Programme Director
About SHOFCO
SHOFCO is a grassroots organisation that unlocks the potential of urban slum dwellers to lead hopeful and fulfilling lives. SHOFCO disrupts survival mode by providing critical services, including health care, clean water, education, and economic empowerment, and links these efforts to a community-led advocacy platform. Over the next 5-10 years, SHOFCO aims to become a national platform for urban slum transformation across Kenya, demonstrating a scalable and replicable model that can be used worldwide.
Purpose of the Role
Reporting to the Chief Programmes Officer (CPO), the Programme Director (PD) will be responsible for the Programme’s operational success at SHOFCO, ensuring seamless team management and development, business development, programme delivery, quality control and evaluation. In this role, the PD will manage a growing number of staff members.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Provide credible leadership to programmes through implementing the strategic plan linked to SHOFCO’s vision and inspiring confidence and team spirit among programme staff;
- Actively participate in the Senior Management Team (SMT).
Quality Assurance and Performance
- Provide targeted technical assistance to projects to foster continuous improvement in quality and both programmatic and financial performance;
- Ensure projects are aligned with and contribute to SHOFCO’s Strategic Plan and National and county strategies, policies, operational guidelines, and protocols, as applicable.
Business Development
- In liaison with Chief Officers, grow the Programme portfolio by providing leadership in developing new project proposals and relationships;
- Forecast Programme growth with relevant teams;
- Review of budgets during proposal development in support of grants managers. Ensuring budgets speak to projects seamlessly.
Policy Advocacy and Networking
- Ensure staff participation in the Programme in relevant technical working groups and platforms, ensuring participation generates value for the communities that SHOFCO serves;
- Manage internal (with other programme managers) and external relations with donors, partners, and collaborators that are stakeholders in the Programme.
Administrative & Financial Oversight
- Review operational budgets with programme and finance teams to ensure compliance with effectiveness, efficiency and value-for-money principles;
- Ensure projects are being supervised, and submit annual and quarterly procurement plans in accordance with budgets and donor/SHOFCO procurement rules and regulations;
- Review operational budgets with project and finance teams to ensure value for money.
Grants Management
- Liaise with grants management teams and support project teams in reviewing financial performance against set targets and implementation of remedial actions;
- Foster the development of vibrant teams in programmes so that teams grow into ‘winning teams’ where project managers provide effective leadership;
- Identify staff development needs and provide coaching and mentoring, as well as a link to training and development opportunities, to spur performance.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Provide oversight for all donor reports, evaluation reports, and other reports emanating from the Programme and projects to ensure timeliness and quality.
- Liaise with Impact and Learning Lead to provide leadership in quarterly programme review meetings aimed at identifying and remedying performance gaps and disseminating relevant information, e.g., new government policies, etc.
- Liaise with the M&E unit to provide administrative support to projects to develop and implement M&E plans.
Operations Research and Knowledge Management
- Provide leadership in the identification, development and implementation of relevant operations research within the Programme, drawing on support from the Chief Program Officer and other senior teams.
Skills and Experience
- An advanced degree in a related field (Development Management, human rights, Social sciences, etc.) is required;
- 5-7 years of demonstrated expertise in programme management in multiple sectors in Kenya;
- Experience building, mentoring and developing a motivated and productive team;
- Proven track record of writing/leading winning grant proposals and partnering with donors, MOH institutions, NGOs, communities and health development partners;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail;
- Fluency in spoken and written English and Kiswahili
- Proven flexibility, creativity, and teamwork in the workplace;
- Experience in integrated development in both urban and rural areas.