Overview
The Chief of Party (COP) will provide vision, leadership and direction to ensure the strategic, programmatic, technical, and financial integrity for an upcoming USAID integrated health project in Malawi. This project aims to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity by increasing the capacity of the Government of Malawi institutions and local organizations to introduce, deliver, scale up, and sustain the use of evidence-based, quality maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services, voluntary family planning (FP), and reproductive health (RH) care. The project will operate over a five-year period.
The COP will have the overall responsibility for leadership and management of and reporting on the recipient’s activities, making key decisions and solving problems in short timeframes while ensuring operational and program quality and integrity and serving as the recipient’s first point of interface with USAID on routine and strategic matters. This includes ensuring effective organizational management and communication interacting with other projects, host country governments at all levels, and international partners and agencies.
This position is contingent upon award from USAID. Malawian nationals strongly encouraged to apply.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure programmatic and financial integrity of the integrated health project and to achieve rapid and sustained project goals, objectives and targets
- Ensure compliance with the project results and oversight of project activities to achieve the stated objectives
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships and alliances with USAID, the Malawian Ministry of Health, other USG implementing partners, private sector partners and other key stakeholders in Malawi to maximize resources and avoid duplication of effort
- Represent Jhpiego’s interests and present progress, achievements and lessons learned to key Malawian stakeholders including USAID and implementing partners in public and professional circles through meetings, conferences, and presentations
- Provide technical leadership in the design, analysis, and synthesis of interventions
- Ensure the quality and sustainability of interventions within Government health facilities particularly in the areas of maternal, newborn, and child health, family planning/reproductive health, health systems strengthening, and capacity building of district staff and national partners;
- Participate in relevant technical advisory groups with counterparts and partner institutions
- Lead the annual work planning process in close collaboration with USAID, Malawian Ministry of Health, project team, and project partners
- Oversee preparation of periodic project reports to donor
- Mentor, support, supervise, and manage a team of highly qualified staff and align their efforts to ensure rapid and sustainable results
- Provide guidance, in collaboration with key staff, to subcontractors and subgrantees and coordinate activities with other agencies
- Manage multiple project partners
- Write and/or review technical components of materials and publications related to integrated health and its development
- Ensure resources for project implementation are available
- Work with finance and project staff to develop and track project budgets and ensure project is implemented in budget.
- Work with Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) staff to develop M&E frameworks and effectively track data and results and establish a culture of data for decision making
- Work closely with Jhpiego home office staff to ensure effective, timely and coordinated project implementation
- Ensure compliance with USAID operational policies and regulations
Required Qualification:
- Advanced degree in public health, health administration, international health, or a related field
- Previous experience serving as COP or DCOP
- 10+ years’ experience managing large, multi-year international health sector development projects (approximately $10M per year) that have implemented successful activities in areas such as maternal, newborn and child health, family planning/reproductive health, health systems strengthening
- Demonstrated experience managing consortiums and building capacity of local organizations
- Demonstrated experience and knowledge in establishing systems and overseeing project start-up
- Understanding of the Malawian (or similar) social and political context, and developments in the health sector
- Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving program needs
- Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with USAID missions, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, PVOs, the private sector and other donors
- In-depth knowledge of USAID projects, regulations, compliance, and reporting
- Demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, organizational, team-building, and representational skills
- Management, training, or clinical background in maternal, newborn, and child health, family planning/reproductive health, or health systems strengthening
- Expertise in translating research to practice—identifying best practices and adapting them to project realities, with strong attention to quality of care
- Previous experience working in Malawi, with intimate understanding of local health system and health systems strengthening, family planning/reproductive health, and maternal, neonatal, and child health care gaps and opportunities, and solid relationships at government agencies
- Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines, and intense pressure to perform
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including TEAMS and PowerBi
- Fluent in written and spoken English
- Excellent oral and written communications skills
- Ability to travel nationally