State Programme Manager at Reconnect Health Development Initiative

Reconnect Health Development Initiative (Reconnect HDI) is a leading advocacy that works with individuals, groups and communities to alleviate the sufferings of people affected by mental disorders and substance abuse problems.

Reconnect HDI operates with the following objectives:

To provide and promote increased access to mental health services.
To adopt culturally appropriate methods for assessing how the challenges associated with mental and psychological illnesses are perceived and conceptualized.
To fight drug abuse.
To support and encourage youth programs that promotes optimal mental health.
To use appropriate evidence-based interventions.
To advocate and influence policies on mental health.
To ensure that mental health issues are given adequate priority.
To provide all necessary healthcare preventative services such as health seminars, health awareness lectures as well as offering health talks at conferences.
To provide psychological interventions for orphans and vulnerable Adults.
To liaise with existing bodies, government agencies and religious organizations with the aim of providing comprehensive care addressing the mind, body and soul.
To establish working relationship with international and local health organizations for promoting better mental health.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, gender equality, disability inclusion and other relevant humanitarian and development 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 ensuring that relevant programme documentation is complete and accessible.
Escalate suspected fraud, misuse of funds, significant budget variances or other compliance concerns through established organisational procedures.

Donor Reporting and Stakeholder Communication:

Prepare and submit timely, accurate and high-quality narrative reports, progress updates, case studies and other programme documentation for management, donors and partners.
Ensure that reports clearly communicate programme achievements, challenges, expenditure progress, lessons learned, outcomes and corrective actions.
Coordinate the collection of reporting inputs from project staff, implementing partners and relevant departments.
Maintain an organised programme filing and documentation system, ensuring that key records are accurate, current and readily retrievable.
Support the Country Director in responding to donor enquiries, coordinating donor visits and providing updates on programme implementation.
Ensure that donor commitments, reporting deadlines, deliverables and visibility requirements are tracked and met.
Contribute to the development of organisational reports, presentations, concept notes and programme updates as required.

Business Development and Resource Mobilisation:

Proactively identify and pursue funding opportunities relevant to Reconnect HDI's mission, strategic priorities and programme areas.
Monitor funding announcements, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Calls for Proposals, Expressions of Interest (EOIs), grant opportunities and other competitive funding mechanisms.
Research and maintain a pipeline of prospective donors, including international development agencies, multilateral institutions, government funding programmes, foundations, corporate social responsibility initiatives and other relevant funding sources.
Lead or coordinate the preparation of high-quality concept notes, expressions of interest, grant applications, technical proposals and full funding proposals.
Develop programme designs, theories of change, logical frameworks, implementation plans, monitoring frameworks and budget narratives to support funding applications.
Work closely with the Country Director and relevant technical and finance personnel to ensure that proposals are evidence-based, costed appropriately, aligned with organisational priorities and compliant with donor requirements.
Ensure that funding applications are submitted on time and include all required technical, financial, organisational and compliance documentation.
Develop and maintain relationships with prospective donors, funding partners, implementing partners and other strategic stakeholders.
Track proposal submissions, funding decisions, donor feedback and opportunities for resubmission or further engagement.
Contribute to strategies for improving proposal quality, funding success rates and the sustainability of existing programmes.
Identify opportunities to scale successful interventions, develop new programmes and expand Reconnect HDI's presence and impact in Benue State.
Maintain a funding opportunity tracker and provide periodic updates to the Country Director on resource mobilisation activities and the funding pipeline.

Partnership Development and External Representation:

Build and maintain productive working relationships with relevant state ministries, departments and agencies, local government authorities, health and social service providers, CSOs, OPDs, community-based organisations and traditional and community leaders.
Strengthen coordination and collaboration among stakeholders working in mental health, psychosocial support, GBV prevention and response, disability inclusion, protection and community development.
Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration, joint programming, referral partnerships and consortium participation.
Represent Reconnect HDI at relevant government meetings, technical working groups, stakeholder consultations, workshops, conferences and community engagements, as authorised.
Participate in programme coordination platforms and contribute to policy discussions and advocacy initiatives relevant to the organisation's mandate.
Maintain effective communication with implementing partners and ensure that agreed responsibilities, deliverables and reporting requirements are understood and fulfilled.
Support the development and maintenance of partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding and other collaboration arrangements where required.
Ensure that external engagements uphold Reconnect HDI's values, professional standards and organisational reputation.