Programme Lead (Democracy & Governance) needed at The People Practice

Our client, a Pan-African organization investing in the inclusion of Women, is looking to hire a Programme Lead who will be responsible for delivering technical management, a progressive evidence-led policy influencing agenda, external relations, and engagement strategy for the referenced component. The selected candidate is a strategist with hands-on experience, who must possess high experience in development programme management, policy advisory, team leadership, donor relations, impact evaluation, technical writing, and can work with little or no supervision.

Responsibilities

The selected candidate will be responsible for but not limited to carrying out the following functions:

High-level Programme Management

• Leads the Women Public-life Participation Component of the organization’s work, providing strategic leadership through technical hands-on support, structure and coordination.
• Lead and partner with programme managers and assistants under the women political participation component, ensuring clear direction and programmatic focus, as well as actively collaborating and partnership with various business units.
• Drive the ideation, planning, implementation, and evaluation of programmes, ensuring alignment and compliance for all donor funded programme
• Ensure high-level programme management through clear SOPs, high quality concept note and work-plan development, early planning and timely execution of projects, meaningful internal and external collaborations to drive high-level coordination and implementation.
• Drive WPP focused work around legislative and citizen engagement ensuring clear programming in line with national and wider external priorities.
• Contribute to the overall growth of the organization’s programming, building linkages and driving collaborations with the Women Economic Empowerment, and Women Peace and Security Components.
• Implement monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, in collaboration with other team members, to assess the impact of programmes and identify areas for improvement.

Building strategic partnerships and collaboration

• In consultation with the CEO, drive the development of a women political participation stakeholder strategy for resource mobilization and detailed stakeholder map in alignment with the organization’s vision, mission and thematic areas.
• Maintain good working relationships with donors, counterparts and other critical stakeholders, ensuring a strong resource pipeline.
• In partnership with the Grant Manager, identify and track relevant funding opportunities through advanced intelligence gathering, strengthened partner relationships, and advisory management on fundraising strategies.
• In collaboration with the CEO’s office, and communications team, Identify credible engagement platforms for the organization, locally, regionally and globally
• Represent the organization in designated fora to promote, advocate and speak for the organization.

Policy Analysis & Advocacy

• Possess high-level policy expertise to drive and collaborate with respective technical teams and in close alignment with the CEO, actively supporting the women political participation agenda of the organization Policy & Research Center (EPDC), ensuring the visibility and technical delivery of the organization’s Research and Policy Innovation workstream.
• Conduct extensive research on key policy issues around gender, politics, elections, governance, democracy, equity etc, draft policy documents, opinion pieces, support or lead the delivery of technical reports.
• Build strategic partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders across state & national assemblies, key government agencies, institutions, policy networks, working groups and other relevant players in a bid to strengthen the organization policy advocacy & influencing work.
• Stay abreast of key policy & non-policy issues, discussions, and trends across the organization’s focus areas, locally, regionally and globally.
• Support/lead the facilitation of policy dialogues/ engagements between multi-stakeholders and analysing relevant policy & legal document.

Learning and Continuous Development

• Participate in training sessions, workshops, and team discussions related to programme and grant application strategies.
• Keep abreast of best practices and industry trends related to programme administration and compliance.
• Seek feedback and guidance from Line Manager and team members to enhance skills and knowledge.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as International Development, Political Science, Public Policy or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 7-8 years practical experience in programme management with the last three actively leading a project team within the Civic space.

Must have skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Detail-oriented with exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with project management tools.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Passion for social impact and an interest in the nonprofit sector.
• Ablility to coordinate and manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with objectives.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with potential partners.
• A proactive and self-motivated attitude with a willingness to learn and take initiative.
• Understanding of partnership development and ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to analyze complex policy documents and data to provide actionable insights.
• Certification of relevant training in Programme Management for Development
• Experience with donor management software and CRM tools preferred