter to jobs.program@healthylearners.org. Candidate will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
All applications must be addressed to;
The Director of Administration
Healthy Learners
Olympia Extension
Lusaka
Note: You can learn more about our work by visiting www.healthylearners.org