Health ICS Programme Officer

Focus of the Role

Following the onset of the coronavirus crisis, the public health agenda has never been more important. In Africa, the Tony Blair Institute is supporting key regional organisations in strengthening their institutional capacity, improving their ability to engage effectively with the leadership of member states and in identifying innovative technology solutions to addressing public health challenges.

We are looking to recruit a Programme Officer role to join the London based Health Institutional Capacity Strengthening (ICS) Programme. The Programme Officer will contribute to programme management and oversight of the Institute’s support to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and West Africa Health Organisation as part of Programme.

This role will involve planning and issue resolution, donor reporting and interface between projects and key personnel to manage programme risks. They will lead operational coordination of a programme to support two regional health organisations, working to improve health outcomes across 54 countries across the continent.  Some travel may be required.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide coordination of programme management and operations activities with in-country teams, the Senior Technical Advisor, Head of Health ICS, relevant TBI departments, and other implementing partners
• Monitor the overall programme implementation as articulated in the MoUs and delivery plans and facilitate corrective actions (if applicable), in collaboration with in-country team, Head of Health ICS and the Senior Technical Advisor
• Collaborate with others to deliver high quality project and programme-level reporting, liaising regularly with the Donor and ensuring that reporting arrangements fully meet Donor expectations
• Support the Lead Advisors with project-level issues, developing good working relationships with senior stakeholders in both projects
• Ensure that relevant compliance rules governing TBI and BMGF are applied and suggest solutions to challenges which may arise in this regard
• Collaborate with others to deliver the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems and processes: develop a planning and evaluation cycle, in coordination with each project, in order to regularly assess whether the strategy is ‘working’, and  support teams to adapt rapidly in response to new challenges and opportunities
• Through Monitoring and Evaluation Systems and project-level engagement develop a system for capturing learning and insights that can be applied across the programme, and more widely in TBI, working closely with the Senior Technical Lead on an evidence-base for thought leadership
• Prepare and manage key programme documents (including annual work plans, annual and quarterly reports, performance management plans, theory of change, stories of impact), and inputs to larger TBI and BMGF planning processes
• Periodically assess and monitor risks related to programme implementation, relevance and positioning, and manage mitigation strategies, in consultation with the Head of Health ICS
• Coordinate the budget, financial and audit management, in collaboration with TBI’s Finance department
• Support the Head of Health and Lead Advisors with recruitment activities and liaise with TBI’s HR department to facilitate this process
• Work with nominated persons in the projects to provide administrative and logistical support (as needed), including procurement, travel management and event organization
• Support internal and external communications activity, mainly by providing overviews, briefs and presentations on programme implementation, achievements and impact

Person Specification

We are looking for individuals with high levels of enthusiasm, drive, resilience, a can-do attitude and ability to consistently achieve results in a fast-paced environment.

We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager who can display the following:

• A minimum of 4 years of programme management and implementation experience in an international fast-paced environment
• Prior experience working in public health projects or programmes is desirable, as is experience working in developing countries
• Experience working for donor-funded projects or programmes
• Working knowledge and understanding of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems and processes, including reporting and evaluation, and sharing lessons and best practice
• Experience of supporting budgeting, monitoring and reporting, and ensuring compliance with policies
• Self-starter, motivated and proactive with solutions
• Ability to build and manage effective relationships with other organisations and key stakeholders
• Exceptional listening, oral and written communication skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail needed 
• Top notch administrative and organization skills, commitment, attention to detail and strong forward planning skills
• Ability to work under pressure and to lead and coordinate across various people sitting in different countries
• High degree of professionalism to handle sensitive and confidential information and absolute discretion and adherence to confidentiality
• Excellent knowledge and application of Microsoft Office products Word, Excel and PPT and other relevant software and tools
• Fluency in English and excellent written English.  Language skills in French would be of benefit

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.