Senior Project Lead

The Project Lead is accountable for the successful delivery, performance and operational management of the EKN HIV Instrument Project in Zambia. The role provides overall leadership implementation, and monitoring of high-quality, integrated HIV prevention and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) initiatives targeting Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) a within the country, ensuring achievement of project outcomes, targets and donor commitments while enabling high-quality, community-led, rights-based, gender responsive and youth friendly service delivery. The Project Lead oversees project performance, country operations, stakeholder engagement, government collaboration, resource management and people leadership to ensure effective implementation of project activities and sustainable impact. Working closely with the Project Director, government stakeholders, implementing partners and local communities, the Project Lead ensures project implementation aligns with national priorities, donor requirements and the overall objectives of the EKN project Key Performance Areas Programme Delivery and Country Performance Purpose Provide overall technical and programme leadership and accountability for implementation and performance of the EKN project in Zambia. Key Accountabilities Lead implementation of the Zambia EKN project , including development and execution of annual workplans and operational priorities. Lead implementation readiness, mobilisation and execution of project activities. Ensure project activities are delivered through m2m’s peer led model with strong linkages between communities, health facilities, and social services. Establish a comprehensive service package including SOPs and algorithms to ensure high quality of AGYW, AYP, HIV prevention, SRHR service delivery. Lead implementation of integrated AGYW interventions including HIV prevention, SRHR, GBV prevention and response, psychosocial support, retention in care and referral pathways. Ensure project activities are age appropriate, gender responsive and responsive to the needs of vulnerable AGYW Strengthen linkages between community platforms, health facilities, schools and protection services to improve AGYW outcomes Monitor quality of AGYW service delivery including youth friendly access and retention in care. Ensure delivery of project targets, indicators, milestones, outcomes and contractual commitments and institute correction measures where needed. Drive implementation excellence and accountability across all project components. Monitor project performance and initiate corrective actions where performance gaps are identified. Lead the writing and timely submission of annual, and ad-hoc donor progress reports, in line with objectives, indicators and targets ensuring they match donor branding and visibility guidelines. Ensure effective coordination across implementation sites, technical functions and support teams. Ensure project activities reflect community-led, rights-based and evidence-informed approaches. Lead the co-design and implementation of the AGYW SBCC and communications strategy in country Oversee the development of culturally appropriate messages and gender-responsive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials and manage digital, social media and community campaigns Oversee the production of high-quality multimedia content, including success stories, case studies, policy briefs, and social media campaigns. Project Quality, Learning and Results Management Purpose Ensure project quality and use of evidence to drive improved outcomes and impact. Key Accountabilities Monitor project quality standards and implementation effectiveness. Ensure implementation fidelity for the m2m AGYW model, including quality assurance, supportive supervision, community engagement and continuous improvement. Ensure routine use of programme data, learning and evidence to inform decision-making. Lead project performance reviews and continuous improvement processes. Promote innovation, adaptive management and learning across project activities. Support use of strategic information to strengthen implementation. Ensure project reporting reflects accurate and high-quality information. Facilitate documentation and sharing of lessons learned and best practices. Government, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement Purpose Build and maintain strategic relationships that support project implementation, impact and sustainability. Key Accountabilities Maintain productive working relationships with government ministries, departments and technical structures inclusive of health, education, youth, gender, social welfare and community development Support project alignment with National HIV prevention, SRHR, GBV and youth development priorities Represent the project and organisation in country-level forums, technical working groups and stakeholder platforms. Support collaboration between programme partners and stakeholders to strengthen programme outcomes. Ensure close working relationships with MOH and partner organizations to ensure harmonized efforts and coordination of project activities Country Operations, Finance and Resource Stewardship Purpose Ensure efficient and effective management of project resources and operations. Key Accountabilities Oversee day-to-day project operations and implementation systems. Support development and monitoring of country budgets, forecasts and expenditure plans. Ensure effective utilisation of programme resources and assets. Monitor financial performance and implementation progress. Coordinate operational planning and resource allocation activities. Strengthen operational systems and efficiency across project functions. Ensure compliance with organisational policies and donor requirements. People Leadership and Team Effectiveness Purpose Build and lead a capable, engaged and high-performing programme team. Key Accountabilities Lead, manage and develop project staff and provincial managers. Promote a team culture that reflects mothers2mothers valuesCreate a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration and continuous improvement. Ensure effective performance management and staff development processes. Support succession planning and talent development within the programme. Promote employee engagement, wellbeing and retention. Strengthen leadership capability across programme teams. Model mothers2mothers values and expected leadership behaviours. Risk Management, Compliance and Sustainability Purpose Protect programme performance and sustainability through effective risk and compliance management. Key Accountabilities Monitor programme, operational, safeguarding and compliance risks. Ensure implementation complies with donor requirements, organisational policies and programme standards. Lead identification and mitigation of implementation risks and challenges. Promote safeguarding, accountability and ethical project implementation. Ensure safeguarding, confidentiality and informed consent principles are embedded across all AGYW project activities Ensure staff and partners understand and apply safeguarding standards. Support implementation of localisation and sustainability priorities. Identify merging opportunities and challenges that may affect programme performance. Escalate significant risks and concerns appropriately. Key Deliverables Achievement of country project targets, outcomes and deliverables. High-quality project implementation and performance. Strong government and stakeholder relationships. Effective management of programme resources and operations. High-performing and engaged country team. Timely and accurate reporting and performance monitoring. Strong compliance and safeguarding practices. Effective risk mitigation and problem resolution. Positive contribution to localisation and sustainability objectives. Accountability Owns Country-level implementation and delivery of the EKN project. Achievement of country programme targets and results. Country operational planning and implementation. Country team leadership and management. Government engagement related to project implementation. Stakeholder engagement and local partnerships. Programme quality, performance and learning. Country-level risk management and compliance. Efficient utilisation of programme resources. Does Not Own Regional programme strategy. Donor stewardship and donor relationship management. Resource mobilisation strategy. Regional governance structures. Programme Management Office functions. Partnership governance and accountability structures. Regional budget allocation decisions. Qualifications, Experience and Competencies Essential Master’s Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Project Management, Health Systems Management or a related field. Preferred Qualification in HIV/AIDS, SRHR, Community Health, Health Systems Strengthening or Programme Management. Project Management certification advantageous Experience leading donor-funded HIV prevention, SRHR, AGYW, adolescent health, community health or youth focused projects Demonstrated experience managing donor funded programmes and budgets Experience with community-led and youth-led approaches. Experience working with diverse groups of stakeholders at a national level Experience in line managing senior staff Good report writing skills Reporting & Team Structure Reports to: Project Director (EKN Programme) Collaborates with: Embassy of the Netherlands and other donor stakeholders; government ministries, departments and national stakeholders; development partners, civil society organisations, academic institutions and community stakeholders; Country Advisory Committees; EKN programme teams and Head Office support functions Supervises: Zambia programme team, including provincial managers Compensation and Benefits Competitive salary and performance-based incentives Comprehensive benefits (health, retirement, leave) Opportunities for growth, leadership, and professional development