Program Officer (Yobe) at Malaria Consortium @Malaria Consortium

Program Officer (Yobe) at Malaria Consortium

Malaria Consortium (MC) is one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to the prevention, control, and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases in Africa and Southeast Asia. Malaria Consortium works with governments, communities, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to support evidence-based programme implementation, operational research, health systems strengthening, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic planning for improved health outcomes.

Nigeria bears approximately 27% of the global malaria burden and accounts for nearly 31% of global malaria deaths, making it the highest malaria burden country globally according to the World Malaria Report. Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age and pregnant women in Nigeria. The 2021 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey (NMIS) reported malaria prevalence among children aged 6–59 months at 22%, although prevalence remains significantly higher in many northern states due to favourable climatic conditions for mosquito breeding, prolonged rainy seasons, and persistent gaps in access to preventive and curative malaria services. The Federal Ministry of Health, through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), developed the National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) 2021–2025 to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality through the scale-up of effective malaria prevention and treatment interventions. One of the key preventive strategies under the national plan is Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), which involves the monthly administration of Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine plus Amodiaquine (SPAQ) to eligible children aged 3–59 months during periods of peak malaria transmission. The intervention has been proven to significantly reduce malaria incidence, severe malaria, and malaria-related deaths among children living in areas of highly seasonal malaria transmission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Program Officer

Location: Yobe

Objective

• The objective of this consultancy is to engage qualified Programme Officers (POs) who will provide technical, operational, coordination, supervisory, and monitoring support for the effective implementation of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, and Yobe States.
• The Programme Officers will support planning, implementation, monitoring, stakeholder engagement, commodity accountability, personnel management, data quality assurance, and reporting activities to ensure compliance with Global Fund, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), and Malaria Consortium standards and requirements.

Purpose of the Assignment

• The purpose of this role is to support the effective planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, supervision, and reporting of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across assigned Local Government Areas (LGAs).
• The Programme Officer (PO) will work closely with the State Programme Manager (SPM), State Technical Officer (STO), state implementation teams, and LGA health authorities to ensure efficient programme delivery in line with National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) guidelines, Global Fund requirements, and Malaria Consortium operational standards.
• The Programme Officer will provide technical and operational oversight for SMC implementation activities, including microplanning, capacity building, commodity management, supportive supervision, monitoring and evaluation, community engagement, personnel management, data quality assurance, and reporting. The role will also provide direct line management, mentorship, and technical support to LGA Field Officers (LFOs) to ensure quality implementation and achievement of programme targets across assigned LGAs.
• The Programme Officer will support the coordination of personnel management processes, including validation of campaign personnel databases, oversight of personnel payment verification processes, resolution and escalation of payment-related issues, and coordination with Finance, Operations, ICT4D, and implementation teams to facilitate timely resolution of personnel payment challenges.
• The Programme Officer will contribute to strengthening coordination among key stakeholders, including State Ministries of Health, State Primary Health Care Boards/Agencies, State Malaria Elimination Programmes (SMEPs), Local Government health authorities, community structures, traditional institutions, and implementing partners to support effective delivery of high-quality SMC services to eligible children aged 3–59 months.
• The role requires strong programme management, coordination, leadership, supervision, stakeholder engagement, and problem-solving skills to ensure smooth implementation of all phases of the SMC campaign while maintaining compliance with donor requirements, organizational policies, safeguarding standards, and quality assurance requirements.

Scope of the work

• The Programme Officer (PO) will support the coordination and implementation of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across assigned Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, and Yobe States.
• The Programme Officer will be based at the state level and will provide technical, operational, and managerial oversight for assigned field implementation activities.
• The consultant will support all phases of SMC implementation, including pre-implementation planning, training, logistics coordination, community mobilization, supportive supervision, monitoring and evaluation, pharmacovigilance, personnel management, data management, reporting, and post-implementation review activities.
• The Programme Officer will provide direct supervision, mentorship, and technical support to LGA Field Officers (LFOs) across assigned LGAs to ensure implementation activities are conducted according to approved workplans, operational guidelines, donor requirements, and quality standards.
• The role will also support coordination between state-level stakeholders, LGA implementation teams, and community-level structures to strengthen programme ownership and improve implementation effectiveness.

The Programme Officer will support implementation of key operational workstreams including:

• Programme planning and coordination;
• Commodity and logistics management;
• Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC);
• Capacity building and supportive supervision;
• Monitoring, evaluation, and data quality assurance;
• Pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring;
• Personnel management and payment verification processes;
• Community engagement and stakeholder coordination;
• Risk management, safeguarding, and compliance with organizational policies.

The consultant will support all phases of implementation, including:
Pre-Implementation Phase:

• Support operational planning, microplanning, readiness assessments, and implementation preparations.
• Support recruitment, validation, deployment, and management of campaign personnel.
• Support training planning, coordination, and quality assurance activities.
• Support commodity forecasting, distribution planning, and implementation readiness activities.
• Support validation of personnel databases and payment-related information prior to campaign implementation.

Implementation Phase:

• Coordinate and supervise field implementation activities across assigned LGAs.
• Conduct routine supportive supervision and implementation monitoring visits.
• Monitor programme performance, treatment coverage, and implementation quality.
• Support real-time problem identification and resolution during implementation.
• Oversee commodity accountability, last-mile distribution, and reverse logistics activities.
• Coordinate personnel payment verification processes and support timely escalation and resolution of payment-related issues.
• Facilitate daily review meetings, implementation monitoring, and stakeholder engagement activities.

Post-Implementation Phase:

• Support end-of-cycle reviews, data validation, and reporting processes.
• Support commodity reconciliation and accountability activities.
• Document lessons learned, implementation challenges, best practices, and recommendations.
• Support preparation and submission of End-of-Cycle (EoC), End-of-Round (EoR), and other programme reports.
• Support close-out of outstanding operational, personnel, and payment-related issues.
• The Programme Officer will work closely with the State Programme Manager (SPM), State Technical Officer (STO), Monitoring and Evaluation team, Supply Chain team, Finance team, Operations team, ICT4D personnel, and other relevant staff to ensure effective implementation of the SMC campaign across assigned LGAs.

Key Working Relationships:

• The Programme Officer (PO) will report directly to the State Technical Officer (STO) and work closely with the State Programme Manager (SPM) and other members of the state implementation team to support effective delivery of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.
• The Programme Officer will provide direct line management, technical supervision, mentorship, and performance management support to LGA Field Officers (LFOs) assigned to intervention LGAs and will ensure timely implementation of programme activities in line with approved operational plans and quality standards.

The Programme Officer will maintain close collaboration with other Malaria Consortium staff, including:

• Monitoring and Evaluation Officers;
• Supply Chain Officers;
• Finance Officers;
• Operations and Administration Officers;
• Human Resources Personnel;
• Safeguarding Focal Persons; and
• Other programme and technical staff as required.

Externally, the Programme Officer will maintain strong working relationships with:

• State Ministries of Health;
• State Primary Health Care Boards/Agencies;
• State Malaria Elimination Programmes (SMEPs);
• ICT4D Personnel;
• Local Government Health Authorities;
• Primary Health Care Directors and Malaria Focal Persons;
• Ward Development Committees and Community Leaders;
• Traditional and Religious Leaders;
• Relevant Implementing Partners and Stakeholders involved in malaria programme implementation.
• The Programme Officer will support coordination of implementation activities at state and LGA levels and ensure effective communication, stakeholder engagement, problem-solving, and timely resolution of operational issues throughout the SMC campaign period.

Key Accountabilities

• Programme Management and Implementation (70%):

The Programme Officer shall:

• Support the State Technical Officer (STO) and State Programme Manager (SPM) in coordinating and managing all SMC implementation activities across assigned LGAs.
• Provide direct supervision, mentorship, coaching, and performance management support to LGA Field Officers (LFOs) to ensure quality implementation of programme activities.
• Review and validate LFO deliverables, activity reports, and other implementation documentation prior to submission to the state team.
• Support development and execution of implementation plans, microplans, activity schedules, and operational workplans in line with approved programme timelines and implementation guidelines.
• Coordinate implementation of all SMC operational activities including planning, training, commodity distribution, SPAQ administration, supportive supervision, monitoring, review meetings, and end-of-cycle activities.
• Ensure implementation activities are conducted in compliance with National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) guidelines, Global Fund requirements, pharmacovigilance protocols, safeguarding standards, and Malaria Consortium operational policies.
• Support planning, coordination, and quality assurance of training activities for Health Facility Workers (HFWs), Supervisors, Community Drug Distributors (CDDs), Community Mobilizers, Town Announcers, and other campaign personnel.
• Monitor programme performance indicators and implementation progress to ensure achievement of coverage, quality, and reporting targets across assigned LGAs.
• Support effective management, tracking, accountability, and reconciliation of SPAQ commodities and other programme materials throughout the implementation cycle.
• Coordinate supportive supervision activities and conduct routine field monitoring visits to ensure quality service delivery, adherence to Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) protocols, and proper implementation of field activities.
• Ensure timely identification, documentation, escalation, and reporting of adverse drug reactions and support implementation of pharmacovigilance activities according to approved procedures.
• Support implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) activities and community engagement strategies to improve caregiver awareness, acceptance, and uptake of SMC services.
• Support implementation of ICT4D activities, including device deployment, synchronization, troubleshooting, monitoring of digital reporting processes, and resolution of implementation-related ICT issues.
• Coordinate personnel validation processes, including verification of campaign personnel databases, bank account details, phone numbers, attendance records, and other information required for payment processing.
• Oversee personnel payment verification processes and support timely identification, documentation, escalation, and resolution of payment-related issues affecting campaign personnel.
• Review personnel attendance records, deployment records, and other supporting documentation used for payment processing and reconciliation.
• Coordinate with Finance, Operations, ICT4D, Supply Chain, and Human Resources teams to ensure timely resolution of implementation, personnel, commodity, payment, and reporting issues.
• Ensure compliance with Malaria Consortium safeguarding, security, risk management, fraud prevention, Start-to-Finish (SFG), and other organizational policies throughout programme implementation.
• Support effective coordination and communication among state teams, LGA stakeholders, and community structures to ensure smooth programme implementation.

Technical Support, Monitoring and Evaluation (20%):
The Programme Officer shall:

• Support monitoring and evaluation activities, including implementation monitoring, data validation, data quality assurance, data reconciliation, and reporting.
• Review implementation data and reports from assigned LGAs to ensure completeness, consistency, accuracy, and timeliness of reporting.
• Support conduct of daily review meetings, End-of-Cycle (EoC) reviews, End-of-Round (EoR) reviews, coverage monitoring activities, Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS), and other programme performance review activities.
• Work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to address identified data quality issues and support timely resolution of discrepancies.
• Monitor implementation dashboards and programme performance indicators and support corrective actions where gaps are identified.
• Support implementation of post-implementation assessments, operational research activities, and programme evaluations where applicable.
• Document implementation challenges, lessons learned, best practices, innovations, and recommendations to support adaptive management and programme improvement.
• Ensure timely submission of programme reports, supervision reports, payment issue trackers, implementation updates, and other required programme documentation.

Representation, Coordination and Knowledge Management (10%)
The Programme Officer shall:

• Represent Malaria Consortium at state and LGA-level meetings, technical working groups, review meetings, and stakeholder engagement activities as delegated.
• Maintain effective collaboration and coordination with government stakeholders, implementing partners, traditional institutions, community leaders, and other relevant actors.
• Support harmonization of programme implementation activities with other relevant health interventions and partner activities where applicable.
• Facilitate timely information sharing, reporting, and communication between field teams and state implementation teams.
• Support documentation and dissemination of programme achievements, success stories, lessons learned, operational updates, and best practices.
• Contribute to knowledge management, programme learning, continuous quality improvement initiatives, and organizational learning processes.
• Escalate operational, implementation, safeguarding, commodity, personnel, and payment-related risks requiring state-level intervention.

Key Deliverables and Performance Outputs
The Programme Officer shall be responsible for the timely submission of the following deliverables and evidence of performance throughout the consultancy period:
Programme Management Deliverables:

• Approved implementation plans and activity schedules for assigned LGAs.
• Personnel deployment and supervision plans.
• LFO performance monitoring records and supervision documentation.
• Documentation of implementation challenges, corrective actions, and resolutions.
• Personnel payment verification reports and issue resolution trackers.

Training and Capacity Building Deliverables:

• Training coordination reports.
• Training monitoring reports.
• Training attendance documentation.
• Evidence of supportive supervision, mentorship, and technical support provided to LFOs and field implementers.

Commodity Management and Accountability Deliverables:

• Evidence of planning, distribution, utilization, accountability, and reconciliation of: SPAQ commodities, visibility and communication materials, implementation tools and forms, ICT4D devices and accessories, last-mile distribution and reverse logistics reports, commodity reconciliation and accountability reports.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Deliverables:

• Daily implementation updates during campaign periods.
• Supervision and monitoring reports.
• Data validation and reconciliation reports.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports.
• Daily review meeting reports and action trackers.
• End-of-Cycle (EoC) reports.
• End-of-Round (EoR) reports.
• Coverage monitoring, LQAS, and other assessment reports, where applicable.
• Data quality improvement and corrective action reports.

Stakeholder Coordination and Knowledge Management Deliverables:

• Stakeholder engagement and coordination reports.
• Review meeting reports and meeting minutes
• Success stories, case studies, lessons learned, and best practice documentation.
• Programme performance summaries and implementation updates.
• Final consultancy report summarizing activities implemented, achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.

Performance Expectations
The Programme Officer shall be expected to:

• Ensure timely submission of all assigned deliverables according to agreed timelines.
• Maintain high standards of programme quality, data quality, and accountability.
• Ensure effective supervision and performance management of assigned LGA Field Officers.
• Support achievement of programme coverage, quality, reporting, and accountability targets across assigned LGAs.
• Ensure timely identification, escalation, and resolution of implementation, commodity, personnel, and payment-related issues.
• Adhere to all Malaria Consortium operational, safeguarding, financial, risk management, and data protection policies throughout the consultancy period.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential:

• Training in Nursing or Public Health.
• Five years’ experience of working in the Public Health sector.
• Experience in programme management at the LGA and/or state level.
• Excellent project planning, management, and monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Experience managing project budgets.
• Experience in using digital data collection tools in SMC campaigns and other health programmes.
• Some practical experience in Health Information and Disease Surveillance Systems, interoperability, and international standards; open Global Health Information System software and open data sources, including but not limited to DHIS2, ODK, and KoboCollect.
• Experience working at the LGA and community levels.
• Experience working on campaign-style interventions (delivery of interventions or social mobilization, and SMC experience would be an added advantage).

Work-Based Skills and Competencies:

• Good understanding of the Nigerian health system.
• Understanding of communication for behaviour change and social mobilization.
• Team player with demonstrated ability to work within a team as well as independently.
• Ability to travel to LGAs outside the state capital at least 80% of the time.
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills in English and the dominant local language of the assigned state.
• Evidence of being resident in the state of assignment.

Application Closing Date
19th June, 2026 (5:00pm). 

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Interested and qualified candidates who are passionate and willing to contribute towards the achievement of our goals should kindly fill in the application form below before 5:00PM Friday, 19th, June 2026.
• Applicants who do not follow this specification will be disqualified.
• Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and as a result, the process may conclude before the advertised deadline. Therefore, early applications are highly encouraged.
• Malaria Consortium does not accept or ask for payment during recruitment. We also would not accept hardcopy CVs; all applications should be sent through the above link.

Safeguarding:

• Malaria Consortium is committed to protecting children and vulnerable adults and ensuring that all staff, partners, and representatives uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct.
• Our Safeguarding Policy outlines our responsibility to prevent abuse, harassment, and exploitation in all areas of our work. We expect everyone working with us staff, consultants, volunteers, and partners to adhere to this policy and our Code of Conduct.
• By following these standards, we help create safe environments and reduce any risk of harm in the communities we serve.