Role purpose

Reporting to the CEO, the Program Director will be responsible for strategic technical leadership, investment design, grantmaking, oversight and coordination of a portfolio of Beginnings Fund programs. The position will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Beginnings Fund strategy and exploring additional opportunities to support maternal and newborn health in West Africa. In addition to leading programming, the Program Director will partner with other members of the investment team, engage the Beginnings Fund Technical Advisory Group, and steward strategic partnerships with country governments and other key stakeholders including donors.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Country investment planning

• Lead the completion and refinement of Ghana’s investment plan, working closely with the Ministry of Health and relevant government stakeholders.
• Oversee the development and execution of country-specific investment plans, ensuring alignment with the Beginnings Fund’s overall strategy and priorities.
• Support the translation of investment plans into actionable priorities, including the identification and management of investments in key partners.

Nigeria programme development

• Shape and advance the investment approach in Nigeria by building effective relationships with federal- and state-level government stakeholders and prioritising areas with the highest burden of maternal and newborn health needs.
• Lead the development of a context-specific programme and investment approach, informed by evidence, country priorities and opportunities to strengthen regional impact.
• Identify opportunities to adapt and refine programme approaches based on implementation experience, partner learning and emerging evidence.

Investment strategy and fundraising support

• Work alongside the CEO and Investment Committee to articulate the investment case for Nigeria and support fundraising efforts.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO in driving the impact and strategic direction of the Beginnings Fund.
• In partnership with the CEO, engage the Technical Advisory Group and Investment Committee on strategic programme priorities, investment opportunities and key programmatic decisions.

Strategic grantmaking

• Lead the development and implementation of strategic grantmaking approaches, ensuring investments are catalytic, additional and aligned with country priorities.
• Strengthen and refine grantmaking processes to support high-quality, effective and responsive investments across regional, national and sub-national programmes.
• Promote trust-based grantmaking approaches that strengthen implementing partner and grantee capacity, encourage collaboration and support continuous learning.
• Ensure grantmaking generates rigorous evidence and real-time learning to inform investment decisions and improve programme effectiveness.

Partner identification and management

• Identify, assess and recommend suitable implementing partners, and provide strategic oversight of programme delivery.
• Recommend and manage investments in key partners, ensuring alignment with the Fund’s strategy and intended impact.
• Support partner and grantee capacity strengthening, fostering effective relationships and enabling partners to deliver sustainable results.

Overall programme oversight and coordination of reporting for Beginnings Fund investments

• Provide overall oversight of the Beginnings Fund investments, ensuring effective programme implementation, performance monitoring and accountability for results.
• Coordinate grantee reporting and impact measurement in line with the Fund’s overall impact measurement framework.
• Collaborate with the Measurement and Evaluation team and Technical Advisory Group to implement programme measurement and evaluation approaches.
• Use data, evidence and real-time learning to inform programme adaptation, course-correct where necessary and improve programme effectiveness and sustainability.

Government engagement and sustainability

• Build trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders and ensure government ownership, fiscal sustainability and long-term absorption of investments are considered from the outset.
• Represent the Beginnings Fund in engagements with government leaders, donors and other key stakeholders.
• Engage government stakeholders to build alignment around investment priorities and support the sustainability and scale of successful interventions.

Strategic partnerships

• Develop and manage strategic partnerships at national and regional levels to influence policy, mobilise funding and advocate for scale.
• Explore opportunities for collaboration and partnership to extend the Beginnings Fund’s reach and impact across West Africa.
• Build relationships with donors, regional institutions and other strategic stakeholders to advance shared priorities and strengthen the Fund’s strategic positioning.

Profile 

• 10 years of experience working in a leadership position in global health and development, preferably in maternal and newborn health, within the African continent.
• Master’s degree in public health, Global Health, International Relations, or related field.
• Extensive experience leading program design, grantmaking and execution of programs, ideally in the health sector.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking skills with the ability to rally partners behind ambitious goals.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience working with private philanthropies, grantmaking and reporting a track record of achievement overseeing large-scale programs.
• Knowledge of maternal and newborn health programming.
• Experience working with African governments, nongovernmental organizations, multilateral organizations, and other implementing organizations, preferably in maternal and newborn health.
• Lived experience of the challenges and opportunities of working in developing contexts, preferably in the focus countries in Africa.
• Ability to inspire, motivate, and guide a diverse and dispersed team.
• Willingness to travel 30-50%.
• Excited to work in a startup environment.
• Collaborative and team-driven mindset.
• Strong communication skills.

Terms of Appointment

This is a 2-year renewable contract.

Reports to: CEO

Status: Full-time

Role Location

Proximate to focus countries in West Africa: Ghana or Nigeria.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please ensure you complete the Application Form provided below by 27 November 2026 (23:59 hrs, GMT +1). It is essential that you submit your CV in English, specifically in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx), not exceeding 10MB.

Applications in other languages or formats will not be considered.

Rest assured, all information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.

SRI Executive is exclusively retained by the Beginnings Fund to undertake this assignment.