Programme Manager - Social Determinants of Health

Job description

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The Wellcome Trust Climate, Health & Mental Health Programme supports Amref Health Africa's work across three interconnected areas: Climate and Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and Global Health Leadership. The programme brings together research, policy, advocacy and implementation to generate African-led evidence, strengthen policy influence and advance solutions that respond to emerging health and social determinant priorities. Within Amref, the programme is anchored in the Social Determinants of Health Unit and works across technical teams, country offices and external partners. Effective programme management is therefore critical to ensuring that technical and advocacy ambitions are translated into coordinated workplans, compliant grant delivery, sound resource stewardship and timely results. JOB PURPOSE The Programme Manager is responsible for the effective planning, coordination and operational delivery of the Social Determinants of Health portfolio, with primary responsibility for ensuring that grant-funded programmes are implemented on time, within approved budgets and in accordance with donor and organisational requirements. Working closely with the Director, Social Determinants of Health and programme leads, the role translates programme priorities into integrated workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, management systems and reporting processes. The Programme Manager provides oversight across the Climate and Health, Mental Health and Global Health portfolios; coordinates delivery across technical, advocacy and support teams; anticipates and manages implementation risks; and ensures that leadership has timely information for decision-making and course correction. The role is expected to bring strong programme management discipline, sound judgement and a solutions-oriented approach to a complex, multi-stakeholder portfolio. It will work closely with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources, country offices, consultants and external partners to strengthen accountability, compliance, operational efficiency and quality of delivery. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Programme Planning and Delivery (25%) Lead the development, consolidation and monitoring of annual and quarterly workplans across the SDOH portfolio, ensuring alignment with approved grant objectives, budgets and delivery timelines. Translate programme priorities into clear implementation schedules, milestones, responsibilities and management trackers, and maintain visibility of progress across workstreams. Coordinate programme start-up, implementation reviews, re-planning and close-out processes, ensuring timely completion of required actions and documentation. Monitor delivery against agreed milestones and proactively identify dependencies, bottlenecks and emerging implementation risks, escalating material issues to the Director with practical recommendations. Coordinate programme governance and review meetings, ensuring decisions are documented, actions are assigned and follow-up is completed within agreed timelines. Promote consistent programme management standards, tools and ways of working across the portfolio. 2. Grant Management and Donor Compliance (20%) Coordinate grant administration throughout the programme lifecycle, ensuring contractual obligations, donor conditions, reporting requirements and internal controls are understood and met. Maintain a consolidated view of grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, contractual commitments and compliance requirements, and follow up with responsible teams to ensure timely action. Coordinate operational and management inputs into donor reports, grant reviews, amendments and other submissions, working closely with technical leads and support functions. Ensure programme records, grant files, approvals and supporting documentation are complete, current and audit-ready. Coordinate preparation for audits, donor reviews and grant close-out processes, and follow through on management actions arising from reviews or assurance activities. Provide programme teams with practical guidance on applicable donor and organisational requirements, escalating areas requiring specialist advice. 3. Financial and Resource Stewardship (20%) Lead programme budgeting, forecasting and periodic budget review processes in collaboration with the Director, programme leads and Finance. Monitor expenditure, burn rates, commitments and budget utilisation against approved plans, identifying variances early and coordinating corrective action. Coordinate budget revisions, reforecasts and resource allocation discussions to support delivery priorities while maintaining donor compliance and value for money. Maintain oversight of procurement plans, consultant and service contracts, and other programme commitments to support timely implementation and appropriate use of resources. Work with Finance and programme teams to strengthen financial accountability, documentation quality and timely resolution of outstanding financial actions. Identify opportunities to improve resource efficiency and ensure programme resources are deployed in line with agreed priorities. 4. Risk, Quality and Performance Management (15%) Maintain and regularly review programme risk registers, ensuring risks, mitigating actions, owners and escalation points are clearly documented and actively managed. Monitor programme performance against agreed indicators, milestones and management commitments, drawing attention to areas requiring intervention or course correction. Coordinate quality checks on programme management processes, documentation and delivery systems to strengthen consistency, reliability and compliance. Support the Director and programme leads to assess implementation options, trade-offs and operational implications when plans or external conditions change. Ensure key management decisions, changes and lessons are captured and reflected in subsequent planning and implementation. Promote continuous improvement through periodic review of programme systems, processes and ways of working. 5. Stakeholder and Cross-functional Coordination (10%) Coordinate implementation across SDOH technical and advocacy teams, Amref country offices, consultants, partners and relevant support functions. Build effective working relationships with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources and other corporate teams to ensure programme needs are anticipated and addressed in a timely manner. Facilitate clear information flow between programme leadership and delivery teams, ensuring priorities, decisions and dependencies are understood. Coordinate consultant and service-provider engagement from an operational perspective, including workplans, deliverables, timelines, contracting interfaces and follow-up. Support the planning and operational coordination of key programme meetings, partner engagements, convenings and strategic events where required. 6. Reporting, Learning and Operational Improvement (10%) Prepare concise programme management updates, dashboards and decision-support information for the Director and programme leadership. Coordinate periodic portfolio reviews and contribute programme management analysis to annual planning, donor reviews and management discussions. Document implementation lessons and operational insights and ensure these inform future planning, risk management and process improvement. Maintain fit-for-purpose programme management systems, dashboards and trackers that provide reliable and timely information for decision-making. Promote effective use of digital collaboration and programme management tools to improve visibility, coordination and efficiency across the portfolio. Education and Experience Master's degree or equivalent in Public Health, International Development, Project or Programme Management, Business Administration, Social Sciences or a related field. At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in programme or project management, including at least three (3) years in a managerial or programme leadership capacity. Experience working at the intersection of climate and health will be considered an added advantage. Proven experience managing complex donor-funded programmes, preferably within health, international development or a multi-country environment. Demonstrated experience in programme planning, grant management, budgeting, financial monitoring, procurement coordination, risk management and donor reporting. Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams, country offices, consultants and external partners across multiple workstreams. Knowledge, Skills and Competencies Strong programme and project management capability, with the ability to translate strategic priorities into practical plans, systems and delivery milestones. Sound financial and resource management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, expenditure monitoring and value-for-money considerations. Strong understanding of grant and donor compliance requirements, programme controls, risk management and audit readiness. Ability to analyse complex programme information, identify risks and dependencies, and make sound recommendations to support management decisions. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical teams, support functions, country offices, partners and donors. Ability to coordinate multiple priorities and deliverables simultaneously while maintaining quality, timeliness and attention to detail. Proven ability to improve systems and processes and to use digital tools, dashboards and data to strengthen programme visibility and decision-making. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise management reports, presentations and donor-facing documentation. High levels of integrity, accountability and judgement, with a strong commitment to organisational policies, safeguarding, equity and inclusion. Ability to work independently, exercise initiative and remain effective in a fast-moving and evolving programme environment. Your application should include a cover letter detailing why you are the best fit for this position and your CV with relevant skills and experience. Closing date will be September 17th 2026 at 23:59 EAT. Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Although Amref may use different job boards from time to time to further spread its reach for applicants, all open vacancies are published on our website under the Vacancies page and on our official social media pages. Kindly also note that official emails from Amref Health Africa will arrive from an @amref.org address. Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is is dedicated to diversity and is an equal-opportunity employer with a non-smoking environment policy. Amref Health Africa, founded in 1957, is the largest African-based international health development organization. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref implements programmes across 35 African countries , reaching more than 40 million people , with a strong operational presence in Africa and advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America. Guided by its vision of lasting health change in Africa , Amref’s mission is to catalyze community-led, people-centered health systems and address the social determinants of health . Amref believes sustainable health transformation is driven from within communities and works to strengthen health systems while empowering communities to demand and access quality, affordable healthcare.