Health Project Manager At Expertise France

Job title: PROJECT MANAGER

Reporting to : Operations Department > Health Department – DEPSAN > PSD Pole

Country or geographic area: Paris

Contract duration: 12 months renewable

Nature of contract: CDDU

Expertise France

Expertise France, a public agency for international technical cooperation, works alongside partner countries to advise and support them in strengthening their public policies. To this end, the agency coordinates and implements projects of national or regional scope in the main areas of public action:

• democratic, economic and financial governance;
• peace, stability and security;
• climate, biodiversity and sustainable development;
• health and human development.

In these areas, Expertise France carries out engineering and implementation missions for capacity building projects, mobilizes technical expertise and plays a role as a project coordinator involving public expertise and private know-how.

The project

In a context of a global shortage of human resources for health (HRH) estimated at around 18 million by 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in low- and lower-middle-income countries, investment in HRH training is a global health priority.

The “HRH strengthening support project” – financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) to the tune of six (6) million euros – is entrusted to Expertise France with the general objective of contributing to improving the accessibility and quality of health services by strengthening HRH capacities in the targeted intervention countries.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

1. Support the structuring and capacity building of the Network of French-speaking Schools in Public Health (REFESP) [1]

This support for strengthening the capacities of REFESP will be provided through two complementary methods :

1. The mobilization of a short-term technical assistance system to support the strengthening of the institutional capacities of REFESP, which will be managed by Expertise France;
2. The signing of a grant contract with REFESP to enable them to ensure the thematic animation of the network, organize international events to promote the development of HR training and increase its communication and visibility.
3. Identify and support innovative training project leaders who are sensitive to specific gender and climate issues

The identification of innovative HRH project leaders (advanced practices, distance learning, etc.) will be done through (i) the activation of the AFD Group network and (ii) the publication of an international call for projects (CFP). In this context, a Scientific and Technical Committee – composed of individual experts recruited via a call for applications – will be set up to support (i) the formalization of the call for projects (CFP) and (ii) the selection of project leaders who will benefit from technical and/or financial support from Expertise France within the framework of this project.

The selected projects will be able to benefit from different types of support depending on the needs identified (subsidy contracts, technical assistance, support for the assembly and instruction of projects through the mobilization of the Cap Compétences facility ).

1. Valorize the knowledge generated in the projects to promote the mobilization of sustainable financial and technical resources

Evidence from supported projects is documented and used for scientific advocacy purposes/popularized and disseminated within the networks of actors mobilized on the theme of strengthening HRH. This is with the aim of promoting innovative practices and securing the most promising projects that are able to scale up.

It will also involve consolidating/listing a pool of innovative projects and HR experts.

As a priority, the project will target areas of the French-speaking world, and more specifically North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indo-Pacific region and Southeast Asia.

The major challenges of this project are as follows:

• Governance: the plurality of actors mobilized and operating methods (technical assistance, retrocession of funds, etc.) implies several levels of coordination (technical, institutional, operational). Similarly, the multiplicity of actors and programs at the national, regional and global levels on this HRH theme leads to confusion, duplication, and fragmentation of the response (loss of efficiency);
• Contracts and purchases: numerous public procurement contracts are planned, via different forms of implementation contracts and methods of publication and competition;
• Activation of existing networks, to identify potential partners and innovative projects in HR training;
• In-depth monitoring/support of project leaders receiving subsidies is necessary to guarantee an appropriate accountability system and reduce financial risks and execution delays;
• Sustainability of innovative initiatives: it is necessary that the projects supported are selected according to precise criteria to ensure that the most promising projects are secured and that they are able to scale up (level of maturity, solid and long-standing local roots, good integration into national health strategies, etc.);
• Knowledge production: the project must enable Expertise France to demonstrate its added value on the theme and on the method of intervention of the project.

Job Description

The position is based in Paris with regular travel to the countries of intervention.

This project involves two technical departments of Expertise France: the Health Department (DEPSAN) as lead and the Human Capital and Social Development Department (CHDS) which hosts the Cap Compétences facility (see above). The Project Manager will therefore be in contact with these two technical departments.

The Project Manager is placed under the hierarchical responsibility of the PSD Pole Manager within the DEPSAN of Expertise France.

He/she works in functional liaison with a Project Manager and a Project Assistant at headquarters as well as with the Cap Compétences team which will be made up of a Project Manager supported by a Project Assistant.

He/she has under his/her direct supervision (hierarchical management) an Administrative and Financial Manager (RAF) and a SERA Officer (recruitment planned for year 2).

He/she works in close coordination with the “France team” of the countries in which the project will be implemented (French Embassy, ​​AFD Agencies, etc.) and the regional and national authorities.

The main missions entrusted to the Project Manager are as follows:

Operational and strategic project management

In conjunction with the Project Manager at headquarters and the RAF:

• He/she ensures the proper implementation of the project in accordance with the technical, calendar, budgetary and legal expectations provided for in the contract signed between Expertise France and the AFD;
• He/she defines the strategic and operational orientations of the project, in consultation with all stakeholders, in compliance with the contractual framework;
• He/she ensures the coordination of the project with current or future policies, programs and projects in the intervention areas;
• He/she supervises and coordinates the planning, management and implementation of activities, in close collaboration with stakeholders (REFESP, France team, authorities of beneficiary countries, experts, project leaders, etc.);
• He/she actively contributes to the formalization, publication and wide dissemination of the international call for projects as well as to the selection of beneficiary projects;
• He/she monitors the implementation (operational and financial) of grant contracts by project leaders and adapts the support/assistance provided to them according to the capacities of each with the aim of capacity building and risk mitigation, in close collaboration with the RAF;
• He/she reports the difficulties encountered and/or contextual elements (sectoral, security, etc.) which could have an impact on the successful completion of activities.

Institutional and partnership relations, governance

• He/she ensures good representation and regular discussions with all stakeholders in the project;
• He/she ensures the link with the French teams based in the countries of intervention;
• He/she is responsible for the proper conduct of institutional relations with authorities at local, national and regional levels (ministries of health and higher education, regional organizations, intergovernmental organizations). To this end, he/she ensures transparent and smooth monitoring of the activities implemented;
• He/she is responsible for coordinating with technical and financial partners (TFPs) active in the health sector and more specifically those involved in the HRH theme at the national, regional and global levels (international organizations, existing networks, public health institutions, training establishments, etc.) to develop synergies;
• He/she is the guarantor of good governance of the project and to this end, he/she organizes and leads/co-leads the various coordination, exchange and consultation bodies with all stakeholders (monitoring and steering committees, scientific and technical committee, etc.);
• He/she coordinates the organization and framing of internal or external missions linked to the project (headquarters missions, short-term expert missions, etc.);
• He/she actively contributes to the identification of partners and potential projects on the theme as well as to the development and maintenance of a network of partners (public, private) and experts (national, regional and international).

Administrative and financial management

In close collaboration with the RAF and the Project Assistant at the Expertise France headquarters:

• He/she ensures that budget planning is consistent with operational planning;
• He/she consolidates the budgetary monitoring of the project;
• He/she regularly takes stock of commitments, disbursements and budget forecasts;
• He/she ensures that the elements necessary for the proper monitoring of projects are updated on time (budgetary and forecast monitoring of expenditure, procurement plan, audit schedule/donor reporting);
• He/she ensures that the RAF has the elements necessary for Expertise France’s internal reporting (financial monitoring, forecasts and budget closures) and for external financial reporting to the lessor;
• He/she contributes to compliance with the procedures imposed by the lessor and Expertise France (rules of eligibility of expenses, procurement, subsidies, reporting);
• He/she ensures that the reporting of beneficiary partners complies with the requirements of Expertise France.

Monitoring-evaluation-capitalization

In conjunction with the Project Manager and the SERA Manager, and with the support of dedicated people at Expertise France headquarters:

• He/she supports the implementation, at the start of the project, of the monitoring and evaluation system;
• He/she is responsible for monitoring the project’s indicators (quantitative and qualitative);
• He/she ensures participation in data analysis and ensures that gender is taken into account and that project strategies are implemented;
• He/she is responsible for preparing interim and final activity reports for the donor (narrative and financial), in accordance with deadlines and contractual terms;
• He/she coordinates and consolidates the development of various reports relating to the project’s activities (reports of workshops, meetings, training, missions, etc.);
• He/she coordinates and leads the various internal project management exercises (monthly reporting, half-yearly review, annual review, etc.);
• He/she supervises and validates the implementation of the project’s communication and visibility plan;
• He/she contributes to the process of capitalization, documentation and dissemination of good practices, experiences and evidence from innovations supported within the framework of the project. To this end, he/she contributes to the identification of needs in specific CT/perlée expertise and supports the development of TDRs and the recruitment of experts.

Team management and expert management/supervision

• He/she participates in the recruitment of project team members, in conjunction with the team at headquarters;
• He/she ensures the direct management of the members of the project team (monitoring-evaluation, support, work organization, etc.);
• He/she makes every effort to encourage and anchor team working relationships and ensure the smoothest possible flow of information between members. To do this, he/she organizes, among other things, team meetings and writes up the minutes/decision records.
• He/she contributes to the development of the terms of reference (TOR) and the recruitment of experts mobilized to meet the needs of the project;
• He/she provides briefing and debriefing for the experts involved and supports them in the smooth running of their mission;
• He/she ensures quality control of the reports and key deliverables of the project produced by the experts.
• He/she leads the work of the team of experts mobilized to ensure the proper operational implementation of the strategic orientations of the project;

Security

In conjunction with the Project Manager and with the support of the Headquarters Security Department:

• He/she ensures the existence and dissemination of security rules and their compliance by the project teams;
• He/she identifies potential security needs and forwards them to the security department at headquarters;
• He/she contributes to the management of the security of property and people.

This list is not exhaustive, the missions and activities stated are not limiting.

Profile

Qualifications/Technical skills :

• Master’s degree in international cooperation, development, project management, political science, social sciences, health economics, public health or other relevant field;
• Excellent command of project management and steering, mainly in the health sector;
• Excellent skills in multidisciplinary and multicultural team management/coordination;
• Good command of cooperation mechanisms, public development aid, international cooperation actors;
• Excellent skills in leading high-level dialogue with institutional partners, as well as with civil society and the private sector;
• Excellent ability to mobilize, maintain, coordinate and lead networks of actors (experts, institutional actors, civil society, authorities, etc.);
• Excellent ability to build relationships of trust with national and international partners;
• Very good written and oral communication skills (writing technical reports, analysis documents, reports, activity reports, definition of terms of reference, etc.);
• Very good command of office tools;
• Excellent command of French and English (written and oral).

Professional experience:

• At least 10 years of experience in international solidarity project management (humanitarian or international cooperation) and/or technical assistance in the health field;
• At least 2 significant experiences in the field as Head and/or Project or Team Coordinator on a large-scale institutional technical assistance or capacity building project;
• Minimum of 5 years’ prior experience in team management;
• Experience in team coordination and management;
• Experience in governance and supporting local authorities would be an asset.

Skills:

• Strong coordination and teamwork skills;
• Sense of diplomacy, very good interpersonal skills;
• Initiative, autonomy and responsiveness;
• Ability to make decisions and manage;
• Writing skills;
• Analytical and synthesis skills;
• Sense of organization and anticipation;
• Adaptation skills.

Additional information:

Desired start date: January 2025

Document(s) to provide: CV and cover letter

Application deadline: December 9, 2024

[1] Association under the 1901 law, established on March 18, 2021 under the presidency of the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP) and in the presence of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). The objective of creating the network was to federate establishments providing higher education in public health validated by the competent national authority of the State concerned. Bringing together fourteen public health establishments in twelve geographies, the REFESP operates on the basis of a onerous membership fee for members, and the voluntary mobilization of representatives of the establishments involved.