SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Program Manager will hold overall responsibility for the day-to-day management and coordination of the ZM-ECDP, working directly within the ZPDB and in close collaboration with Big Win Philanthropy. The role spans operational planning and activity tracking, financial management of grant and government funds, technical narrative reporting, and cross-sectoral coordination to ensure that all implementing departments and partners are working in alignment toward shared program goals. The Manager will serve as the primary operational interface between ZPDB, implementing sectors, external partners and Big Win Philanthropy, and will be responsible for ensuring that the program runs efficiently, transparently and in accordance with its agreed workplan and budget.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Overall Program Manager - Lead the day-to-day management of ZM-ECDP activities across all implementing sectors; maintain a current overview of program implementation status; identify bottlenecks and coordinate timely resolution in collaboration with ZPDB and sector leads.
• Workplan Management - Develop, maintain and update the program workplan; facilitate regular workplan review sessions with implementing teams; ensure that activities are sequenced logically, resourced appropriately and delivered on schedule.
• Financial Management of Grant and Government Funds - Oversee the management and tracking of all grant and government funds allocated to the ZM-ECDP; monitor expenditure against approved budgets; ensure funds are disbursed and utilised in accordance with donor and government requirements; maintain accurate financial records and coordinate with Finance teams to ensure timely and compliant financial reporting.
• Budget Monitoring & Forecasting - Conduct regular budget reviews and expenditure monitoring; prepare financial forecasts and flag underspend, overspend or reallocation needs to ZPDB and Big Win Philanthropy leadership in a timely manner; support the preparation of budget revisions where required.
• Technical Narrative Reporting - Lead the preparation of high-quality technical narrative reports for donors, the Government of Zanzibar and other key stakeholders; synthesise inputs from implementing sectors, M&E data and partner updates into coherent, evidence-based accounts of program progress, challenges and lessons learned; ensure all reports are submitted on time and meet the standards required by each recipient.
• Cross-Sectoral Coordination - Facilitate regular coordination meetings across implementing government sectors (health, education, nutrition, social protection); ensure clear communication of priorities, responsibilities and timelines; manage interdependencies between workstreams to prevent delays.
• Government & Partner Liaison - Maintain strong working relationships with ZPDB counterparts, sector ministries and implementing partners; serve as the primary operational point of contact for day-to-day program queries; escalate strategic issues to appropriate leadership.
• Risk Management- Identify, document and manage programming risks across operational, financial and technical dimensions; maintain a program risk register; develop and implement mitigation measures in consultation with ZPDB and Big Win Philanthropy.
• Program Documentation & Knowledge Management - Maintain comprehensive and up-to-date program documentation including meeting minutes, decision logs, implementation records and correspondence; ensure institutional knowledge is captured and accessible to all relevant stakeholders.
• Compliance & Governance - Ensure program activities, financial management and reporting are always compliant with applicable donor requirements, Government of Zanzibar regulations and Big Win Philanthropy’s policies and standards.
• Support to Strategic Planning - Contribute to the strategic direction of the ZM-ECDP by providing operational insight and programmatic evidence to inform planning, scale-up decisions and adaptation of the program model as required.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, Public Administration, Project Management, Public Health, Education or a related field; a Master's degree is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in program coordination or management within an international development, government or philanthropic context, of which at least 3 years should be in a senior coordination or management role.
• Demonstrated experience in financial management of donor-funded programs, including budget monitoring, expenditure tracking, financial forecasting and compliance with donor financial reporting requirements.
• Experience managing grant funds from bilateral, multilateral or foundation donors, with a sound understanding of the financial management and compliance obligations these entail.
• Proven track record of producing high-quality technical narrative reports for donors and government audiences, with the ability to synthesise complex, multi-sectoral program information into clear, evidence-based accounts.
• Strong experience in multi-sectoral program coordination, ideally across health, education, nutrition and/or social protection.
• Experience working directly with or embedded within government institutions, preferably in an East African context.
• Knowledge of Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy, programs and the broader development landscape; direct ECD program experience is a significant advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build productive working relationships across government, civil society and international partner organisations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in Swahili or Kiswahili is a significant advantage.
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in program management tools, financial tracking systems and standard office software (MS Office suite, including advanced Excel).

• Lead the day-to-day management of ZM-ECDP activities across all implementing sectors; maintain a current overview of program implementation status; identify bottlenecks and coordinate timely resolution in collaboration with ZPDB and sector leads.
• Develop, maintain and update the program workplan; facilitate regular workplan review sessions with implementing teams; ensure that activities are sequenced logically, resourced appropriately and delivered on schedule.
• Oversee the management and tracking of all grant and government funds allocated to the ZM-ECDP; monitor expenditure against approved budgets; ensure funds are disbursed and utilised in accordance with donor and government requirements; maintain accurate financial records and coordinate with Finance teams to ensure timely and compliant financial reporting.
• Conduct regular budget reviews and expenditure monitoring; prepare financial forecasts and flag underspend, overspend or reallocation needs to ZPDB and Big Win Philanthropy leadership in a timely manner; support the preparation of budget revisions where required.
• Lead the preparation of high-quality technical narrative reports for donors, the Government of Zanzibar and other key stakeholders; synthesise inputs from implementing sectors, M&E data and partner updates into coherent, evidence-based accounts of program progress, challenges and lessons learned; ensure all reports are submitted on time and meet the standards required by each recipient.
• Facilitate regular coordination meetings across implementing government sectors (health, education, nutrition, social protection); ensure clear communication of priorities, responsibilities and timelines; manage interdependencies between workstreams to prevent delays.
• Maintain strong working relationships with ZPDB counterparts, sector ministries and implementing partners; serve as the primary operational point of contact for day-to-day program queries; escalate strategic issues to appropriate leadership.
• Identify, document and manage programming risks across operational, financial and technical dimensions; maintain a program risk register; develop and implement mitigation measures in consultation with ZPDB and Big Win Philanthropy.
• Maintain comprehensive and up-to-date program documentation including meeting minutes, decision logs, implementation records and correspondence; ensure institutional knowledge is captured and accessible to all relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure program activities, financial management and reporting are always compliant with applicable donor requirements, Government of Zanzibar regulations and Big Win Philanthropy’s policies and standards.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the ZM-ECDP by providing operational insight and programmatic evidence to inform planning, scale-up decisions and adaptation of the program model as required.

• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build productive working relationships across government, civil society and international partner organisations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in Swahili or Kiswahili is a significant advantage.
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in program management tools, financial tracking systems and standard office software (MS Office suite, including advanced Excel).

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, Public Administration, Project Management, Public Health, Education or a related field; a Master's degree is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in program coordination or management within an international development, government or philanthropic context, of which at least 3 years should be in a senior coordination or management role.
• Demonstrated experience in financial management of donor-funded programs, including budget monitoring, expenditure tracking, financial forecasting and compliance with donor financial reporting requirements.
• Experience managing grant funds from bilateral, multilateral or foundation donors, with a sound understanding of the financial management and compliance obligations these entail.
• Proven track record of producing high-quality technical narrative reports for donors and government audiences, with the ability to synthesise complex, multi-sectoral program information into clear, evidence-based accounts.
• Strong experience in multi-sectoral program coordination, ideally across health, education, nutrition and/or social protection.
• Experience working directly with or embedded within government institutions, preferably in an East African context.
• Knowledge of Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy, programs and the broader development landscape; direct ECD program experience is a significant advantage.