Health Collaborative Manager

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Centre for Health Innovation and Impact (CHII) at African Leadership University advances health workforce development, entrepreneurship and ecosystem strengthening to address healthcare challenges across Africa. Through its participation in the Africa Health Collaborative, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, ALU works with partner universities and health sector stakeholders to develop the next generation of African health leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. CHII delivers its work through three interconnected pillars: Health Employment (HEMP), Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) and Health Ecosystems (HECO).

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Health Collaborative Program Manager provides leadership and operational oversight for ALU's implementation of the Africa Health Collaborative, ensuring the effective delivery of programme commitments across HEMP, HENT and HECO.

The Manager is responsible for integrated programme planning, implementation, financial oversight, partnership coordination, performance management and grant compliance. The role requires the ability to manage a complex, multi-year, donor-funded programme involving multiple stakeholders and implementation partners.

Working under the strategic direction of the CHII Director, the Manager leads the programme team, translates strategic priorities into measurable results and ensures the effective use of resources to achieve the Collaborative's objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Strategy, Planning and Implementation

• Lead the development and execution of AHC implementation plans across HEMP, HENT and HECO, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, grant commitments and approved budgets.
• Provide technical and programmatic guidance to pillar leads in the design, adaptation and implementation of health workforce, entrepreneurship and ecosystem-strengthening initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-pillar activities, resources and timelines, addressing implementation challenges to ensure delivery within agreed scope, quality standards and contractual timelines.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen programme effectiveness, integration and sustainability, recommending adjustments based on implementation experience and emerging health sector needs.

Partnership Management and Collaborative Implementation

• Manage programme-level relationships with partner universities, healthcare institutions, government agencies, employers, industry partners and other stakeholders involved in AHC implementation.
• Coordinate joint work plans and cross-institutional initiatives, ensuring that agreed activities, institutional contributions and deliverables are implemented.
• Lead the operationalisation of approved partnerships, including coordinating partnership agreements, implementation arrangements and joint programme activities.
• Represent ALU in delegated Collaborative meetings, technical working groups and programme-level engagements, ensuring timely follow-up on agreed actions.
• Draft and activate MOUs and other formal partnership instruments directly, spanning multiple countries and institution types.
• Lead in-person partnership development visits and co-hosting arrangements with peer institutions.
• Build and nurture relationships with the AHC secretariat, Foundation and other funders, ensuring clear communication and alignment on program goals and progress.

Financial Management and Grant Compliance

• Lead programme budgeting and financial planning in collaboration with pillar leads, the CHII Director and Finance, ensuring that budgets and expenditure forecasts align with approved activities and grant requirements.
• Monitor programme expenditure, budget utilisation and financial performance, identifying variances and recommending timely corrective actions.
• Coordinate with Finance, Procurement and other relevant functions to ensure timely disbursement, appropriate expenditure documentation and adherence to donor and institutional financial procedures.
• Oversee programme-level compliance with grant agreements, approved budgets, implementation requirements and reporting obligations, escalating significant financial and compliance risks to the Director.
• Identify, evaluate, and conduct due diligence on new grant and consortium opportunities against defined eligibility and application timelines.

Programme Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Reporting

• Oversee programme performance against approved objectives, deliverables and indicators, ensuring that implementation teams are accountable for agreed results.
• Work closely with the MELA Lead to ensure timely collection, verification and analysis of programme data, including information required for the Collaborative's Shared Measures framework.
• Review programme performance and evaluation findings, identify implementation gaps and integrate learning into programme planning and delivery.
• Coordinate the preparation and timely submission of programme reports, ensuring that narrative updates, performance data and financial information are accurate, consistent and compliant with donor requirements.

Team Leadership and Performance Management

• Provide direct leadership, supervision and performance management to designated programme staff, establishing clear responsibilities, workplans and accountability for results.
• Support staff development, capacity building, succession planning and effective workload distribution across the programme team.
• Facilitate coordination and collaboration across programme pillars, ensuring effective communication, shared learning and alignment of implementation priorities.
• Identify programme staffing and capacity requirements, contributing to recruitment, onboarding and workforce planning in collaboration with the Director and People team.
• Plan annual team retreats and team-building activities.
• Maintain sustainability and knowledge-transfer documentation across all program portfolios to ensure continuity through transitions.
• Identify and implement operational improvements to enhance program efficiency and effectiveness.

Programme Governance, Risk Management and Quality Assurance

• Maintain oversight of programme-level risks, implementation dependencies and compliance requirements, ensuring appropriate mitigation measures and timely escalation of significant issues.
• Establish and maintain effective programme management processes, including implementation reviews, documentation, decision tracking and knowledge management.
• Ensure programme activities adhere to relevant institutional policies, donor requirements, safeguarding standards and applicable ethical and data protection requirements.
• Prepare programme updates, implementation briefs and decision papers to support the Director's participation in AHC governance structures and institutional leadership engagements.

Programme Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Oversee the planning and delivery of AHC-funded programme activities, including student internships, health missions, entrepreneurship initiatives, capacity-building programmes and ecosystem convenings.
• Coordinate programme-level stakeholder engagement, including partner visits, institutional exchanges, conferences and other activities that advance the Collaborative's objectives.
• Identify opportunities for new programme initiatives and partnerships, developing concept notes, implementation proposals and budget inputs for consideration by the Director.
• Collaborate with communications and institutional support teams to document and communicate programme achievements, learning and impact.

Institutional Engagement and Contribution

• Collaborate with ALU's academic and administrative teams to integrate AHC initiatives into university programmes, creating opportunities for student learning, employment and entrepreneurship.
• Contribute to ALU's institutional planning and grant portfolio reviews by providing programme performance updates, identifying implementation risks and ensuring alignment with university priorities.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AHC partnerships, programmes and resources to strengthen ALU's institutional capabilities and support the long-term sustainability of CHII.

REQUIREMENTS

• Master's degree in Public Health, Global Health, Health Systems Management, Healthcare Administration, Development Studies, Programme Management or a related field.
• A background in healthcare or public health programming is strongly preferred.
• Professional certification in programme or project management, such as PMP, PRINCE2 or Project DPro, is an advantage.
• Minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including at least 3 years managing complex, multi-stakeholder health or development programmes.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-year, donor-funded programmes, including programme design, budgeting, implementation, financial oversight and donor reporting.
• Proven experience supervising multidisciplinary teams and coordinating implementation across multiple workstreams or institutional partners.
• Experience engaging government agencies, universities, healthcare organisations, development partners or private sector stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage programme risks, resolve implementation challenges and deliver measurable results within agreed timelines and budgets.
• Experience working in African health systems, health workforce development, health entrepreneurship or higher education partnerships is desirable.