Manager - Girl Capital, Africa (12-month FTC) at Childrens Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Description

• CIFF operates a hybrid working policy across all locations, which means employees work some of the time in the office and some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.
• The starting salary for this role is KES 13,200,000 per annum.

Main purpose of the role

• CIFF’s Africa strategy, envisages an Africa where girls have the health, economic opportunity and agency to contribute to a thriving and self-determining Africa. To do so, the strategy takes an integrated portfolio approach that layers interventions, addresses root causes and prioritises sustainability, execution excellence and localization. The Girl Capital pillar is the consolidation of Girls’ Choices – Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) and Girls’ Opportunities – Education and Livelihoods.
• The purpose of this role is to lead the development and delivery of CIFFs investments to improve the lives and health of adolescent girls in its priority countries. The post holder will need to utilize significant experience in health, livelihoods and education to make the case for investment from CIFF’s leadership, other donors and government. They will need to be a strong project manager, able to assess financial and programmatic data and put course correction measures in place when required.

Role’s responsibilities

Strategy & planning

• Prepare and present high-quality analysis and research, as required, to support the sector in determining future strategic priorities and setting operational plans.
• Contribute to the production of programme strategy and the associated evidence base, alongside other team members, prior to a proposal’s submission for approval.
• Lead on the development of investments related to adolescent girl-centered programming on SRHR, Education and Livelihoods.
• Conduct analysis and research on projects, innovations, emerging and best practices, as inputs into strategic priorities and planning.
• Organize, coordinate, document and professionally present from strategy and planning processes, including leading these processes when required.
• Provide support across broader Africa team strategies and programmes as needed.

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Directly manage and in some instances, provide support to the management of a portfolio of active programmes with a value c. of $50M
• Coordinate the development of pipeline investments, including partner coordination, collation of inputs and structuring and managing a cross-organisation “Deal Team” in the run up to Investment finalisation.
• Against key corporate and / or sector team indicators and targets, monitor and report internally on the performance of assigned portfolio.
• Apply agreed due diligence and risk management protocols appropriately throughout the development and delivery of proposals and programmes, to ensure the interests and reputation of the Foundation are protected.
• Conduct structured feasibility analysis on investment proposals, using an appropriate range of methodologies and techniques, to ensure they are based on logical and robust assumptions, which can withstand scrutiny from the Executive Team (ET) and CIFF Board.
• Working either with sector colleagues or independently, prepare summary reports, board reports and portfolio investment reports, ensuring these are produced to a high-standard and in a timely fashion, often within tight timeframes.
• Co-ordinate the development of grant agreements, to forecast and process grant payments and to enable effective grant management and reporting within the organisation.
• Working closely with and taking the advice and guidance of, the sector team’s Evidence, Measurement and Evaluation (EME) Business Partner, identify and embed appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes to all proposals and programmes.
• Conduct regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes under delivery to identify problems and delays, and work with partners to develop effective solutions (escalating to more senior colleagues for support and intervention, where required).
• Work as part of a team to shape and implement plans for scaling up, replicating, or leveraging additional support for successful programmes and initiatives, in accordance with Foundation priorities.
• Identify opportunities and options for improving processes, procedures and programme management approaches within (and beyond) the team, to support increased organisational efficiency and effectiveness.
• In collaboration with partners, lead regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes under delivery to identify problems and delays, and implement effective solutions.
• Take on progressively greater responsibility in leading the end-to-end development of new investment proposals.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Keep abreast of developments within the SRHR, Education and Livelihoods and international development sectors, establishing appropriate information gathering networks and channels to deepen professional knowledge and skills.
• As required, contribute to the development of thought leadership, PR, marketing and advocacy materials, to support CIFF’s ambitions to scale-up, mainstream and leverage additional support for its initiatives.
• Develop mutually beneficial, peer-level relationships with priority country governments, NGOs, other foundations, local civil society and beneficiary-led organisations.
• Actively maintain CIFF’s reputation as a valued partner for achieving transformational and sustainable change in the adolescent sexual reproductive health sector.

Stakeholder and partner management

• Conduct rigorous research and evaluation of potential partners, using agreed corporate protocols and techniques, to assess their suitability and credentials for collaborating on CIFF initiatives.
• Apply CIFF’s agreed account management disciplines and approaches in all dealings with programme partners and stakeholders, to ensure productive and professional relationships are maintained in a coordinated and strategic manner.
• Working alongside senior colleagues, help to develop strategic partnerships to support adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes.
• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas.

Membership and leadership of the team

• Be a role model to less experienced team members, demonstrating CIFF’s leadership behaviours and providing mentorship to aid their growth.
• Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instils a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning.
• We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.

Requirements

Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in analysis and due diligence; policy, planning and programme delivery, including field experience, all within the development sector
• Knowledge of the evidence bases pertaining to programme design and implementation, and belief in the importance of evidence-based decision making
• Strong working knowledge of impact measurement and programme monitoring and evaluation
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset
• Ability to analyse an organisation’s strength of management, vision and adaptive capacity. Ability to recruit, guide, influence and/or advise management teams to effectively implement programmes
• Experience working within government systems and/or experience influencing the policies of government agencies, private sector organizations or donor organisations
• Effectively champions and promotes causes – credible and professional, they always present the Foundation’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness