Senior Programs Manager at Execafrica Recruitment Limited

LOCATION: Kenya (Njabini)
OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
POSITION STATUS: Senior Management-level, exempt from overtime
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP: Reports to the Executive Director (Kenya)

OVERVIEW: The Flying Kites Teacher Training Center & Academy is a model primary school and early learning center, serving as a hub for education innovation in South Kinangop. We design, refine, and implement holistic programs that address obstacles to learning and benefit our network of public primary schools in our sub-county. By partnering with schools to support their needs and introduce innovative strategies to address their challenges, Flying Kites programs impact thousands of teachers and students across South Kinangop.

Reporting to the Executive Director (Kenya), the Senior Programs Manager is responsible for all aspects of the design, planning, training, implementation, and management of Flying Kites programs and initiatives, with a particular focus on programs that address the health and well-being of students, including the Girls United program. Duties are fulfilled using his/her expertise and experience with program planning and design, budget management, training and communication, monitoring, and evaluation “M&E” design, data management, partner and stakeholder engagement, and logistics facilitation. The role requires exceptional organization, resource management and communication skills, the highest attention to detail and follow-through, and a commitment to teamwork, integrity, fiscal responsibility, ethics, and collaboration with educators, colleagues, partners, and all stakeholders. The role further requires a thorough knowledge of health and child welfare resources, regulations, and procedures, and building trusted relationships with local health and social work service providers, stakeholders, guardians, families and colleagues.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: “Essential duties” are those that an individual must be able to perform with or without reasonable accommodation or additional staffing support.

• Develop and manage fully articulated program plans aligned with basic project management stages. initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing -- inclusive of clear objectives, success criteria, curricula, resource and funding requirements, constraints, and timelines.
• Regularly assess programmatic content and operations, making recommendations for adjustment that improve efficiency and maximize impact.
• Arrange and manage all program logistics, including facility and equipment use and resource requirements, coordinating closely with relevant departments to ensure alignment.
• Serve as primary liaison with relevant program stakeholders, including network school heads, government officials, teachers, students, programmatic partners, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
• Identify, assess, propose, and engage credible resources and programmatic partners to support and monitor the physical and socio-emotional health and well-being of all students and meet the needs of girls.
• Serve as primary liaison with providers of health and social work services, including vendors, partners, schools, health facilities, and governmental agencies.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with all regulations, updating the leadership team as regulations change.
• Directly engage with teachers, students, and families to assess ongoing needs, providing counselling and guidance to promote health and emotional well-being and serving as a trusted advisor to mitigate and resolve issues.
• Develop and facilitate training protocol, curricula, materials, and knowledge competency models for teachers and other stakeholders on programmatic and other health-related themes, including but not limited to topics related to sexual and reproductive health, sexual gender-based violence, and nutrition.
• Prepare and distribute accurate, timely reports to inform relevant stakeholders and document decisions.
• Prepare and provide data and summary program reports to leadership and colleagues, including in response to specific requests in support of grants and fundraising activities.
• Develop and manage M&E Plans aligned with programmatic logical frameworks and identified outcomes, including the introduction of methodologies and tools for data collection, authentication, and recordkeeping
• Train and oversee teachers and support resources to ensure accurate data collection and recordkeeping.
• Actively research, prepare, and share up-to-date information and reports on relevant topics to enrich the knowledge of team members and support program objectives.

POSITION SPECIFICATIONS

Education and Work Experience:

• Master's degree in Health, Education, or a related field.
• 7+ years’ experience in a program leadership and/or managerial in Kenya, preferably at an NGO or school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Superior project management skills -- self-reliant, results-oriented, flexible, collaborative, and proactive.
• Excellent judgment and integrity, with highest attention to ethics and policy compliance.
• Entrepreneurial team player who can multitask, prioritize effectively, and adhere to deadlines.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Proficient in all aspects of budgeting, procurement, and fiscal management.
• Highly proficient with computer applications, including managing, analyzing, and communicating data.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills; ability to interact with stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Ability to manage and be strictly accountable for the handling of confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability to respond quickly and maintain composure in situations that impact health, safety, and security.

Additional Requirements:

• Current, incident-free Children’s Check and National Police Check (Certificate of Good Conduct).
• Consistent with the management level of this position, some weekend and after-hours work is expected and required to meet organizational priorities.

Working Conditions:

1. The Kenya office is subject to occasional interruptions in power and/or Internet access.
2. A significant (8-10 hour) time difference is acknowledged and generally accommodated for scheduled and unscheduled communications among management in the US and Kenya.
3. All Flying Kites programs and objectives serve children from preschool through young adults. Our workplace is thus regularly accessed and impacted by children.