Summary
The Executive Secretary serves as a senior strategic adviser to The Director, providing deep expertise in non-profit operations, programme strategy, grant mobilization, and stakeholder engagement to guide the Foundation's humanitarian work across Anambra State.
The role requires a rare blend: executive presence, programme fluency, and commercial acumen applied to a development-sector context where every naira must translate into measurable impact for beneficiaries.
Responsibilities
Proposal & Grant Strategy: Analyze grant calls, donor concept notes, partnership terms, and MoUs (cost-recovery, matched-funding, performance-based) and formulate a winning positioning for the Foundation's submissions to government agencies, the Bank of Industry, corporate CSR partners, and international donors.
Strategic Advisory: Advise The Director on emerging frontiers in the development sector maternal and child health innovations, digital inclusion, climate-resilient livelihoods, results-based financing, gender-responsive programming, and disability inclusion.
Decision Matrices: Prepare programme cost decision matrices, impact dashboards, and value-for-money analyses for high-value interventions including the annual free medical outreach, scholarship schemes, widow-support programmes, and youth empowerment drives.
Drafting & Review: Draft and review concept notes, programme annexes, safeguarding policies, risk registers, and negotiation strategies with implementing partners.
Gate-keeping: Act as The Director's strategic gatekeeper, flagging unrealistic programme claims, beneficiary-data integrity concerns, or compliance pitfalls before they reach The Director's desk.
Representation: Represent The Director in preliminary meetings with the Anambra State Ministries of Health, Education, and Women Affairs, traditional rulers and town unions, religious leaders, medical mission partners, donor agencies, and INGOs.
Coordination: Coordinate The Director's programme calendar around community outreaches, board engagements, and donor missions, ensuring every engagement advances the Foundation's mission of Service to Humanity.
Academic Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Health, Law, Economics, or a related discipline.
Master's degree in NGO Management, Development Studies, Public Health, or Public Policy is strongly desirable.
Minimum 10 years' experience in non-profit, foundation, or development-sector operations, with a proven record of grant-winning and direct executive advisory.
Certifications:
Project Management Professional (PMP) or PRINCE2.
Certification in Monitoring & Evaluation (e.g., IPDET, PM4NGOs PMD Pro, or equivalent).
Specific training in grant management or fundraising (e.g., CFRE, USAID/EU/Global Fund grant frameworks).
Technical & Sectoral Expertise:
Sector Depth: Minimum 10 years in the humanitarian/development value chain across programme design, delivery, and donor reporting in rural and semi-urban Nigerian settings.
Development Literacy: Demonstrated understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Theory of Change, results-based management, safeguarding standards, and gender-responsive programming.
Digital Transformation: Proficiency in beneficiary-management and field-data platforms (CommCare, KoboToolbox, ODK, Salesforce NPSP, or equivalent) and their impact on reducing programme overheads.
Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of Nigerian NGO regulations CAC Part F (Incorporated Trustees), SCUML, FIRS NGO tax filings, the NDPA/NDPR, and Anambra State NGO coordination requirements.
Strategic & Soft Skills:
Programme Modelling: Ability to build and audit programme budgets, cost-per-beneficiary analyses, and value-for-money assessments for major appeals and grant submissions.
High-Stakes Diplomacy: Proven ability to represent The Director in negotiations with state government, traditional councils (Igwes and town unions), corporate CSR teams, and international donors.
Risk Foresight: A sixth sense for identifying hidden liabilities in MoUs, partner-led implementations, and community-managed grants.
Discretion: Unimpeachable confidentiality in handling beneficiary records, board communications, and donor correspondence.
Other Qualities:
High level organization and planning
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Strong ethical and moral values.
Multitasking
Good time management.
Hardworking, target oriented, with high level of leadership skills.