Programmes Coordinator

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT@ Rays of Hope Ministries

POSITION: PROGRAMMES COORDINATOR 

Location: Blantyre 

BACKGROUND

Rays of Hope Ministries is a local nonprofit organization based in Malawi collaborating with the Government of Malawi in education and social interventions. The organization equips teachers, and educate children and youth. Rays of Hope in collaboration with Government and GENET have partnered with Splash International and will implement the WASH in Schools for Everyone (WISE) Project in 181 public schools across Lilongwe and Blantyre cities. The WISE Project main goal is to improve sanitation facilities in schools thereby benefitting girls’ menstrual health which may likely increase their school attendance and further lead to improved learning outcomes. Rays of Hope’s focus area in this project is the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) management component while GENET’s main focus is on menstrual hygiene management (MHM). To this end, the organization intends to recruit the project lead to successfully lead the implementation of the program.

REPORTING LINE

Reports to: Programs Manager  

Location: Blantyre with frequent support to the project in Lilongwe  

Contract Type: [Full-time | Renewable]

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Project lead will be responsible for managing a school based WASH component of the WISE Project. The position demands provision of technical oversight, implementation of behavior change interventions, and overall project management. He or she will oversee the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the hygiene promotion program focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene in Blantyre and Lilongwe Districts. This includes facilitating the coordination between the implementing partners: Splash International, GENET and the Government.

Reporting to Programs Manager, the Project Lead will provide leadership at district-level planning, coordination and implementation of the project. She/he will work closely with the district level stakeholders such as the office of the District Education Manager at district, zonal and school levels, District Health Office. He or she will support the creation of opportunities for effective partnerships, collaboration and joint planning of the project interventions. The Project Lead will also participate in the designing of the holistic approach to the project materials including monitoring and documentation of the key performance indicators.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Stakeholders Engagement

Reinforce collaboration among project partners including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Social Welfare, NGOs and local communities in implementation of the project.

Facilitate co-design, and joint implementation of program components with government stakeholders and partners to strengthen ownership and sustainability.

In collaboration with the management, represent the program in high-level engagements with government, partners, and stakeholders.

Program Design and Delivery

Provide overall leadership in the design and execution of WASH initiatives and ensure that the project is implemented on time with ultimate quality and within budget in the targeted schools and communities.

Ensure alignment between program design, implementation plans, and national WASH priorities

Develop, schedule and track daily project activities with careful attention paid to the detailed implementation plans and subsequent allocated funds.

Mobilize students and staff by supporting the creation and or revamping of WASH clubs, and hygiene promotion programs ensuring that the clubs are functional and achieving their objectives.

Technical Leadership

Maintain implementation discipline by ensuring that WASH initiatives operate within a continuous feedback loop, driving sustained WASH and hygiene improvement.

Lead, coordinate and monitor the field officers and other key stakeholders with technical thoughtfulness making sure that targets and set expected results are met; assesssing the implementation, taking on necessary correction to ensure that the thory of change is followed through and or being fixed in consistent with the set detailed implementation plan.

Provide technical leadership in the implementation of the Project WISE ensuring that the project goals, milestones and key performance indicators are on track and are achieved with excellency.

Oversee the application of WASH practices in the schools ensuring that the WASH component of the Project WISE translate into effective behaviour change and practices among the targeted schools and the surrounding communities.

Devise and institutionalize the WASH programming as an adopted practice among the targeted schools and communities.

Quality Assurance, Learning, and Adaptive Management

Establish and oversee quality assurance systems to monitor fidelity of implementation of the project WISE focusing on WASH.

Institute systematic collection, analysis, and use of program data to inform decision-making, continuous improvement, and adaptive management.

Lead structured reflection and learning processes at program level and embed insights from implementation into actionable improvements.

Promote a culture of learning and accountability, where data is actively used to improve program effectiveness rather than for reporting alone.

Team, Program and Community Delivery Oversight

Offer strategic guidance and support to staff to ensure high-quality program implementation.

Provide leadership to program staff, including work planning, performance management, coaching, and professional development.

Lead program planning processes, including annual work planning, budgeting, and implementation scheduling.

Strengthen the technical capacity of program teams in areas such as facilitation, effective monitoring and data use.

Ensure effective coordination of program activities across, schools, and relevant government structures.

Oversee resource allocation and utilization to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and value for money.

Identify and manage program risks, including operational, contextual, and implementation-related risks, and implement mitigation strategies.

Promote timely and coordinated delivery of program outputs in line with agreed targets and milestones.

Support coordination and alignment between technical, operational, and MEAL functions within the program.

Reporting, Knowledge Management, and Strategic Communication

Ensure timely production of high-quality program reports (monthly, quarterly, and annual), aligned with donor and organizational requirements.

Make all reports analytical, reflective, and learning-oriented, providing insights into program performance and areas for improvement.

Support the consolidation of program data into dashboards, briefs, and knowledge products to support decision-making and communication.

Facilitate structured discussions with senior leadership on program performance, ensuring clear action points and management responses.

ATTRIBUTES AND REQUIREMENTS

Degree in water engineering, environmental health, public health, or a closely related field.

Demonstrated technical leadership experience in managerial or top managerial positions in health related programs/projects

Minimum 3 to 5 years of progressive experience in health projects focussing on WASH programming ideally targeting schools or institutional WASH.

Deep understanding of water and sanitation hygiene issues in primary schools in Malawi coupled with practical professional experience related to such including behavior change methodologies and project cycle management.

Strong oral and written communication skills in English, computer literacy and the ability to logically presents facts.

MODE OF APPLICATION

If you are interested in serving as the WASH Project Lead and meet the requirements as described above please submit your application and motivation letters, demonstrating why you qualify for the positions, together with your current Curriculum vitae and names of three traceable referees, some of whom should be your most current supervisors, to recruitment@raysofhopemalawi.org: addressing:

The Human Resource Administration Officer  

Rays of Hope Ministries  

P. O. Box E365, Post Dot Net,  

Blantyre, Malawi.

CLOSING DATE

Closing date for the receipt of applications is Monday 8th June, 2026. Rays of Hope appreciates all candidates but please note that it will only enter into correspondence with shortlisted candidates.