Senior Manager, Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition - Africa (1 Year FTC)

About this role

As a recognized leader in your field, you will contribute to the development of cutting edge and evidence-based strategies, plans and investments that ensure CIFF’s work across maternal, child health and nutrition (MCH+N) achieves transformational and lasting change.
Your responsibilities encompass the development and management and oversight of a comprehensive portfolio of investments aimed at advancing MCH+N sector priorities in alignment with CIFF's Africa Strategy, Resilient Communities Framework, and MCH+N Missions. These efforts are crucial to meet the corporate objectives set by the CIFF Board. Operating within a dynamic and fast-paced environment, your role will be multifaceted and diverse. These responsibilities require a high level of proficiency in visual communication, including the ability to translate insights into high quality and strategic presentations for both internal and external audiences.
Your expertise and contributions play a vital role in supporting CIFF and its partners in the implementation and refinement of strategic initiatives within the portfolio. By leveraging your insights and leadership, you will actively shape the strategies that drive positive outcomes and inform future directions, thus ensuring the continued success and impact of CIFF's efforts in driving impact for MCH+N in Africa.

Strategy & planning

• Independently or with minimal assistance, undertake meticulous preparation and delivery of top-tier analyses of research tailored to inform strategic objectives and operational plans effectively.

• Facilitate the collaboration of diverse stakeholders, encompassing governmental bodies, donor partners, and implementing agencies, to gather valuable insights and inputs for shaping strategic priorities.

• Contribute strategic insights to enhance CIFF’s MCH+N portfolio, identifying partnership and co-creation opportunities to propel both CIFF’s MCH+N initiatives and the broader MCH+N ecosystem forward.

• Collaborate closely with the Director, Maternal, Child Health and Development to craft sustainable MCH+N financing mechanisms in Africa, pioneering innovative approaches that inform CIFF's strategy and contribute to the advancement of the broader ecosystem.

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Develop a robust pipeline of potential investments aligning with the MCH+N mission.

• Collaborate within the Resilient Communities team and with colleagues in Girl Capital to spearhead, shape, execute, and scale integrated investments addressing holistic issues in line with our Africa strategic priorities.

• Conduct regular reviews of investment progress and performance, identifying problems and delays and work with partners to develop effective solutions (escalating issues to the Director for support and intervention, when necessary).

• Identify and embed appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes to all proposals and programmes.

• Lead the design of investments, identification and selection of suitable grantees, securing approval within CIFF, and overseeing program implementation following CIFF procedures.

• Adhere to established due diligence and risk management procedures throughout proposal development and execution to safeguard the Foundation's interests and reputation.

• Identify synergies and promote program integration, fostering connections with complementary projects and suggesting methods for aligning diverse interventions.

• Identify opportunities for improving processes, procedures and programme management within and outside the team, enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness.

• Collaborate closely with Finance and Legal teams to coordinate the development of grant agreements, forecast and process grant disbursements, and ensure effective grant management and reporting.

• Serve as the ‘lead’ of CIFF's online grants management system (Fluxx) within the team, ensuring adherence to corporate requirements for MCH+N.

• Assist in crafting concise and high-quality summary reports, board reports, and investment portfolio reports, meeting stringent deadlines without compromising quality

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Stay abreast of developments in MCH+N and allied sectors within the realm of international development, establishing robust networks and channels for gathering pertinent information to deepen professional knowledge, skills, and opportunities for both CIFF and our grantees.

• Contribute, as needed, to the formulation of thought leadership, public relations, marketing, and advocacy materials, supporting CIFF's ambitions to scale-up, mainstream, and secure additional support for its initiatives.

• Collaborate with Directors to delineate and shape outward-facing advocacy and policy agendas to influence the MCH+N sector.

• Conduct thorough assessments of relevant academic research, policies, and governmental initiatives, offering recommendations to address identified gaps and foster improvements.

• Represent CIFF at conferences, workshops, and professional events to disseminate insights, establish connections, and promote CIFF's mission and initiatives on a global scale.

Stakeholder and partner management

• Rigorously assess and evaluate potential partners, employing established corporate protocols and methodologies to assess their suitability and credentials for collaboration on CIFF initiatives.

• Apply CIFF's designated account management and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) disciplines and approaches in all dealings with programme partners and stakeholders, to ensure productive and professional relationships in maintained in a coordinated and strategic manner.

• Assist in the development of strategic partnerships, under the guidance of senior colleagues, to support the adoption, replication, co-funding, or scaling-up of CIFF programmes.

• Serve as a knowledgeable resource on CIFF's programs and priority areas for various external audiences.

• Foster open and constructive dialogue…