Project Manager

Responsibilities:

Project planning and delivery:

• Translate approved objectives into annual and quarterly workplans, delivery schedules, responsibilities and budget requirements.
• Coordinate implementation across the focal states and the FCT.
• Track milestones, dependencies and delivery risks, taking corrective action when activities fall behind.
• Coordinate the operational establishment and use of the Strategic Litigation Lab, legal-support coordination arrangements and digital referral system, working with the relevant specialists.

Consortium and stakeholder coordination:

• Serve as the principal operational contact for consortium partners.
• Convene coordination meetings, document decisions and follow up actions.
• Maintain productive relationships with university law clinics, lawyers, civil society organisations, community representatives and justice-sector institutions.
• Resolve operational disagreements and escalate matters requiring executive decisions.

Team leadership:

• Supervise and support project staff in Abuja and the focal states.
• Set clear work objectives, allocate responsibilities and review performance.
• Ensure staff understand their professional boundaries, approval limits and reporting obligations.
• Promote collaboration, impartiality and respectful engagement.

Budget and compliance oversight:

• Work with the Finance Officer to monitor expenditure, forecasts and budget variances.
• Ensure activities and proposed commitments remain within approved plans and delegated authority.
• Follow up supporting documentation and corrective actions relating to financial and operational compliance.

Monitoring, reporting and learning:

• Work with the M&E Officer to track indicators, verify reported progress and use findings to improve delivery.
• Prepare and consolidate clear narrative reports for management, donors and governance bodies.
• Distinguish verified results from assumptions, incomplete evidence and emerging findings.
• Capture lessons and support sustainability planning.

Safeguarding and risk:

• Ensure project delivery protects the safety, dignity and confidentiality of participants.
• Act as the project Safeguarding Focal Point unless another person is formally designated.
• Escalate safeguarding, security, fraud and data-protection concerns through approved channels.
• Coordinate responses with the relevant specialist leads; do not substitute for their technical responsibilities.

Requirements:

• A completed master’s degree in Law, Human Rights, International Development, Public Policy or a related social science field.
• A minimum of five years’ progressive project-management experience in Nigeria’s NGO/non-profit sector, including substantial responsibility for planning, implementation and reporting.
  
• Demonstrable experience managing a multi-year, multi-partner consortium project funded by an international institutional donor.
• Experience in at least one of the following: human rights, access to justice, legal aid or freedom of religion or belief.
• Practical experience supervising staff and coordinating delivery through partners.
• Experience managing or overseeing project budgets, implementation risks and donor reporting.
• Familiarity with the operating context of northern and north-central Nigeria.
• Strong written and spoken English, including the ability to produce clear, evidence-based reports.
• Ability to work on-site in Abuja and undertake authorised travel to the focal states.

Desirable:

• LLB and admission to the Nigerian Bar.
• Experience working with university law clinics, justice-sector institutions or legal-service networks.
• Hausa or another language relevant to the focal states.
• Experience overseeing digital referral, case-tracking or programme-information systems.
• Direct FoRB programme experience.

Initial Priorities:

During the first 90 days, the successful candidate will be expected to:

• Establish a practical implementation and reporting routine.
• Finalise the Year 1 workplan and budget phasing through the approval process.
• Put consortium and state coordination meetings into operation.
• Support staff induction and clarify delivery responsibilities.
• Establish project risk, action and reporting trackers.
• Coordinate safeguarding referral information for the FCT and focal states.
• Prepare the first scheduled reporting submission.