About the role: This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the primary health field in Sierra Leone, leading a dynamic consortium in implementing the innovative 5 year “Saving Lives in Sierra Leone Phase 3” programme. As Team Lead (Consortium Director), you will be based in Freetown, Sierra Leone with frequent visits to the 6 districts covered by the programme and other locations as necessary.  The role is accompanied for a duration of 2 years, which can be extended based on performance, and comes with a salary of €55,675 - €61,860 (Grade 6).

“Saving Lives in Sierra Leone Phase 3” (SLiSL3) is an FCDO funded Health Systems Strengthening programme, building upon its predecessor programmes, also funded by FCDO. The programme aims to achieve fewer preventable deaths and reduced morbidity among women, girls and children by improving the quality, availability, equity and accessibility of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH&N) services. A key intended outcome is improved Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The programme was initiated in December 2023 and will run until December 2028.

You will report to the Country Director and the Programme Steering Committee. Regular day-to-day liaison and coordination will be with Concern’s Programme Director and National Health Coordinator. You will work closely with both local and international downstream partners and grantees, the Core Programme Management Team, Concern’s Technical Advisors/Specialists, Programme Managers, Finance and Operations departments, Concern HQ and FCDO.

Your purpose: The Team Lead (Consortium Director) will be responsible and accountable for the overall management and oversight of the programme including: overseeing the contract management and implementation, risk management and financial accountability, donor reporting and liaison, external representation, relationship management with downstream partners and government counterparts, and ensuring compliance with Concern and donor’s policies and procedures.

You will be responsible to provide direction and support to the team, and technical leadership to ensure high quality programming to achieve project results.

You will be responsible for:

• Setting, communicating and delivering the strategic direction of the programme and ensuring consistency of the overarching objectives of the programme.
• Providing overall leadership and oversight of the programme’s delivery and results at community and district levels, ensuring lessons learned are effectively captured and shared with key stakeholders to achieve lasting results.
• Providing strategic and operational leadership for the project and lead on quarterly and annual work planning, programme implementation, MEAL and donor reporting.
• Providing line management to the Core Programme Management Team staff in accordance with the organisational policies and procedures.
• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with consortium partners; maintaining regular communication, including negotiating scope of works, addressing requisite revisions in project work, and addressing issues that may arise.
• Representing Concern and the consortium to the donor and serve as the key liaison point with the Ministry of Health and other relevant government authorities. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Overseeing and monitoring programme risks (including financial, logistical and other support systems, security and safeguarding) and raising issues in a timely manner to the Concern Country Director and Programme Steering Committee.
• Upholding equality, inclusion and diversity principles in the recruitment, orientation, management and development of staff across the Consortium and in programme implementation and adaptation.
• Maintaining full compliance with organisational and donor rules and regulations, particularly with respect to financial and contract management, budget and expenditure monitoring.
• Ensuring adherence/compliance with Concern Worldwide’s Code of Conduct & Associated Policies (Programme Participant Protection Policy, Child Safeguarding Policy, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy), Conflict of Interest Policy, Anti-Fraud Policy, and Modern Slavery Transparency Statement. Ensuring that all staff working on SLiSL3 are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Feedback Complaints and Response Mechanism (FCRM).
• Promoting and ensuring accountability to programme participants and wider communities in line with Concern Worldwide’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Do No Harm principles, and ensuring high ethical standards throughout programme implementation. This includes ensuring information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are effectively disseminated among programme participants and communities.
• Ensuring that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner and that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are reported and addressed in line with Concern’s and the donor’s procedures with the safety of complainants and others affected prioritised at all stages.
• Providing overall managerial and technical support throughout the implementation of the project across all pillars, taking into consideration that partners will contribute specific areas of expertise.
• Maintaining efficient systems in place to support all aspects of the project, including grant management, MEAL systems, and technical assistance provision, in compliance with organizational procedures and donor requirements.
• Ensuring adherence to agreed project quality standards, MEAL guidelines, frameworks for the project and provide technical support to embed M&E, accountability and learning throughout all aspects of the project implementation.
• Ensuring the project design and implementation represents good value for money (VfM) for FCDO and mechanisms are in place to effectively measure and report on VfM.

Your skills and experience will include:

Essential:

• Qualification at Master’s Degree level in a relevant discipline (Project Management, Public Health, Equality Studies, or other relevant discipline).
• At least five years proven experience of working in senior programme leadership and management roles equivalent to Chief of Party or Director level with INGOs or international organisations or equivalent progressive experience in a relevant discipline.

• Experience of leading and working on consortia implemented programs involving a diverse range of actors (national and international NGOs, private sector entities, etc.).
• Experience and knowledge of adaptive programming and the ability to quickly identify risks and changes in the context as they emerge and determine effective adaptation and reorienting of resources in response.
• Experience and knowledge of working on attitude, behaviour and social norm change.
• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining effective relationships with senior representatives of key stakeholders – in particular, FCDO, Government institutions (especially the Ministry of Health), District level authorities and leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, other key donors in the health sector, etc. You must be comfortable to represent the consortium led by Concern Worldwide at national or international level fora.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills and fluency in English - both written and verbal.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal and organisation skills.
• Be able to effectively coordinate the consortium, engaging with partners and grantees, and network.
• Thorough understanding and experience of working on gender, equality, safeguarding and protection issues and demonstrated leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• Excellent financial management and donor compliance skills.
• Experience in the design and use of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems.
• Knowledge of the key tools used by donor agencies, such as logical frameworks, results chains, theory of change, results-based management and financial administration systems.
• Knowledge of managing FCDO projects or similar and good knowledge of FCDO programme management processes and requirements.
• Experience working in and understanding of Sierra Leone and the local context.

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by the closing date. However, early application is highly recommended as Concern reserves the right to shortlist and interview candidates on an ongoing basis. Candidates’ CVs should be no more than 4 pages in length.

Concern Worldwide encourages all eligible candidates, irrespective of gender, ethnicity and origin, disability, political belief, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status to apply to become a part of the organisation. Concern is against all forms of discrimination and unequal power relations, and is committed to promoting equality.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking. 

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During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation. 

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Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.