Programme Lead

Who we are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need.

From chat-bots to chat-shows and TV dramas to tech, our content is reaching millions of girls in Africa and Asia to make choices and changes in their lives. Igniting their confidence to act differently at a time that can define their future.

We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts, and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, relationships and so much more. And we use innovative technology so we can reach girls at scale. We arm girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible, so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and livelihood.

When a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, her community, her country. That’s the Girl Effect.

In Tanzania, Girl Effect has launched a new youth brand, called Tujibebe, to deliver behaviour change via mobile products and off-line activities. It also runs a mobile based research programme operated by girls; TEGA:

• The brand includes a radio show, website, Facebook page and IVR content. We are also working towards partnering with existing networks of ambassadors and clubs to broaden the reach and impact of our products
• Our TEGA research programme is borne out of the understanding that an adolescent girl is more likely to feel comfortable speaking truthfully about her life to another girl like her. TEGA employs girls from hard to reach communities to become qualified researchers. By using girls with a shared identity, TEGA is proven to increase propensity for authentic responses

Context of the role

Girl Effect Tanzania seeks a Programme Lead to oversee implementation of Girl Effect’s programmes/projects focusing on health, education and economic empowerment for adolescent girls and young women as we continue to expand. The lead will combine significant experience in programming, management and leadership while forging strategic partnerships with donors, institutions, foundations, cooperates, HNIs, governments, and other NGOs. 

What you will do

• Responsible for strategic oversight, technical support and portfolio management of all Girl Effect in Tanzania funded projects
• Responsible for overall planning, implementation, and management of performance of the projects and provide strategic leadership
• Provide guidance to program teams and support department leads, ensure responsiveness and quality of all activities, meet stated goals and reports required
• Provides technical and strategic leadership on projects covering a diverse portfolio, including sexual reproductive health and rights, early childhood development, nutrition, immunisation, economic empowerment, education, gender, Social behaviour change etc
• Oversee the framework to monitor and assure progress towards the achievement of the goals and objectives and supervise activity implementation
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements at all levels and provide guidance to the partner on donor compliance
• You will manage a range of program teams in different sites and Function as leading technical expert on operations and processes for implementing  partners and government partners
• Lead the programme team and collaborate with implementing partner to undertake effective monitoring  and evaluation of the programme from programme design to delivery
• Take overall responsibility for the Programme Function ‘core’ operational budget and support programme teams to manage in-country Programme budgets
• Provides high quality stewardship of the funding portfolio: financial, programmatic, and contractual compliance
• Identify risks and proactively develop control measures/adjustments
• Lead in provision of  progress updates and reports as per contractual donor requirements 
• Manage community/social and behavior change and communication (BCC) interventions
• Participate in decision-making and problem-solving with programme senior management team (SMT) to develop annual plans, quarterly plans, monthly workplans
• Assist with compliance with donor requirements, Government of Tanzania relevant regulations, and  organizational policies and procedures 
• Support in mobilisation of resources from internal, existing funders and external sources
• Lead in preparation and submission of all new funding concept note/ proposals 
• Manage a diverse team to deliver agreed results
• Ensure global policies for safeguarding children, young people, gender equality and inclusion are fully integrated in all programs
• Communicate regularly and effectively with various programme partners at sub-district, district, regional and national levels

Stakeholder management - External 

• Build strong and collaborative working relationships with key Government of Tanzania stakeholders – Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGE) and  Presidents Office – Regional and Local Government (PO-RALG), Regional and Council Health  Management Teams (R/DHMTs) while demonstrating high level engagement skills
• Lead and ensure MOUs  with all partners are in place and updated accordingly and timely
• Establish meaningful partnerships with supply-side health service providers
• Lead efforts to collaborate, network and pitching with other partners, funders and local authorities
• Contact person of technical working group meetings and strategies and ensure GE’s full participation at district, regional and national levels 
• Coordination and management of program sub grantee/ sub-contracting agreements

Stakeholder management - Internal 

• Collaborate with our in-house technical experts from different departments to articulate our unique approach to programming for girls, helping to carve out a distinct niche for Girl Effect in the sector
• Inform the relevant internal teams including the global teams on progress of all the programmes and solicit their support
• Coordinate in-country monthly and quarterly inter-departmental project review meetings, specifically assessing progress, identifying challenges/ gaps, mitigation measures, lessons learnt, best practices and course correcting as required

This list should not be considered exhaustive; you will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position.

Work experience and education Required:

• At least 7 years at senior management level experience designing and implementing large programmes in Tanzania in Health, education and economic empowerment especially targeting adolescents
• Experience managing both small and large-scale programmes across multiple regions and districts
• At least 7 years at senior management experience level leading programmes funded by diverse funding sources (multi lateral and bi lateral)  such as GAVI, Foundations (e.g. Hilton foundation), GAC, Norwegian, UN agencies, French,  USAID, EU, etc
• A Master’s Degree in International Development or Public Health or relevant degree  is highly preferred
• A strong grasp of Gender and Gender Transformative Approaches is highly desirable
• Experience in Social behavior change approaches/strategies and Human centered design is highly desirable
• Experience working with Child Protection or Safeguarding is desirable
• Experience of meaningfully involving young people or beneficiaries in the design, delivery and governance of programming is also desirable

Who you are

Qualities Required:

• Strategic thinker: able to go beyond the obvious to spot and take advantage of immediate and long-term opportunities in a way that positions our organisation as a credible partner, innovator and leader
• Partnership builder: able to identify and create alignments between organisations and with governments, developing mutually beneficial partnerships across the International Development and Social Change sectors
•  Exceptional communication: able to collaborate with teams to craft proposals and reports for potential donors and represent the organisation at high profile speaking events
• Mission alignment: commitment to empowering adolescent girls and young women (youth in general); someone who believes in a girl’s right to take control of her health and her body, to pursue a livelihood of her own choice, to have a family when she’s ready, to make decisions for herself and her children
• Team Player: hands on; able to effectively navigate working with the wider teams, in and out of the country, to ensure that all relevant personnel are actively engaged and consulted through offline and digital channels. You need to be able to work with an array of digital platforms to achieve the same

What else you should know

As we continue to scale and grow - we are hugely ambitious for our future and we are looking for people who are driven to change the world for girls.

Our teams are a diverse mix across sectors (non-profit and commercial) and specialisms (from Brand and Creative through to Gender and Insight). You’ll learn and grow in an environment that will challenge you to think and work with a fresh perspective. In turn, you can expect to work somewhere where you will be stretched and developed in your role, a place where you can build your career and work with talented, engaged people committed to our cause.

Girl Effect is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to recruiting candidates with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those we work with and for, especially children and young people.   We expect all staff to share this commitment, uphold standards in our safeguarding policy and our code of conduct. In particular:

• To take reasonable steps to prevent any harm caused by Girl Effect
• To report any safeguarding concerns through the reporting pathways

This role is being recruited as a 12 month fixed term contract.

Closing date: Monday 27th October 2025