Head of Programmes

Job Description

Position Information

Job Title: Head of Programmes

Location: VFAN UK Head Office (currently in London) with regular travel to Africa and Asia

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Staff Reporting to this Position: Current - 1x Country Director and from 2018: Innovation Officer, Health Systems Officer, Country Directors and thematic project leads

Budget Responsibilities: Programme Activity Based Budgeting

Grade: Full Time: Senior Management Team

Salary (indicative): £55,000 – £70,000 + 7% employer pension contribution

Job Purpose

The Head of Programmes will be responsible for the design and management of VFAN’s portfolio of programmes. With direct management of two UK based staff and all Country Directors/Project Leads as they come on board over the next 3 years. This will be a challenging and highly rewarding leadership and management role. Working closely with the CEO, the Head of Programmes will operationalise VFAN’s 5-year strategy. This will involve both strategic planning, programme design to establish an innovative portfolio that will likely include partnerships with both governments and global corporations. In the UK, you will have two direct reports – the Innovation Officer who will support the integration of technology into project design and the Health Systems Advisor who will ensure that our projects are able to work either directly with or alongside public health systems. As a small but growing charity, this role will require both a hands-on approach to get projects in low- and middle-income countries started while also maintaining a focus on our overall strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design of innovative programmes – by 2023 VFAN aims to have a programme portfolio of at least £10m.
• Overall responsibility for programme development, implementation, reporting and programme risk management.
• Integrating and ongoing management of effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks into programme design.
• Management of two UK based staff, (currently) one country director (Rwanda) and further staff as VFAN’s portfolio develops.
• Exploring innovative solutions and thinking creatively to identify solutions that will maximise our impact on the ground.
• Working with VFAN’s Rwanda Country Director to develop our country strategy and programme plan.
• Design, establish and manage new programmes in Ghana, Bhutan and potentially others across Africa and South East Asia.
• Ensure programme coordination and coherence across VFAN’s growing portfolio.
• Publically representing VFAN to support the CEO and Head of Fundraising with communicating our work, results and advocating for our objectives.
• Member of the Senior Executive Team with a reporting role at Board meetings.
• Contribute to VFAN strategic planning and organisational decisions.

Competencies

• Delivering Results: Dynamic self-starter and able to work independently within a small entrepreneurial team.
• Strategic Thinking and Planning: Experience of organisational strategic planning and programme design.
• Collaborative: Able to work closely within a small team in the UK and overseas.
• Communicating and Influencing: Effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Adaptable and sensitive to work in different cultural contexts.
• Time Management: Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
• Leadership and Management: Leading by example, setting direction and supporting colleagues.

Qualifications and Technical Skills

Education:

• Essential: University Degree (BA, BSc) Computer literate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Desirable: MBA, or masters level degree in public health or related subject.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 10 years’ experience of programme management in low- and middle-income countries.
• Experience of leading and managing small teams.
• Setting up new projects and programmes.
• Working with senior officials in both the public and private sector.
• Understanding of and working with monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

• Private and public sector experience.
• Charities/INGO experience.
• Using technology to address development challenges.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in spoken and written English.

About the Organization

Vision for a Nation (VFAN) is an award-winning UK charity. It is improving the quality of life for those with poor vision by transforming access to eye care services. This is helping people to fully contribute socially and economically to their communities.

Over the last 5 years with the support of our founder, philanthropist James Chen, together with funding from DFID, USAID and UBS Optimus Foundation we have transformed eye care in Rwanda.

Over the next 5 years VFAN has exciting plans to expand and we are growing our programmes and our team. We will be establishing new projects in Africa and Asia while also exploring partnerships with global corporations to develop eye care programmes for their staff and customers. We will also be harnessing the power of technology – by working with entrepreneurs, tech firms and innovators so that the challenge of poor vision can be addressed quickly and effectively.

We need great people to help us on this journey. You don’t need to have a public health, eye care or charity sector background to work with us. We need our people to be self-starters, risk takers, innovators and able to get on and work with people from many cultures and backgrounds.

To learn more about us visit our website at www.visionforanation.net

More information