Senior Manager, Program Quality and Partnerships Kids Alive Zambia (KAZ)

The Organization

Kids Alive Zambia is a Christ-centered organization that believes every child deserves to live free from the bondage of hunger, abuse, and exploitation. Our commitment to this Biblical truth compels us to rescue orphans and vulnerable children, and meet their spiritual, physical, educational, and emotional needs, with compassion and excellence.

Kids Alive Zambia (KAZ) seeks to recruit a qualified individual to join the Senior Leadership Team in Zambia as a Senior Manager, Program Quality and Partnerships

Purpose of the role

The individual will primarily ensure successful and quality program design and implementation in KAZ while ensuring coherence and alignment to the KAZ program strategy, in collaboration with strategic partners. Reporting to the Country Director he/she will work to facilitate the implementation of KAZ Program Quality policy and procedures, as well as ensure the programme delivery is done in full compliance with  donor requirements. In cooperation with relevant  departments and program units, he/she will also be responsible for ensuring consistent implementation of Partnership Framework with the aim of improving and maintaining quality of partnerships, in alignment with the KAZ International Guidelines and policies, and through design and implementation of relevant tools and processes. He/she will be responsible to support the Country Director in identification of strategic partners and establishing a relationship with them, in order to achieve our strategic Objectives. He/she will also be leading the resource mobilization strategy for KAZ in line with KAZ program strategy and KAZ 2021 vision. He/she will establish a network of partners working on Child protection and support. He /she will collaborate closely with Country Teams, Site Leaders, KAZ  Partners, fundraising teams, Policy and Advocacy leads.

Responsibilities of the Role

Program Quality

• To work closely with relevant leadership in Program units to support timely and quality delivery of KAZ programs across all program locations.
• To support consistent application of in country processes, procedures and tools for project and program management, as well as KAZ International Program Quality and Influencing Policy across all projects /programs implemented by KAZ
• To ensure, in coordination with other departments, that there is adequate knowledge, skills and capacities among KAZ staff and implementing partners to meet the requirements of the Program and Influencing the Program Quality Policy and in- country processes.
• To ensure in close collaboration with Program Implementation, Sponsorship Communications, Finance and Operations that both KAZ and partners adhere to grant compliance and donor reporting fully, timely and with quality.
• To coordinate the development of tools, templates and capacity building packages based on the needs assessment of partners and gaps identified, and help secure adequate funds for strengthening civil society when relevant in newly designed projects.
• To ensure through working closely with relevant departments that periodical (Quarterly) project and grant performance review takes place. This will include overall management of the Quarter Management Report development and submission, developing trend analysis, as well as managing the Quarter Project Review
• To ensure that Annual Planning, Quarter Reporting and Annual Review process across KAZ take place as per corporate guidelines and are aligned with KAZ in-country processes.
• To ensure collection and dissemination of lessons learned from project/program cycle management take place quarterly and they are utilized by KAZ to continuously improve its performance in project/program management.
• Manage various program processes (e.g. senior program leadership meetings, monthly reporting)
• Support general program management processes (e.g. program leadership meetings) and manage specific projects and grants related to strategic partnership and network development

Partnerships

• Work with the Country Director to identify current high-priority partners for individual initiatives and projects, their current approaches to partnership development and management, and their near- and long-term goals for current and desired partnerships
• Develop and maintain a partnership management system at KAZ whose strategy depends on working with partners who have complementary capabilities and resources so we can realize transformative impact by leveraging their ideas, resources, capabilities.
• Working with the relevant offices to develop partnership  and management processes that meet multiple KAZ needs
• With input from appropriate stakeholders, develop a framework for a prioritized list of strategic partnerships for KAZ as a whole that will be managed at central level
• Develop a partnership management system that ensures continued capture of knowledge about our strategic partners (e.g. organization charts, current projects, our understanding of their goals). This partnership management system will likely be a combination of management processes tailored to our work and organization, and will involve partnering with relevant departments.
• As needed, support program leadership and staff in their partnership interactions and continuously capture knowledge about our strategic partners. Work with the relevant leadership to help guide program leadership in realizing their overall influence goals through partnerships
• Advise teams that are developing initiative-level partnership processes to ensure appropriate links to the overall partnership management system and the use of best practices
• To ensure consistent implementation of KAZ Partnership Framework.

Monitoring and Impact Evaluation

• Devise methods and processes that will ensure collection of program evidence for impact
• Evaluation budgeting and budget management
• As need maybe, engage and manage external consultants for specific assignment
• Ensure database management for all monitoring data and information
• Makes technical program quality analyses and makes recommendations for improvement.

Typical Responsibilities – Key End Results of this Position:

Strategic Leadership in Programme Management

• To work closely with various units in Implementation and Strategy program departments, other country office departments (Operations, HR and Finance) and contribute to increased inter-departmental coordination for an improved country wide program quality and delivery mechanism.
• To ensure that annual planning process across KAZ takes place as per corporate guidelines and is aligned with KAZ annual planning process.
• To work with the Country Director and Finance and Administration Manager to ensure project reports (narrative, financial and audit) are prepared and submitted to the donors in line with reporting guidelines and agreements.

Budget:

• To work in close collaboration with relevant units on reviewing quarterly budget vs actual expenditure reports and guide regular re forecasting exercises.
• To support review of monthly budget versus actual expenditure reports with relevant departments to help ensure program expenditure remains on time and to the approved budget.

Management Support:

• To work in close collaboration with relevant departments to promote a culture of high performance, mutual accountability and learning within the team.
• To contribute to the development of direct reports by setting individual objectives and providing feedback of performance versus objectives to maximize levels of individual performance.
• To provide guidance and support to direct reports to ensure that the team is equipped with the necessary resources, tools, skills and caliber enabling the unit to maximize its performance.
• To manage team planning and development including recruiting, training and developing staff capabilities to ensure that employees are equipped with the knowledge and capabilities to achieve program objectives.

Compliance and Reporting:

• To work in collaboration with the Finance, HR, and Operations departments to ensure that all KAZ programme expenditure is compliant with institutional donor and KAZ regulations, including providing the necessary support to KAZ partners as required.
• Ensure that management action plan is prepared and followed up for audit and evaluation report findings.
• Facilitate sharing of program reports ensuring that progress of programs is communicated to different parties with the required quality standards and in collaboration with relevant departments and units.

Dealing with Problems:

• Ability to think strategically whilst adapting quickly to changing conditions on the ground and presenting solutions to challenges that are encountered.
• Managing Program change away from traditional delivery programs to right based work.
• Using your technical knowledge effectively and knowing when to seek additional support.

Communications and Working Relationships

Internal:

• All departments within KAZ

External:

• Community, partners, and government representatives

Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours, and Experience Required to Achieve Role’s Objectives:

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of Development issues, trends, challenges and opportunities
• Knowledge of effective Participatory M&E systems
• Strategic thinking planning knowledge and abilities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the key theories of child rights programming.
• Detailed understanding of the key challenges and opportunities related to a rights-based approach to development programming in Zambia

Skills

• Leadership and management abilities.
• Project management abilities including excellent budget management and financial planning skills.
• Demonstrated experience as a development professional in planning, monitoring, evaluating programs skills.
• Proven experience of working collaboratively and openly with national partners.
• Excellent presentation skills – ability to influence and persuade.
• Strong organizational, planning and writing skills.
• Demonstrated strong research skills to identify a problem, research on it and make suitable recommendations
• Understanding of and ability to analyze with a child perspective the social and political structures, dynamics and power relations that enable Child protection
• Understanding of the implications of working with a child’s protection approach to development.
• Understanding of root causes and consequences of treatment of children and how they contribute to the non-realization of children’s rights and developing practical strategies to address them.
• Ability to identify diverse, relevant external actors to work with and understand the purpose and implications of working with them.
• Understanding and ability to apply good principles of project cycle management including monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Ability to plan and effectively and efficiently use financial and other resources within organizational and donor requirements.
• Ability to identify what partnerships are needed to deliver on team, programme or project objectives or for a particular activity.
• Ability to map out potential partners for a programme or project and activity.
• Ability to get to know a potential partner, including their expertise, culture, gaps and weaknesses and enable them to get to know the same for KAZ
• Ability to identify risks of engagement with potential partners (due diligence) and develop risk mitigation strategies.
• Ability to analyze, understand and prioritize different partner needs.
• Ability to engage and support colleagues to develop and foster effective and mutually respectful partnerships.

Behaviors:

• Excellent communication abilities
• Negotiating and influencing skills.
• Has the capability and will to ensure a strong contribution to a wider strategy.
• Ability to work under stress and pressure and to meet multiple deadlines and targets.
• Balance future vision with practical delivery.
• Involves others in setting and achieving goals
• Creates strong sense of ownership within one part of the business to different stakeholders.
• An open communicator and team player.

Qualifications and Experience

You are right for this role if you have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, development or a business related field
• At least 6 years experience in project management or Monitoring and Evaluation in non-governmental organizations; partnership/account development; process design and implementation; intellectual curiosity and the ability to learn about a range of issues quickly, and a passion for our mission to improve the well-being of children throughout the world.
• A clean criminal background check