Overview
The bCPAP Project Manager will provide overall leadership, strategic direction, coordination, and oversight for the implementation of the Better Care for Small and Sick Newborns in Zambia project.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide overall strategic leadership for project implementation across all supported provinces, districts and facilities.
- Lead adaptive management through continuous review of implementation performance and emerging evidence.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary technical teams to ensure integrated delivery of evidence based newborn clinical services.
- Lead overall implementation and translation of project objectives into practical implementation strategies.
- Provide strategic oversight to ensure project activities remain aligned with Ministry of Health priorities, donor expectations and Save the Children programme quality standards.
- Ensure integration of gender equality, safeguarding, disability inclusion and child rights throughout implementation.
- Represent Save the Children during technical working groups, steering committees and coordination meetings.
- Ensure that a quality and timely program phased budget aligned with the DIP is in place.
- Ensure that program implementation meets the monthly financial performance target (100% burn rate) and annual spending against life of award budget not greater than 100%.
- Ensure that all financial policies and regulations relating to cash flow management, expenditure controls, cash management, accounting information, advances management are followed.
- Hold monthly staff meetings to plan and reflect on program roll out.
- Ensure excellent financial management and accountability in line with SCI policy guidelines.
- Lead implementation of all project components including timely submission of quality program annual plans with the respective phased budget.
- Ensuring all program operations are based on and are in line with the approved annual plan, phased budget, detailed implementation plans (DIP), procurement plan.
- Provides leadership and design expertise in the rigorous application of Social and Behaviour Change Communication theory, practice, principles and current best practices.
- Keep updated a repository of approved resources that can be shared with other partners for shared learning.
- Lead implementation of competency-based capacity strengthening strategies such as overseeing Training of Trainers (TOT) implementation model with cascaded onsite Low Dose High Frequency (LDHF) and mentorships.
- Promote leadership development among facility champions to foster appropriate and sustainable evidence-based QI initiatives.
- Proactively lead the project baseline, facility readiness assessments, capacity strengthening and procurement planning needs.
- Working with MEAL, support routine monitoring, review and translation of newborn process and output data.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with partnerships.
- Working with MOH across all levels of leadership and responsibility to ensure national alignment, government ownership, and sustainability.
- Work with Vayu Global Health to provide technical guidance on bCPAP equipment and collaboration with Church volunteer clinicians.
- Work with Pediatric Association of Zambia (PAZ) and relevant academic institutions as a technical collaborator.
- Work with relevant program staff to ensure all implementing partners undergo legal vetting and capacity assessment.
- Ensure that all partners are engaged with appropriate agreements and effective monitoring systems are in place.
- Responsible for the overall programs financial and budgetary management.
- Support audits to ensure seamless compliance with donor regulations.
- Ensure timely and quality program design and study processes which include baseline assessments, research and endline evaluations.
- Ensure that the program adheres to and meets all quality benchmarks.
- Work with MEAL and project mentor to define a learning and project documentation agenda.
- Lead pause- and reflect activities to understand what is working well and what adaptations may be needed.
- Ensure accountability mechanisms are integrated into all aspects of programme management structures.
- Ensure regular monitoring of program results, documentation of programme, case studies, lessons learnt, significant changes and best practices.
- Ensure functional program monitoring and evaluation systems are in place.
- Ensure timely submission of high-quality monthly program progress and end of fiscal year reports.
- Ensure that issues raised in the reports are comprehensively addressed in a timely manner.
- Contribute to the analysis, synthesis, and reporting of program outputs and results.
- Submit routine reports for project in line with project’s reporting requirements.
- Guides and spearheads district level advocacy for children and other vulnerable groups.
- Liaise with PDQ to identify, develop and lead local level advocacy.
- Builds strategic networks, coalitions and alliances on project related key advocacy issues.
- Develops a data base of strategic networks and partnerships for advocacy.
- Ensure Advocacy for children is integrated in programme and project operations and plans.
- Develop strategies for collaborations within the district.
- Document lessons and learning’s from advocacy engagements.
- Work closely with partners in the districts including the District Health Office to ensure synergy.
- Work with Child Safeguarding Focal persons to ensure all CO staff are trained in CS.
- Closely review documents and agreements to ensure all partners, contractors, visitors, volunteers etc. comply with CS and code of conduct standards.
Required Experience
- Minimum of 5 -7 years of experience in leading implementation and managing.
- Previous working relationships within donor funded programs and with key multilateral agencies, and bilateral donors;
- Minimum of more than five years of project management experience at mid-level management or higher.
- Demonstrated ability to work within a multi-faceted health development program in collaboration with MOH personnel at provincial, district and health facility levels, and local partners.
- Experience with use of data/evidence for priority setting / decision making and targeting interventions.
- Experience and skills in managing and motivating teams to deliver results.
- Demonstrable financial, planning and budget management skills a MUST.
- Strong record of fostering new and effective partnerships, team building and collaborative implementation.
- Proven ability to develop and oversee implementation of program work plans and coordinate/manage field staff implementing these plans.
- Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform.
- Ability to work independently and as a team leader/member with diverse team of partners and counterparts.
- Strong knowledge of the Zambian health system.
- Previous experience working in Central, Lusaka Southern Provinces.
Qualifications
- Degree in Public health, social sciences, Nursing or other related Health degree.
- Post graduate qualification in Public Health or related field will be an added advantage.
- Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery, Clinical Medicine or other related Health degree.
- Registration with the relevant professional regulatory body in Zambia.
- Certification or proven experience in project management methodology.
