Deputy Team Leader

Job Overview: 

The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme will support a more stable and peaceful Nigeria, the impact of which will be that citizens will benefit from reduced violence and increased resilience to climate change. It will achieve this by supporting Nigerian stakeholders to resolve conflict and improve security, justice, and natural resource management challenges in target areas. 
SPRiNG will support locally led enhancements to conflict prevention, violence reduction, security and justice and natural resource management; work to remove or lessen the impact of critical barriers to peace; and support partnerships for peace with likeminded international partners to multiply funding spent by the FCDO 
SPRiNG is a politically led programme and is grounded in research, evidence, and science, including political economy, conflict analysis, and environmental science to ensure that the Programme is addressing the root causes of violence. SPRiNG is problem driven, evidence based, iterative, adaptive in approach, reflective, responsive, and scalable. 
SPRiNG will seek to address a complex set of interwoven political, conflict, and ecological conflict drivers impacting security across North-West and North-Central Nigeria.

The SPRiNG Programme is seeking a dynamic and experienced Deputy Team Leader to support the overall coordination, strategic direction, and technical oversight of the programme. Working closely with the Team Leader, the Deputy Team Leader will play a critical role in ensuring timely and high-quality implementation across linked components, facilitating integration of learning into delivery, and supporting engagement with key stakeholders, including government counterparts and donor partners.
Based in Abuja, this role will report directly to the Team Leader and will supervise cross-functional teams, lead the preparation of programme reports and policy briefs, and contribute to adaptive programme management. The Deputy Team Leader will also represent the programme at strategic platforms and coordinate across technical and operational teams to ensure cohesion and alignment with SPRiNG’s objectives.

Main Duties:

Strategic and Programme Coordination

• Support the Team Leader in providing overall technical oversight and delivery across programme components.
• Supervise and coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with the programme’s theory of change, logframe and strategic objectives.
• Facilitate inter-component collaboration and ensure effective communication between regional teams and core units.
• Contribute to programme reviews, decision-making processes, and adaptation cycles.
• Support the development and updating of programme strategies, ensuring alignment with FCDO objectives and evolving context in Nigeria.
• Support the Team Leader in developing and maintaining a strategic vision for the programme, ensuring coherence across all components and appropriate alignment with national and regional peace-building frameworks.
• Lead on and oversee the development of annual work plans and other formal requirements, ensuring they are informed by evidence and stakeholder input.

Technical and Analytical Leadership

• Contribute to the drafting and quality assurance of policy briefs, technical reports, and donor submissions.
• Support integrating learning from Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) into programme design and delivery.
• Promote conflict sensitivity and climate resilience across interventions by working closely with technical leads.
• Provide technical leadership in mainstreaming gender equity, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across all programme activities.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build effective relationships with government agencies, civil society organisations, donor partners, and community stakeholders.
• Represent the programme in external meetings, donor platforms, and partner coordination forums as assigned.
• Facilitate communication between project teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment and buy-in.
• Support the preparation of advocacy materials and programme visibility tools in collaboration with the Communications Advisor.
• Lead or co-lead strategic partnerships and alliances with other donor-funded programmes, think tanks, and academic institutions to leverage synergies and avoid duplication.
• Ensure timely and transparent communication with FCDO and other donors on programme progress, challenges, and opportunities.

Operational Support

• Coordinate the implementation of field activities in collaboration with regional and thematic leads.
• Assist with identifying programme risks and supporting mitigation strategies in conflict-sensitive environments.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of internal and donor-facing reports.
• Contribute to developing operational plans and ensure adherence to programme timelines and deliverables.
• Ensure alignment between field operations and central programme directives, fostering consistency and quality across locations.
• Oversee compliance with FCDO’s Value for Money (VfM) principles and contribute to VfM reporting.

Team Management and Capacity Building

• Provide leadership and guidance to junior staff, technical consultants, and implementing partners.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and performance management processes.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive work culture that promotes continuous learning and accountability.
• Identify and address staff capacity needs through tailored training and mentorship initiatives.
• Lead periodic staff retreats or learning events to foster team cohesion and reflective practice.

Aptitude and skills:

• Demonstrated experience working on FCDO, USAID, or other donor-funded programmes.
• Strong technical writing and communication skills, with experience developing reports, briefs, and donor communications.
• Familiarity with adaptive programming, political economy analysis, and iterative learning approaches.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to coordinate and supervise teams in diverse locations.
• Willingness to travel frequently to project sites in North-West and North-Central Nigeria.
• Demonstrated understanding and practical knowledge of peace, security and climate thematic issues in the North West States of Nigeria (NW/NC).
• Fluency in languages in the North Central and North West zones of Nigeria.
• Experience in leading multi-sectoral teams in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
• Proven ability to navigate complex political and institutional environ-ments and maintain neutrality and credibility.
• Experience with digital tools for programme management, such as project dashboards, remote collaboration platforms, and MEL systems.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in political science, Development Studies, Public Policy, Con-flict Studies, or a related field.
• A proven track record with reoccurring demonstrable experience in international development, preferably within peacebuilding, governance, or community resilience programmes.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion:

In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, Tetra Tech prides itself on a workplace culture that complies with and ensures the workplace is free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, racism, and hate speech of any form regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, marriage, and civil partnerships. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for this role.

Disability Confident Employer:

Disability Confident is a UK government scheme that supports employers in creating and fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces. We have self-identified as registered disability confident participants.

Request An Accessible Format: 

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Safeguarding:  

Tetra Tech International Development has robust policies and guidelines which exemplify our commitment to safeguarding and technical excellence in gender equality. Our team of dedicated GEDSI advisers work closely with our staff and partners to ensure a context-specific and consistent approach is applied to all of our programmes to improve the livelihoods of the world’s most marginalised groups.

Region: United Kingdom and Europe Teams and Clients

Role Category: Headquarters Positions or Project Opportunities