Programs & Learning Manager at the Accountability Lab Nigeria

The Accountability Lab Nigeria makes governance work for the Nigerian people through supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our vision is a country in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives. We have three mutually-reinforcing objectives: to support a positive movement to build accountability and democracy; ensure the voices of communities are heard on accountability issues; and support collaboration around accountability and open governance through unlikely networks.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Programs & Learning Manager

Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full time

Job Description

• The PLM will be a key member of the Accountability Lab Nigeria team, reporting to the Country Director. They will lead a team of officers and volunteers to ensure the growing portfolio of projects are managed effectively, efficiently and transparently.
• One of the main responsibilities of the PLM will be to ensure harmonization across the various grant and project-related elements.
• The PLM will be charged with effective deployment of human, technical and material resources to assist the attainment of results across the lab’s Knowledge, Campaigns and Communities categories of work.
• They will be responsible for the day-to-day management of activities, and should demonstrate high-level strategic vision for enhancing evidence and knowledge in governance and citizen engagement.
• The PLM will possess excellent management skills and experience leading complex projects, and experience in convening collaborative networks preferably in the democracy, rights and governance sector.
• They will also work with a diverse cast of creatives, innovators, local and trans-local communities, state and non-state actors.
• The Lab is a learning organization, and it will expect the PLM to understand and appreciate how to support its learning objectives for internal purposes as well as external influencing and advocacy purposes.
• The PLM will be one of the main points of contact for the Lab with donors and partners, effectively operating as the Lab’s Deputy Country Director. They will be expected to initiate, cultivate and nurture donor relations with both current and prospective Lab funders.

Responsibilities
Project and Program Management (40%):

• Lead the design, implementation and oversight of Accountability Lab’s projects related to accountability, transparency, youth engagement and citizen participation;
• Build relationships with key Lab partners and stakeholders including donors, communities, the media and other civil society organizations;
• Oversee the work of the team including Program, M&E and communications to ensure projects are meeting goals and are adaptive based on the context;
• Provide guidance and leadership to staff and with partners to ensure project outputs are delivered on time and within budget;
• Oversee the coordination of project activities to ensure effective implementation including events, trainings and outreach.

Leadership (20%)

• Provide leadership and management of the the Lab’s work in partnership with the Country Director;
• Lead the production of internal progress reports and report to the team on a weekly basis on progress;
• Act as a key interlocutor with donors on key grants and work with the Global Team in a timely fashion and with exceptional levels of quality;
• Oversee the Lab’s partnerships, and coordinate and collaborate with designated personnel from partner organisations to ensure seamless and coordinated delivery of activities.

Learning (40%):

• Coordinate large-scale learning processes including major internal and external research and evaluation processes;
• Lead trainings, where relevant, related to project implementation, outreach, community-building and reporting;
• Ensure that the Lab follows-up on lessons learnt to take corrective actions and make adjustments to program and project responses;
• Lead the Lab’s internal learning and evaluation processes including annual impact and learning reporting and ongoing iterative data collection processes.
• Oversee the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team’s efforts to develop context-specific and adaptable impact measurement tools and learning frameworks;
• Integrate a learning mindset and approach into the Lab’s work ensuring that feedback and data is used to improve activities over time;

Qualification and Experience

• Candidates should possess a Master’s degree with 5 – 7 years work experience.

Success Factors:

• The PLM requires a superb understanding of program design, management, implementation and reporting. It demands excellent management skills, attention to detail, interpersonal and organizational skills, as well as an ability to conceptualize and implement creative advocacy and engagement campaigns.
• Above all this position requires a learning mindset and experience in understanding how to use information to learn and improve within programs. The Lab’s work in Nigeria may scale very quickly, and the successful candidate will need to have the energy, vision and knowledge of program implementation to help the Lab deliver on commitments and improve its work.
• The successful candidate should also be able to work within a dynamic and culturally diverse team, embodying the organization’s commitment to accountability, transparency and equity. The Lab seeks a demonstrated record of assuming significant professional responsibility and delivering on programmatic goals with integrity and humility.
• The candidate must be aligned with the values of the Lab, and be inspired, believe in, and committed to its vision of building active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Prior work with creative advocacy and campaigns, innovation and creativity in social and governance programs, as well as work with young people and women will be distinct advantages.

Deadline: 11th October, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV, Cover letter and salary expectations to: apply@accountabilitylab.org using “AL Nigeria PLM Application” as the subject of the email.