State Programme Manager

State Programme Manager

• Job Type Full Time
• Qualification BA/BSc/HND
• Experience
• Location Benue
• Job Field Project and Program Management

Job Summary

• Are you an experienced development professional passionate about programme leadership, community impact, and sustainable development?
• Reconnect Health Development Initiative (Reconnect HDI) is looking for a results-driven State Programme Manager to lead our programmes in Benue State.
• We're looking for someone who can:
• Lead and deliver impactful development programmes.
• Manage donor-funded projects, budgets and reporting.
• Develop competitive funding proposals and identify grant opportunities.
• Build strong partnerships with government, NGOs and community stakeholders.
• Lead teams and ensure programme quality, accountability and measurable results.
• Our ideal candidate: An experienced NGO/INGO professional with strong programme management, grant writing, donor compliance and stakeholder engagement skills.

Job Purpose

• The State Programme Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership for Reconnect HDI's programmes and interventions in Benue State.
• The role is responsible for the effective planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of programmes, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, donor requirements and the needs of target communities.
• The postholder will build and maintain strategic partnerships with government institutions, civil society organisations, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), community structures, donors and other relevant stakeholders.
• The role will also contribute to organisational growth through resource mobilisation, proposal development, programme design and the identification of new funding opportunities.
• The successful candidate will ensure that all programmes are delivered to a high standard, within approved budgets and timelines, while upholding safeguarding, accountability and inclusion standards.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Planning, Design and Implementation:

• Lead the planning, coordination and implementation of Reconnect HDI's programmes and projects in Benue State, ensuring alignment with approved work plans, organisational objectives and donor agreements.
• Develop and maintain detailed programme work plans, activity schedules, implementation frameworks and operational plans.
• Coordinate programme activities relating to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Psychological First Aid (PFA), governance, leadership, disability inclusion and other relevant thematic areas.
• Oversee the planning and delivery of trainings, workshops, community engagements, stakeholder dialogues and capacity-building activities.
• Ensure that programmes respond to identified community needs and are designed with meaningful participation from beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders.
• Strengthen referral pathways and coordination mechanisms across health, protection, psychosocial support and social services.
• Support OPDs in organisational development, institutional strengthening, governance, capacity building and formal registration processes, as appropriate.
• Monitor implementation against agreed objectives, deliverables, milestones and performance indicators, taking corrective action where necessary.
• Identify implementation challenges and operational risks and develop practical solutions to maintain programme quality and continuity.
• Ensure that programme activities comply with approved proposals, contractual obligations, organisational policies and relevant regulatory requirements.

Programme Quality, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL):

• Lead the implementation of programme monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning plans in collaboration with the relevant teams and partners.
• Ensure that programme objectives, outcomes, outputs, indicators and targets are clearly defined, measurable and consistently tracked.
• Oversee the collection, verification, analysis and documentation of programme data to assess progress, effectiveness and impact.
• Conduct regular field visits, programme reviews and implementation assessments to verify the quality of activities and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure that beneficiary feedback, complaints and community perspectives are systematically collected, documented and addressed through appropriate mechanisms.
• Document lessons learned, promising practices, success stories and programme outcomes to inform programme improvement and future project design.
• Ensure that programme data is accurate, securely managed and available for timely decision-making and reporting.
• Work with relevant colleagues to conduct needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and other evidence-gathering exercises as required.
• Promote adaptive programme management by using monitoring findings and feedback to improve implementation and achieve intended outcomes.

Financial Management, Budgeting and Donor Compliance:

• Develop programme budgets, budget narratives, resource plans and operational forecasts in collaboration with the Finance Department and relevant management personnel.
• Monitor programme expenditure against approved budgets and work plans, identifying variances and recommending corrective actions.
• Ensure that programme resources are used efficiently, transparently and for their intended purposes.
• Review programme expenditure and financial reports with the Finance Department to ensure consistency between financial and programmatic performance.
• Ensure compliance with donor financial rules, procurement requirements, documentation standards, reporting obligations and other contractual conditions.
• Support financial forecasting, budget revisions, expenditure tracking and the preparation of donor budget reports.
• Ensure that appropriate documentation is maintained for programme activities, including attendance records, training reports, procurement records, activity approvals and supporting evidence.
• Support internal and external audits, donor verification exercises and compliance reviews by