Palladium Group Senior Managers, Operations Jobs Vacancies in Nigeria

Palladium
Group – The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme (MNCH2) is a country
led programme which aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in Northern Nigeria
and it is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). The
MNCH2 programme is being implemented in six states in northern Nigeria: Jigawa,
Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Yobe and Zamfara States.

We
are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job
Title:
Senior Manager, Operations
Location: Kano

Project
Overview and Role

DFID
appointed Palladium and its consortium members to manage implementation of
the Nigerian Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme (MNCH2); which
runs for 5 years from 1st June 2014 to 31st May 2019.
The
objective of the programme is to achieve effective and efficient delivery
of essential health care for pregnant women, new-borns and children,
alongside routine immunisation. The programme will strengthen health
system coordination through improved health sector planning and financing,
and will increase demand for and access to high quality health services.
The
programme is working with government to build capacity within the public
health system to enable sustainability beyond the immediate lifetime of
the programme. Sustainable solutions should be sought for every output and
outcome of this programme intervention.
This
MNCH2 programme is delivering across the 6 DFID Northern Nigeria focus
States (Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara and Yobe); where the
greatest population gains can be made and the largest burden of maternal,
new-born and child mortality and unmet need for health care are located.
Northern Nigeria is a fragile context, and some States, particularly Yobe
and urban Kano, are affected by levels of violence which impede access to
health services.
The
recipient of MNCH2 services is the people and Government of Nigeria,
representing namely: the Federal and State Ministries of Health, and Local
Governments.

Purpose
of Position

Reporting
to the National Team Leader, the Senior Manager – Operations has overall
in-country operations responsibility for the project. Senior Manager –
Operations (SM OPs) is a senior representative of Palladium and a member
of the programme senior management team and as such must ensure that
operational risks are actively identified and minimised; company policies,
processes and procedures are made known to the programme team and adhered
to and that overall, the project is compliant with DFID policies, rules
and regulations, e.g. DFID SMART Rules.
Working
closely with the Senior Manager Finance (SM Finance), Palladium corporate
operations, the SM OPs ensures that internal as well as DFID operational and
reporting requirements of the client are adhered to.
The
role works closely with and manages the project team of administrative
professionals and other support staff within the programme and across
consortium partners.

Primary
responsibilities
Specifically, the Senior Manager – Operations:

Strategic
and Operational Planning:

Working
closely with the SM Finance, this position ensures preparation of the
annual strategic plans; operational work plans and budgets; staffing
plans; performance improvement plans and other plans as required is
conducted timely in line with Palladium and DFID timelines and requirements;
Ensures
appropriate consultation in the development of operational plans
(including consultation with the Project Operations Manager, the Client,
Consortium partners and other project stakeholders);
With
the SM Finance jointly monitors the implementation of approved annual work
plan and budgets, in line with DFID requirements on budget and forecast
variance

Programme
Management:

Provides
operational guidance, oversight and quality assurance for all project
activities, outputs and deliverables;
Supervise
and ensure value for money in programme planning and implementation
including in contracting, procurement and management of grantees,
sub-contractors and service providers;
Works
closely with the Deputy Team Leader ? Results to ensure implementation and
ongoing review and reporting of Value for Money (VfM);
Assumes
responsibility for administrative, operational and financial support
required for the effective implementation of work plans on time, within
budget, meeting client and stakeholder expectations and contractually
compliant;
Supports
Team Leader in maintaining an up to date logs of issues and risks; works
to resolve issues, manages and mitigates risks; and escalates material
issues and risks as appropriate;

Human
Resource Management:

Assumes
overall responsibility for the effective and professional management of
the operations team (including administrative, and HR staff);
Leads,
guides, mentors and manages the performance of direct reports and ensures
appropriate leadership, guidance, mentorship and management of other
operations staff;
Participates
as required in HR management including but not limited to recruitment and
contracting, performance management, disciplinary and grievance
proceedings, and learning and development;

Administration:

Ensures
consistent implementation of company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
and Guidelines, Security Protocols and, where applicable, recommend
modifications;
Ensures
the project operational activities provide and demonstrate good value for
money;

Client
Relationship and Stakeholder Management:

Maintains
excellent working relationship with the client and supports the Team
Leader in Client communications and in agreement of the programme?s
operational plans;
Manages
relationships with business partners, Palladium?s programme implementing
partners and other project stakeholders as appropriate;
Maintains
regular communication with relevant stakeholders and ensure that reporting
and critical programme issues are resolved in a timely manner;

Reporting
Requirements
The role will report directly to the Team Leader on operational risk matters.
The reporting requirements include:

Regular
update discussions with the Team Leader;
Monthly
operations report
Exception
reports as and when required;
Report
on issues and risks;
Other
reports as requested by the Team Leader or Project Director.

Relationships:

The
role liaises with the SM Finance, assigned Project Operations Managers,
Practice Area Specialists, and other company employees as required,
professional service providers, the client and other stakeholders.

Authority
levels:

The
role carries a high degree of autonomy with appropriate consultation. The
role is required to:
Manage,
analyse and make sound recommendations to the line manager
Oversee
the effective management of all operations staff members

Requirements
Minimum education and experience required:

A
postgraduate qualification in Project Management, Human Resources
Management, or other related discipline
A
minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, with specific experience
managing large DFID-funded programmes
A
minimum of 4 years of people management experience including setting clear
performance objectives, managing for results, giving and receiving
feedback, performance evaluation, mentoring and coaching
Solid
understanding of DFID?s approach to Value for Money (VfM)
Strong
track record in project operations or business management and
administration
Excellent
leadership, representation and organisational skills
High
level strategic thinker
Strong
management and people handling skills
Ability
to operate in complex situations
Ability
to foster successful partnership approaches and relationships among a
variety of organisations/institutions
In
country working experience in Northern Nigeria or similar environments
Key
competencies and professional expertise required
Successful
track record in delivery of complex programmes
Excellent
English language communication skills and ability to work collaboratively
across technical disciplines
Ability
to communicate effectively and negotiate persuasively with high level
decision makers
Results
oriented

In
return we Offer

A
friendly and team-based working environment
Opportunity
to work with national and international colleagues
Vital
contribution to improving maternal and newborn services in Northern
Nigeria
The
opportunity to truly “make a difference”
A
competitive salary with benefits