Programme Manager – Social Determinants of Health

Amref Health Africa in Kenya is the country programme office of Amref Health Africa, Africa’s largest International Health NGO. This is the largest and oldest country programme in Africa with an average annual budget of USD 40million. We have 19 innovative products and project models that have successfully been implemented and transformed 5.4 million lives…

Programme Manager – Social Determinants of Health

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

• The Wellcome Trust Climate, Health & Mental Health Programme supports Amref Health Africa’s work across three interconnected areas: Climate and Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and Global Health Leadership. The programme brings together research, policy, advocacy and implementation to generate African-led evidence, strengthen policy influence and advance solutions that respond to emerging health and social determinant priorities.

• Within Amref, the programme is anchored in the Social Determinants of Health Unit and works across technical teams, country offices and external partners. Effective programme management is therefore critical to ensuring that technical and advocacy ambitions are translated into coordinated workplans, compliant grant delivery, sound resource stewardship and timely results.

JOB PURPOSE

• The Programme Manager is responsible for the effective planning, coordination and operational delivery of the Social Determinants of Health portfolio, with primary responsibility for ensuring that grant-funded programmes are implemented on time, within approved budgets and in accordance with donor and organisational requirements.

• Working closely with the Director, Social Determinants of Health and programme leads, the role translates programme priorities into integrated workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, management systems and reporting processes. The Programme Manager provides oversight across the Climate and Health, Mental Health and Global Health portfolios; coordinates delivery across technical, advocacy and support teams; anticipates and manages implementation risks; and ensures that leadership has timely information for decision-making and course correction.

• The role is expected to bring strong programme management discipline, sound judgement and a solutions-oriented approach to a complex, multi-stakeholder portfolio. It will work closely with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources, country offices, consultants and external partners to strengthen accountability, compliance, operational efficiency and quality of delivery.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Planning and Delivery (25%)

• Lead the development, consolidation and monitoring of annual and quarterly workplans across the SDOH portfolio, ensuring alignment with approved grant objectives, budgets and delivery timelines.

• Translate programme priorities into clear implementation schedules, milestones, responsibilities and management trackers, and maintain visibility of progress across workstreams.

• Coordinate programme start-up, implementation reviews, re-planning and close-out processes, ensuring timely completion of required actions and documentation.

• Monitor delivery against agreed milestones and proactively identify dependencies, bottlenecks and emerging implementation risks, escalating material issues to the Director with practical recommendations.

• Coordinate programme governance and review meetings, ensuring decisions are documented, actions are assigned and follow-up is completed within agreed timelines.

• Promote consistent programme management standards, tools and ways of working across the portfolio.

Grant Management and Donor Compliance (20%)

• Coordinate grant administration throughout the programme lifecycle, ensuring contractual obligations, donor conditions, reporting requirements and internal controls are understood and met.

• Maintain a consolidated view of grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, contractual commitments and compliance requirements, and follow up with responsible teams to ensure timely action.

• Coordinate operational and management inputs into donor reports, grant reviews, amendments and other submissions, working closely with technical leads and support functions.

• Ensure programme records, grant files, approvals and supporting documentation are complete, current and audit-ready.

• Coordinate preparation for audits, donor reviews and grant close-out processes, and follow through on management actions arising from reviews or assurance activities.

• Provide programme teams with practical guidance on applicable donor and organisational requirements, escalating areas requiring specialist advice.

Financial and Resource Stewardship (20%)

• Lead programme budgeting, forecasting and periodic budget review processes in collaboration with the Director, programme leads and Finance.

• Monitor expenditure, burn rates, commitments and budget utilisation against approved plans, identifying variances early and coordinating corrective action.

• Coordinate budget revisions, reforecasts and resource allocation discussions to support delivery priorities while maintaining donor compliance and value for money.

• Maintain oversight of procurement plans, consultant and service contracts, and other programme commitments to support timely implementation and appropriate use of resources.