Company Description
The Beginnings Fund
Reports to: Program Director
Location: Proximate to the Beginnings Fund focus countries: Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe
Status: Full Time
Salary: $115-120k (commensurate with experience)
Who We Are
In Africa, every year over 182,000 mothers die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth,950 thousand babies are stillborn, and there are 1.2 million newborn deaths. Global progress against maternal and newborn mortality has stalled in recent years, and most African countries are not on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals related to maternal and newborn survival.
The Beginnings Fund is a philanthropic initiative to accelerate maternal and newborn survival and prevent stillbirths in Africa by investing – in partnership with governments – in the products, people and systems required to sustainably improve care at scale. During its first five years, (2025-2030), Beginnings Fund will focus on Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Investments are developed and managed by an Africa-based Investment Team, led by a Nairobi-based CEO, who reports into an Investment Committee made up of the founding investors in Beginnings Fund.
The Beginnings Fund is fiscally sponsored by Global Impact.
Position Overview
Reporting to the Program Director, the Senior Country Program Officer will play a critical role in the design, co-creation, management, and evaluation of a portfolio of Beginnings Fund investments. This will include supporting the development of country investment plans and underlying investment recommendations for organizations receiving funds, working closely with the MOH and other members of the investment team to co-design the plan and taking lead responsibility for Beginnings Fund to manage plan implementation. The Senior Country Program Officer will have deep expertise in at least one of the focus countries, and a strong health systems background with a thorough understanding of effective interventions to advance maternal and newborn health. This role will be critical to developing investment plans, and ongoing engagement at senior level with the Ministry of Health to help oversee implementation and identify and mitigate barriers and address challenges over the four-five years of grant support. The Senior Country Program Officer will collaborate with the Measurement and Evaluation Team to implement program measurement and evaluation recommendations. The Senior Country Program Officer will work as part of the investment team and engage in strategic partnerships with regional and national stakeholders.
Job Description
What You’ll Do
- Support development and execution of country specific plans with clear objectives, activities and budgets, including developing, recommending and managing investments as assigned in key partners in line with the overall strategy led by the Program Director.
- Be the lead representative for Beginnings Fund in one to two countries, leading the consortium of partners alongside the MOH and coordinating partner, supporting governance structures for Beginnings Fund investment plan, and supporting ongoing adaptation to country context and priorities over the four-five-year grant period.
- Manage and maintain strong relationships with government and provide technical support as needed to advance MOH maternal and newborn health priorities, working with key technical leads and grantee partners. Support country engagement with EWENE and updates to acceleration plans.
- Support the MOH to pursue complementary investments, advance donor coordination and alignment on maternal and newborn health participating in TWGs, and liaising with UN agencies, bilateral agencies and other funding and implementing partners to increase funding and scale-up of key interventions.
- Manage all grant investments in the country investment plan, including identifying issues for the other investment team members leading strategy, finance, and M&E. In partnership with the MOH, program contingency funds to address key challenges which arise during the grant period.
- Manage processes for grantee reporting and conduct internal reporting reviews including expenditure analysis and budget approval, analysis of interim results, and drive the necessary design change and/or adaptation to quickly course correct and improve programmatic effectiveness and sustainability.
- Refine and ensure high quality grantmaking processes that strengthen the work and learnings from national, and sub-national implementing partners. Embrace trust-based modes of grantmaking alongside a commitment to building up partner and grantee capacity while generating rigorous data and real-time learning.
- Serve as a thought partner to the Program Director and Measurement and Evaluation team in driving the impact of the Beginnings Fund, and implement program measurement and evaluation.
- Explore opportunities for collaboration and partnership to enhance program reach and sustainability.
- Provide regular updates to the Technical Advisory Group and reports to the Investment Committee on country plan progress.
- In collaboration with the Program Director, represent the Beginnings Fund with government, donors and grantees, including updating governance structures with key results and organizing site visits for Beginnings Fund donors and staff as needed.
Qualifications
What You’ll Bring
- Minimum 8-12 years of experience working in program management, design, grant making, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
- Advanced degree in public health, Global Health, International Relations, or related field.
- Demonstrated understanding of priority maternal and newborn health interventions
- Experience working with African governments, nongovernmental organizations, multilateral organizations, and other implementing organizations, preferably in maternal and newborn health
- Familiarity with the Global Health architecture and its operational frameworks including key regional, multilateral and bilateral institutions and financing mechanisms
- Knowledge of health systems and key players in Beginnings Fund focus countries and maternal and newborn health programming
- Proven ability to effectively manage complex partnerships, projects, and budgets
- Exceptional interpersonal and cross-cultural skills and ability to collaborate with external and internal teams of diverse backgrounds
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excited to work in a startup environment and travel locally and internationally as needed (30-50% of the time)
- Collaborative and team-driven mindset with a strong work ethic and ability to prioritize and multi-task
- Fluency in English with excellent oral and written communication skills
Additional Information
What We Offer
The Beginnings Fund offers a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience, along with opportunities for professional advancement within a small, collaborative, and dedicated team.
Physical Requirements and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment described below represent the activities and surroundings of the positions. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
To perform the job, the employee is frequently required to talk and listen on the telephone, and verbally communicate in person with individuals and groups. The position requires frequent keyboarding. The incumbent may occasionally reach with hands and arms and carry materials weighing up to 20 lbs. The incumbent is required to read and respond to documents in electronic form.
The work is typically performed in a home office environment. Frequent travel more than 25% of the time may be required.
The Beginnings Fund is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER committed to providing a non-discriminatory and inclusive environment for its employees. We are committed to diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability status.
