Chief of Party/USAID/Ethiopia/Supply Chain

Job Description

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is seeking a Chief of Party for a potential five-year Supply Chain for Health Improvement Program (SCHIP) in Ethiopia. The purpose of the program is to develop the capacity of local systems, institutions, and individuals to sustainably manage the health supply chain and to strengthen pharmaceutical services at all levels including the community level, thereby ensuring uninterrupted availability of life saving commodities at service delivery points. This will include a focus on a strategic shift in the public sector’s role in supply chain and pharmaceutical management from beyond being simply operators and service providers to becoming stewards of commodity and service availability and security, including strengthening private sector partnerships to provide operational support. In general, the focus of the activity will be supporting the Government of Ethiopia (GOE), specifically the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Services (EPSS) and respective sub-national leadership, private sector, and other local actors to manage and implement the supply chain and pharmaceutical services to support delivery of quality, essential health services for Ethiopian citizens.

This position is subject to project award and funding.

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief of Party leads and manages the project and is accountable for project deliverables and results, with full accountability and authority for the development, execution, and monitoring of the project, including vision and technical strategy; project management; documentation and communication; client(s) stakeholder(s) relationships; and coordination and synergy with other MSH projects. This accountability includes effective contribution to business and resource development activities - including positioning, intelligence gathering, and proposal development - that contribute to fueling MSH’s mission.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Results:

• Oversee implementation of program activities and provides high quality technical and strategic leadership, managerial oversight, and administration of the project.

• Serve as the primary project liaison from MSH to the donor and is accountable for the achievement of results, ensuring quality of services is maintained at the highest standard, and that all project objectives and deliverables are met.

• Safeguard MSH’s reputation by ensuring that financial, contractual, technical, and political integrity is maintained and strengthened.

• Technical Strategy and Vision:

• Develop (update and adapt as needed) and execute project results framework, performance monitoring plan, technical strategy, MERL plan and annual work plans as per contract/agreement requirements, MSH technical frameworks and standards.

• Ensure appropriate and timely documentation and dissemination of key results and deliverables for maximum project impact and business development using a variety of communication strategies and media.

• Project and People Management:

• Ensure effective contract/agreement implementation in strict compliance with contract/agreement clauses, MSH and donor policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• Ensure project staffing, structure and reporting relationships are aligned with project needs, local context and available resources.

• Manage and mentor the project team as per MSH policies and guidelines and implement an effective performance-management program including regular check-ins, annual appraisals, supportive supervision, rewards, training, coaching and career development support.

• Client and other Stakeholder Relationships:

• Build and maintain strong working relations with key internal and external stakeholders, beneficiaries, prime and subcontractors, suppliers and partners. Provide effective and timely responses to inquiries and concerns.

• Identify and keep track of new business opportunities, communicating them to the relevant internal MSH stakeholders.

• MPH, MBA or master’s level degree in related field.

• 10+ years of progressively responsible, related experience in leading the implementation of pharmaceutical and/or supply chain related projects at national and regional levels.

• Demonstrated subject-matter expertise in technical content relevant to the project.

• Demonstrated leadership and management abilities.

• Prior experience and success directing similar or larger international donor-funded projects in Ethiopia.

• Demonstrated strategic planning and visioning skills.

• Familiarity with USAID regulations and administrative procedures in the implementation of donor assisted projects.

• Proven record of aligning diverse, multi-level teams with project mission and vision. Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives, and sharing credit.

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with senior-level colleagues, particularly interacting productively, proactively, and comfortably with government agencies, NGOs, private sector groups, USAID CAs, and donor organizations.

• Demonstrated strategic agility, diplomacy, conflict management, team building, written and oral communication, and negotiation skills.

• Fluency in English and Amharic required.

• Local candidates with international experience strongly preferred.

About the Organization

Management Sciences for Health, an international nonprofit organization, is dedicated to closing the gap between what is known and what is done about public health problems. MSH saves lives and improves health by helping public and private organizations throughout the world to effectively manage people, medicines, money, and information. Working from more than 30 country offices and our US headquarters, our staff from 65 nations is highly regarded for its technical expertise, integrity, and commitment to making a lasting difference in health.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a nonprofit international health organization composed of more than 2,000 people from 73 nations. Their mission is to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health. Together with their partners, they are helping managers and leaders in developing countries to create stronger management systems that improve health services for the greatest health impact.

EXPERTISE

MSH takes an integrated approach to building high-impact sustainable programs that address critical challenges in leadership, health systems management, human resources, and medicines. Simply put, they support stronger health systems for greater health impact.

Their expertise in these areas falls into the broad categories of management functions—for example, leadership and governance or pharmaceutical management—and health areas like tuberculosis or maternal, newborn, and child health. They apply their expertise by

• Partnering with governments, local organizations, and communities in developing nations to build their own capacity for long-term health impact;
• Providing global leadership in critical areas of health management and health care delivery;
• Bringing the best of MSH from around the globe to the people we serve, working as One MSH with a focus on lasting health system improvements.

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Leadership, Governance, & Management

They work with in-country partners to build stronger health systems to improve:

• the management and leadership of priority health programs, health organizations, and multisectoral partnerships such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, developing a critical mass of managers at all levels of the health system who can lead and inspire teams to achieve results;
  
• the management systems of health organizations in the public and private sector, transferring practical approaches and skills to ensure that management structures contribute to sustainable organizational success;
  
• the governance and management of health organizations and multisectoral partnerships, facilitating change and transferring knowledge to enable organizations to administer their resources efficiently and scale up their services.

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Health Service Delivery

MSH combines extensive public health expertise, proven service delivery approaches, and evidence-based interventions in five critical areas:

• HIV & AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Maternal, newborn, and child health
• Family planning and reproductive health
• Other communicable diseases, including malaria and pandemic and avian influenza

Human Resources for Health

MSH helps governments develop multisectoral strategies and policies to plan and manage their health workforces. We use a comprehensive approach that addresses all the facets of human resources for health needed to achieve an adequate supply of well-trained and motivated health workers. MSH offers capabilities in leadership, human resource management, education, partnerships, policy, and finance to achieve these goals.

Pharmaceutical Management

Vital to our success is a participatory approach to project design and implementation, which cultivates broad-based support from all stakeholders. We also build and improve infrastructure and local capacity to effectively purchase, store, deliver, and use quality essential medicines.

Health Care Financing

MSH helps governments and NGOs assess their current financial situation and systems, understand service costs, and develop initiatives to use existing funds more effectively and generate additional revenue—all with the goal of supporting a nation’s health priorities.

Health Information

MSH has developed proven methods for rapidly strengthening the analysis and use of existing health data—normally at the province, district, and facility levels—without revising existing recording and reporting requirements. With an emphasis on learning through action, district teams undertake assessments of health services, identify gaps in performance, and design solutions to support better decision-making and, therefore, better management of improved services.

MSH has worked closely with the Health Metrics Network of the WHO to develop a comprehensive approach for enhancing the performance of health information systems and data by employing a practical, strategic planning process that can be carried out by national working groups.