General Secretary Job at YMCA

YMCA of Lagos is one of the oldest Christian Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria with a focus on youth development.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: General Secretary
Job Location: Lagos
Contract type: 4 years (Renewable)

Details

• YMCA of Lagos seeks a General Secretary to manage and substantially develop existing programmes. The post offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced and dynamic individual to make a significant contribution to the organisation’s work.
• We seek exceptional interpersonal and strong strategic planning skills, and experience in advocacy and community impact. Working within a motivated team of staff and alongside local partners, government and private sector, the candidate will have several years representational and project management experience, ideally with participatory development approaches.
• A positive disposition, can-do attitude, strategic, analytical and leadership skills are essential.
• Programme/project design experience in a membership Non-Governmental Organization is a plus.
• Experience with YMCA activities is a major asset
• Responsible to: The Board of Management through the Chairman of the Board of Management.
• Responsible for: Programmes Staff; Finance and Administration staff; Support and adhoc staff (approximately 25 staff and others as recruited) all based in Nigeria.

Job Purpose

• The General Secretary will provide strategic leadership and management in developing the YMCA of Lagos programme across themes and coverage areas.
• He will have responsibility for ensuring that all aspects of programms are managed effectively, to ensure that YMCA of Lagos continues to play a valuable and influential role in our immediate community and our world at large.
• The following duties & responsibilities will in part be delegated or managed by other staff – however, overall responsibility for ensuring performance at all levels will rest with the General Secretary.

Responsibilities
Programme Direction, Management and Development:

• To develop programmes/projects based on existing Organisational Strategy and to carry out structured strategic reviews to respond to changing circumstances.
• To proactively seek new opportunities for funding of projects through in-country and external relationship building with donors and the submission of programme initiatives.
• To support the continued development of Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management.
• To ensure continued funding for the programmes/projects through well-researched proposal preparation and clear operational plans.
• To ensure that adequate assessments are carried out in accordance with good work practice.
• To ensure systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating impact of programme/project activities.
• To prepare reports for donors, both financial and narrative, in accordance with donor requirements.
• To write reports as required for organisational information & risk management processes.
• To build and maintain positive and professional relationships with existing and possible new partners; meaning actively communicating and working with government, private and civil society partners and communities on programme/project development, proposal articulation and report writing.
• To identify areas for capacity building with sub-grantees, such as results-based management, project cycle management, strategy development, organisational development, human resource management, financial management, governance, etc.
• To ensure MOUs and funding-specific sub-contracts are in place with all partners for all projects.
• To ensure systems, procedures, compliance and risk management are maintained to the highest standard.

Representation:

• To ensure that relationships are developed with government, corporate partners, NGOs, and civil society to enable the appropriate development of programmes/projects.
• To represent YMCA of Lagos at government, Embassies/ Delegations, the UN and other international agencies, donors and partners and other bodies including the media and the general public.
• To be cognisant of advocacy opportunities and, following internal discussion and agreement, to develop these as appropriate through the media, government, the UN, international agencies, donors and diplomatic missions in close consultation with the Chairman of the Board of Management.
• To contribute to the promotion of effective co-ordination between YMCA of Lagos, Government, UN, NGOs and where appropriate, other bodies.

Staff Management and Development:

• To provide solid leadership and direct line management support to all members of staff.
• To encourage staff involvement and commitment to the running of programmes/projects through regular meetings and visits and a participatory team approach to decision making.
• To assist in the further development and implementation of the operational structure and staffing requirement for the effective implementation of YMCA of Lagos activities.
• To ensure the Employee Condition of Service and other relevant policies, code of conduct and ethics for staff is reviewed on a regular basis, along with all related organisational policies and procedures.
• To ensure that all staff have well defined and understood contracts and job descriptions.
• To ensure that all staff participate in bi-annual appraisals.
• To identify the training needs of staff and ensure processes are in place to support and encourage appropriate personal and professional development of staff within the context of the organisational objectives.
• To conduct exit interviews for line-managed staff before they leave YMCA of Lagos.

Resources and Financial Management:

• To outline the resource requirements for programmes/projects and ensure that systems are in place for the effective management of resources in relation to finance, transport, supplies and capital assets, including maintenance of assets register and vehicle logbooks.
• To ensure that effective and secure budgetary control of programme/project finances and expenditures are established and maintained, in line with YMCA of Lagos financial procedures & guidelines.
• To monitor project finances on a monthly basis and liaise with donors if necessary, regarding projected under or over-expenditure.
• To provide financial reports on a monthly basis to the Management.
• To prepare an annual budget for core costs and identify where funding will come from to cover these expenses.

Person Specification
Qualifications:

• Relevant Master’s level qualification or similar academic achievement.
• Must not be more than 50 years of age as at December 2019.

Key skills and competencies:

• Commitment to the values and mission of YMCA of Lagos.
• Commitment to the capacity building of internal and external institutions based on mutual respect and a partnership approach.
• Positive outlook and stand-alone disposition.
• Determined hard worker, capable of rapid and quality turn around on a high workload and multiple tasks.
• Proactive approach to problem solving in difficult and isolated locations.
• Outgoing personality with solid interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Self-starter, capable of innovatively developing programmes and projects
• Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to demands and development of programmes and projects.
• Attention to details and a flexible approach to work.
• Excellent communication and team-building skills, with the ability to build good relations, both internally and externally.
• Numeric skills, including proven understanding of financial management.
• Excellent planning, co-ordination and prioritization skills.
• Experience of grant design, management and reporting to major donors.

Experience:

• Experience with youth engagement, management and development
• Volunteer recruitment, development and management experience
• Interpersonal and relationship building.
• Working with the corporate sector.
• Evidence with youth, advocacy and community development programmes and projects
• Minimum of Ten (10) years’ work experience, with at least five (5) in youth and community development project management capacity.
• Good understanding of financial terms and documents.

Languages:

• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to speak and understand the precailing local language in Lagos would be desirable, but not essential.

Remuneration
Salary: competitive

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV, a short Covering Letter, to: careers@ymcaoflagos.org using the "Job title" as subject of the email.