Head of Programmes at Girl Effect

Context of the Role

Girl Effect is looking for a dynamic leader to bring vision, clarity and consistency to Girl Effect’s global portfolio of work, supporting in-country teams as they deliver life changing programmes to adolescent girls and young women. Combining significant experience and credibility with an entrepreneurial drive to innovate, our Head of Programmes will be an ambassador for the organisation, forging strategic partnerships with donors, governments and communities to propel the organisation forward.

What You’ll Do

• Oversee the effective design, management and delivery of all programming, meeting our obligations to donors and partners while delivering impact for adolescent girls and young women
•  Manage and coach our four in-country Programme Leads(the equivalent of Country Directors), supporting and empowering them to deliver contextually relevant programmes that align with the organisation’s global approach
• Manage the global ‘core’ Programme team that provides technical, administrative and strategic support to our in-country Programme leads
• Represent the organisation in meetings with high-profile stakeholders(Board members, CEOs, government ministers, community leaders) and at public events(conferences, fundraising events, technical meetings and others)
• Collaborate with our in-house technical experts and our Communications team to articulate our unique approach to programming for girls, helping to carve out a distinct niche for Girl Effect in the sector
• Establish long-term strategic partnerships with supply-side, service provider organisations like PSI, MSI, Brac, Magic Bus, Medha, Triggerise, Nivi, Lybrate and others
• Take overall responsibility for the Program Function ‘core’ operational budget and support in-country leads to manage in-country Programme budgets

Who You Are

Qualities Required:

• Leadership: we’re looking for an experienced leader who is able to build, coach and inspire a high-performing team of in-country leaders from different backgrounds across multiple time-zones and regions
• Strategic thinking: we need a strategic thinker that is able to go beyond the obvious to spot and take advantage of immediate and long-term opportunities in a way that positions our organisation as a credible partner, innovator and leader
• Partnership builder: we need someone who is able to identify and create alignments between organisations and with governments, developing mutually beneficial partnerships across the International Development and Social Change sectors
•  Communication skills: you need to be able to collaborate with teams to craft proposals and reports for potential donors and represent the organisation at high profile speaking events
• Mission alignment: we are looking for someone with a commitment to empowering adolescent girls; someone who believes in a girl’s right to take control of her health and her body, to pursue a livelihood of her own choice, to have a family when she’s ready, to make
  decisions for herself and her children.

Work Experience and Education Required:

• At least 10 years of experience leading programmes in the International Development sector in Africa and/or Asia, preferably in one or more of the following areas:
  o Social Behaviour Change Communication and Media
  o Adolescent Girls and Young Women
  o Health and SRHR in particular
• A minimum of 10 years management experience, preferably across multiple countries, at a senior level
• A Master’s Degree in International Development, Public Health or a related field
• Swahili or Hindi fluency would be a bonus
• Experience working on digital programmes or programmes that have used Human-Centred Design or Lean Innovation approaches would also be a bonus

What else you should know

As we continue to scale and grow – we are hugely ambitious for our future and we are looking for people who are driven to change the world for girls.

Our teams are a diverse mix across sectors (non-profit and commercial) and specialisms (from Brand and Creative through to Gender and Insight). You’ll learn and grow in an environment that will challenge you to think and work with a fresh perspective. In turn, you can expect to work somewhere where you will be stretched and developed in your role, a place where you can build your career and work with talented, engaged people committed to our cause.

Girl Effect is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to recruiting candidates with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.