Job Description
PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, ACCEL PROJECT – LIBERIA
The University of Massachusetts is seeking a Programs Director oversee program implementation for a two year extension of a health systems strengthing project entitled “Sustained Strengthening of Public Health Laboratory, Transfusion Services, and Health Care Worker Infection Control Practices for Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia” funded by a U.S. government agency. The Project is being implemented in partnership with the Liberian College of Physicians and Surgeons (LCPS) through an academic consortium called the Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia (ACCEL) and is therefore known locally as the ACCEL Project.
GENERAL SUMMARY OF POSITION:
Under the general supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI) or designee, the Programs Director (PD) will serve as the technical lead for the development and implementation of a strategic plan that enhances critical public health laboratory, blood safety and infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity for the Liberian Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Public Health Institute (NPHI). The PD will be based in Monrovia, Liberia, and will serve as in-country leader for all programmatic activities under the current two year grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Under the guidance of the PI and in close collaboration with the MOH and NPHI, CDC and other partners, the PD will lead all in-country technical and programmatic activities. The PD will supervise work of others as assigned in various program aims, including, but not limited to, Public Health laboratory, Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), Blood Safety and IPC. The PD will work with the ACCEL project Country Director (CD) and the Deputy Country Director (DCD) to ensure completion of the project work plan. (The CD and DCD will oversee administrative and operational support while the PD will oversee technical and programmatic components.) The PD will work with considerable independence to ensure the forward progress of the project aims and effectively address challenges and obstacles.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead in-country strategic planning for programmatic activities, reporting directly to the PI
- Participate as a member of the Country Management Team, comprised of CD, DCD and PD, and the Senior Management Team (led by the PI and including the CMT and UMass and sub award leads)
- Oversee in-country programmatic staff selection and management, organizing and distributing workload and supporting technical capacity building to ensure quality performance
- Provide oversight for Laboratory, Blood Safety and IPC Quality Assurance and Quality Management Plan
- Monitor and ensure the progress of programmatic goals, including budgeting, planning, implementing and reporting
- Compile and prepare technical and programmatic reports and summary presentations on a timely basis (monthly, quarterly and annual) for feedback and approval by PI
- Work with PI and DCD to produce monthly and quarterly reports by activity, linking to budgetary expenditures to program goals
- Ensure that PI and CD are appraised of all programmatic progress and challenges on a timely basis
- Facilitate project goals via interfacing/collaborating with officials, administrators and partners
- Manage, develop, and maintain relationships with Liberian officials and other national/international partners (MOH, NPHIL, WHO, CDC, etc.)
- Develop and implement project tracking systems in coordination with project PI, CD and DCD, as well as with project coordinator at UMMS and in-country M&E Officer
- Participate in qualitative and quantitative data analysis as it pertains to in-country programs
- Support the development of manuscripts in coordination with PI
- Work with the PI to ensure that assigned employees are provided with appropriate resources, materials and protocols to enable safe and quality programming
- Work with DCD and CD leadership to ensure proper performance review of programmatic staff
- Oversee improvement of methodologies of laboratory, blood safety, and IPC management, including ordering, verification of receipt and inventory management of equipment and supplies, in coordination with the operations team
- Provide guidance and consultation on developed and established protocols (molecular, serological, microbiological, blood safety and IPC)
- Provide oversight for development and validation of new tests and quality procedures where appropriate
- Develop and implement a preventative maintenance plan for a wide range of complex equipment and instrumentation
- Provide training, technical assistance and mentorship to employees and MOH staff to build their capacity for sustainable program handover
- Oversee deployment of a Laboratory Information System (LIS) at the National Referral Laboratory, and other sites, as per definition by funding agency with support from the project IT manager and International IT, LIS consultant and the Supply Chain Management Consultant.
- Supervise the work of all technical consultants
- Comply with established project and UMass policies, procedures, and objectives
- Represent project at high level meetings, conferences and seminars with donors, MOH, CDC, WHO and other health partners as required or directed
- Perform other duties as required
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s degree in the life sciences, medical technology or a related field. Doctorate highly preferred.
- 7+ years of related laboratory experience with 5+ years in a leadership role
- Proficient in the use of general laboratory equipment for a wide range of biochemical and molecular genetic testing
- Excellent analytical, organizational, and time management skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills to interact with diverse project team members, clients and stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to work appropriately with confidential information
- Ability to flexibly work in a team and meet performance deadlines in a dynamic environment
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Laboratory Information System Software, robotics, and other specific laboratory programs
SPECIAL SKILLS AND DESIRED COMPETENCIES:
- Medical Technologist, SBB or equivalent training preferred
- Working knowledge of public health laboratory, blood safety, laboratory information systems and IPC (laboratory, blood safety and IPC expertise is a plus)
- Extensive experience in Quality Management Systems is a must
- Expertise in Stepwise Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA) implementation preferred
- Extensive experience handling infectious clinical samples and conducting diagnostic assays (prior work with infectious diseases is a plus)
- Work experience in the African Continent, and more specifically in West Africa and Liberia a plus
- Ability to mentor in-country supervisors and staff; prior cross-culture experience
- Ability to reside in Liberia for extended periods; prior experience in limited resource settings strongly preferred
- Flexible, adaptable and able to travel to/spend time in remote or austere environments
- Program monitoring & evaluation experience
- Experience managing and producing project-related reports
- Familiarity with US government and/or other international grants
- Experience managing complex project(s) at an academic institution or company
About the Organization
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) system. It is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Graduate School of Nursing, as well as a biomedical research enterprise and a range of public-service initiatives throughout the state. One of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the country, UMMS is located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
UMMS seeks to combine its robust basic research foundation with a clinical care orientation to confront widespread communicable and noncommunicable health issues internationally in places such as Liberia, India and Brazil, as well as in its diverse hometown of Worcester and elsewhere in the state of Massachusetts.
