I. Introduction
Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR) is an indigenous non-profit organization committed to driving transformative change across health, social, and economic sectors. We work to uplift disadvantaged and underserved communities through evidence-based program design and implementation, capacity building, implementation research, knowledge generation, and multi-stakeholder engagement across various human development domains.
Under the leadership of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Solina serves as a technical partner for the Community Re-orientation Women’s Network (CROWN) initiative. The vision is to improve health, nutrition, education, and income outcomes in rural Nigeria by building a self-sustaining network of culturally competent women who deliver household-level advocacy, share essential health information, and facilitate linkages to services. This work is being implemented across several states in Nigeria (northern states, including Bauchi, Borno, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara) and a few other African countries.
The initiative is designed to strengthen community engagement, increase service uptake, and shift social norms by leveraging the influence of women within their communities. It draws inspiration from successful women-led health platforms around the world—such as Indonesia’s Kaders, Bangladesh’s Shasthya Shebika, Ethiopia’s Women Development Army, and Nigeria’s female polio vaccinators, who were instrumental in securing the country’s polio-free status as certified by the African Regional Certification Commission (ARCC). CROWN builds on the unique trust and access that women have with other women to drive influence, inspire behavior change, and catalyze uptake of life-saving services.
II. Description and Objectives
The Technical Lead is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership across all implementing State Executive Councils (SECs) in Nigeria and in other countries where the CRoWN initiative is operational or expanding. S/he will directly support the SECs and the CRoWN Board to ensure alignment with initiative objectives, promote adoption at scale, and maintain fidelity of implementation.
In this role, the Manager will;
- Lead high-level stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue with government and non-government partners
- Oversee the expansion of the CRoWN initiative to new states in Nigeria and to new countries
- Serve as a key advisor to the Board and SECs, ensuring consistent quality of implementation and continuous improvement
Specific Technical Responsibilities
a. Implementation/technical assistance
- Lead CRoWN adoption approaches for new geographies, including adaptation of the model to fit local contexts
- Serve as the primary liaison with state and national governments, development partners, and other stakeholders in both existing and prospective locations
- Oversee end-to-end implementation of the CRoWN initiative in each state and country, from SECs to Community Chapters
- Provide technical assistance and advisory support to SECs and the Board Secretariat to enhance coordination, accountability, and performance
- Support the establishment, strengthening, and functioning of SECs as state-level coordination platforms
- Coordinate data collection, validation, and use across geographies to monitor progress and demonstrate the impact of the CRoWN initiative
- Facilitate the identification of bottlenecks and drive the implementation of necessary reforms to improve coordination and community-level outcomes
- Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with government MDAs, implementing partners, and donor stakeholders
- Guide strategic thinking and problem-solving for state teams, supporting them to diagnose challenges, interpret data, and design solutions
- Provide mentorship and leadership to state-level CRoWN teams, supporting the development of project leads and coordinators
- Advocate for the implementation of requisite reforms in coordination, linkages with partners, and government stakeholders
- Other relevant duties as assigned
b. Other responsibilities
- Participate actively in internal and external learning forums, promoting knowledge exchange and continuous improvement across geographies
- Prepare and submit regular updates on implementation activities and progress to the Project Director
- Represent the initiative at key stakeholder meetings and events to build visibility and credibility
- Support other tasks related to the advancement of the CRoWN initiative as assigned
III. Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Medicine, Health Administration, or related fields. Master's degree preferred
- Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in health systems strengthening, with significant experience working on primary healthcare or community-level interventions
- Demonstrated experience in capacity building, quality improvement, or program implementation in resource-limited settings
- Prior experience working within or closely with government systems is required
IV. Competencies required
- Proven ability to lead strategic engagements with senior government officials, donors, and implementing partners
- Demonstrated experience designing or implementing demand-side innovations, particularly those targeting behavioral drivers and social norms at the household or community level
- Strong understanding of gender dynamics and ability to design and deliver gender-responsive interventions
- Experience designing and executing behavior change strategies or campaigns in the health or development sectors
- Capacity to synthesize data and insights into action, and support teams through root cause analysis and adaptive implementation
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience writing technical reports, policy briefs, or donor deliverables
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with digital data collection or visualization tools is an advantage
- Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Hausa or another widely spoken local language is an added advantage
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and respond to evolving project needs
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional and multicultural teams
- Proactive and creative in identifying problems and implementing practical, high-impact solutions