Main purpose of the job
- To support and strengthen the work of our implementing partner organisations in East Africa to deliver high quality family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), community health and environmental programmes.
- To ensure high quality work is achieved and maintained.
- To manage a portfolio of grants and to make applications to funders for this work.
- To support our local partner organisations to build their organisational capacity.
- To be the technical lead on SRHR across all CHASE Africa supported programmes.
Background
CHASE Africa is a fast-growing UK-based international NGO that works through autonomous local partners in East Africa. We provide financial, technical and organisational development support to enable them to start-up community health programmes or incorporate Sexual and Reproductive Health into their existing programmes, using a rights-based approach. Our aim is to improve women’s health and wellbeing, and that of their families, by breaking down barriers that prevent women accessing health services and realising their SRHRs. Our efforts are focussed on reaching marginalised, rural communities. Our partners all work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, with health system strengthening forming a key component of all our programmes.
We promote a one-health approach, recognising the interconnectedness of human and environmental health and wellbeing. Alongside their health programmes, we support some partners to undertake environmental activities to protect biodiversity, reduce environmental degradation and build resilience to climate change. Our aim is to enable rural communities to gain maximum benefit from our work of combining family planning, health and environmental activities.
We have a collaborative approach to partnership and have built a strong network, the CHASE Africa Partner Network, which enables partners to tackle common challenges together, share experiences and learning. It has become a powerful and valued forum for our partners. We are a small, relaxed and friendly team, based near Frome in Somerset, UK. We plan to set-up a CHASE Africa entity in Nairobi, Kenya in the next 12-18 months, which will act as a Technical Hub for our programmes. The recruitment of this position is a precursor to this step.
Contractual Basis
Full-time (on a consultancy basis). Start Date: September 2024 (or as soon after as possible)
This position will be based in Kenya (ideally Nairobi). The individual will report to the Chief Executive in the UK. Travel to the UK will be necessary to interact with the UK team and funders, as well as regular travel to partners in East Africa.
Detailed Role Description
Technical SRHR Lead for CHASE Africa
- Support partners’ technical capacity around SRHR and family planning.
- Provide technical input to the wider CHASE Africa team and partner network on SRHR.
- Facilitate the development of a range of Information & Education Communication Materials and training tools and resources that will support our current and future programmes.
Programme and Partnership Support
- Support the work of a portfolio of implementing partner organisations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, covering family planning, primary healthcare, SRHR and environmental activities.
- Maintain excellent relations and communications between CHASE Africa and its implementing partners.
- Work with partners to prepare accurate budgets, narrative proposals and workplans on an annual basis, in line with CHASE Africa’s strategy.
- Support partners to submit financial & narrative reports to agreed standards and on time.
- Visit a portfolio of CHASE Africa’s local partners (1-2 visits on average per month).
- Identify potential new partners and conduct due diligence.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
- Support a portfolio of partners to develop and implement M&E plans and logical frameworks.
- Monitor partners’ work and effectiveness at activity, output, outcome and impact level.
- Analyse qualitative and quantitative data to help record outcomes and impact.
- Help coordinate shared learning and good practice across the CHASE Africa partner network through regular calls, webinars and face to face meetings.
Capacity Development of Partner Organisations
- Support our partners to identify strengths and weaknesses in their organisational capacity, and develop their capacity through mentoring, training and identifying suitable training/ learning opportunities.
- Support our local partners to strengthen the implementation of their Safeguarding policies and processes, including development of project level safeguarding risk registers.
- Help organise and facilitate the Annual CHASE Africa partner conference, which takes place in East Africa, including identifying and liaising with suitable speakers and assisting with logistical arrangements.
Fundraising applications, contract management and reporting
- Work closely with the CEO and CHASE Africa’s fundraising team to research and develop new funding opportunities.
- Support the fundraising team to prepare high-quality applications, including clearly written narrative proposals and detailed budgets, in collaboration with partner organisations.
- Contribute to management of grant contracts (for portfolio of grants), fulfilling donor requirements in a timely manner, including preparation of narrative and financial reports and responding to donor queries as appropriate.
- Liaise with the CHASE Africa fundraising and communications team, responding to requests for partner updates, stories and photographs and general enquiries.
Networking and Stakeholder Engagement
- Represent CHASE Africa to funders, networks and key stakeholders in East Africa.
- Help CHASE Africa to participate in relevant consortia forums and represent CHASE Africa at key meetings and events with key stakeholders and funders.
Organisational Support
- Support organisational and strategic development of CHASE Africa.
- Support the creation and set-up of a new CHASE Africa entity in Nairobi, and the establishment of a technical hub.
- Attend and participate in Staff and Trustee meetings, as required, including visiting CHASE Africa UK offices once or twice per year to engage and collaborate with the team and trustees, and meet funders
OTHER INFORMATION
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
The organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All employees are required to promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people and comply with the CHASE Africa’s Safeguarding Policy and Statement. In accordance with our Safeguarding Policy, all staff must ensure the health and wellbeing of vulnerable adults is appropriately safeguarded.
All staff are required to attend training appropriate to their role in safeguarding children and adults, which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and knowing how to raise concerns when those signs of abuse are noticed in a person*.*
This role will requires background screening/police checks prior to taking up the position.
Confidentiality
Working for CHASE Africa you may gain knowledge of confidential matters which may include personal and medical information about community members. Such information must be considered strictly confidential and must not be discussed or disclosed. Failure to observe this confidentiality could lead to disciplinary action being taken against you.
Diversity
CHASE Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are open to all talent and we actively ensure that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regards to race/ethnicity, colour, national origin, religion, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other protected class. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
Person Specification: Skills and Experiences
Essential
- Relevant Masters degree.
- Familiar with the International NGO sector with a minimum of 10 years’ experience of programme management in either family planning, SRHR, or global health sector.
- Technical knowledge of developing, running and supporting SRHR, family planning and community health programmes.
- Experience of securing funding from institutional funders such as FCDO, USAID & EU, as well as large foundations (like CIFF, Gates) and managing funding contracts.
- Experience of developing and analysing log frames, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and qualitative and quantitative data collection tools.
- Experience of managing and enabling communication between multiple stakeholders.
- Experience of enabling positive change through influence rather than direct control.
- A knowledge of how small CBOs and NGOs work, and experience of mentoring and strengthening their capacities.
- Experience of organisational development and capacity building of local NGOs/CBOs.
- Self-confident and able to lead meetings and take initiatives.
- Commitment to, and understanding of, equal opportunities and safeguarding.
- Understanding of Safeguarding in community development programmes, including strengthening policy, processes and reporting mechanisms.
- Strong attention to detail and process.
- Strong financial and budget management skills, including the ability to design, manage and interpret project budgets using Excel spreadsheets.
- Strong communication and listening skills across distance and cultures.
- Fluent oral and written English.
- Ability and willingness to travel – to visit local partners across East Africa, and to visit the UK.
Desirable
- Experience of undertaking due diligence reviews of potential new partner organisations.
- Experience of developing training resources and manuals (related to SRHR, community engagement).
- Knowledge or experience of integrating health and environment programmes; one-health; PHE approach or building climate resilience.
- Experience of establishing a new, local office/technical hub for an international NGO.
For full job description, please see this link.
https://www.chaseafrica.org.uk/vacancies
How to apply
Please submit the application form, along with a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) explaining why you are interested in the role and how you meet the job description and person specification. (Applications without either a covering letter or completed application forms will not be considered.)
Applications should be sent via email to Harriet Gordon-Brown harrietgordonbrown@chaseafrica.org.uk
- Closing date midnight on Friday 9th August 2024.
- Interviews will take place in two phases:
- First round interviews will take place online the week of the 19th August.
- Second round interviews will take place in person in Nairobi the week of the 2nd September 2024.
- Candidates will be notified by Friday 16th August, if they have been selected for interview.
- Three references relating to recent professional experience will be required for the successful candidate.