The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) Country Support Director (or, in MCSP terms, “Country Support Manager” or CSM) is responsible for overseeing the design and management of Save the Children’s MCSP country programs. The CSM works closely with and provides guidance to Chiefs of Party, management and technical staff in countries and program officers and country support teams (CST) in HQ to ensure results are achieved. Donor funding for this role is currently assured through the end of December 2018, with the expectation for an extension through 2019. ” As MCSP enters its final phase of implementation, Save the Children’s CSM will focus on effective consolidation of learning, meaningful documentation and dissemination of results, transition of activities to partners where indicated and smooth close-out.
In collaboration with their senior management, determines and communicates the Strategy and Operational Plan for their functional area. Accountable for achieving results in strategic and operational plan with management support. Budget accountability for functional area(s) or program(s). Responsible for setting clear objectives and measures for self and others. Exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters.
Leadership (Essential Duty, 50% of Time)
- Supervise senior / program officers at headquarters and SC hired chiefs of party in the field, as needed;
- Work with SC/MCSP team, particularly Deputy Director, technical advisors, and program staff to identify strategic opportunities for SC engagement in MCSP;
- Work with Country Support Teams and USAID Missions during program design, annual work planning and budgeting; and review and approve country work plans and budgets before submission to USAID;
- Communicate with and ensure that partnering decisions made by MCSP's Executive Management Team (EMT) are carried out by country teams;
- Support Chiefs of Party, Program Officers and Country Support Teams in problem solving;
- Mentor and empower Program Officers to manage and support country programs as independently as possible;
- Navigate partner challenges in a transparent manner to support the success of the country program and team.
Representation and Communication (Essential Duty, 30% of Time)
- Serve as the primary contact with USAID/Washington on designated, SC-led MCSP country programs; in certain cases, serve as the primary MCSP contact person with USAID missions;
- Facilitate communication and catalyze sharing of essential information among field staff, program staff, technical staff and USAID;
- Work closely with SCI Country Directors and Regional offices as needed to problem solve and to optimize implementation and documentation of SC’s work under MCSP.
- Keep the MCSP Country Support Director and Deputy Director apprised of issues that may affect implementation of designated country programs or that need resolution by the MCSP executive management team (EMT);
- Keep Save the Children’s Department of Global Health (DGH) leadership apprised of issues that need senior level attention by SCUS;
- Represent MCSP to SCUS ESMT meetings and report back relevant updates to the SC/MCSP team.
Program Design and Program Management (Essential Duty, 20% of Time)
- Ensure that program design is aligned with USAID/Mission and USAID/Washington priorities;
- Ensure Core and Field Support-funded activities are built into country work plans in a seamless fashion and with the full participation of the in- country team;
- Interact with the MCSP Measurement, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning advisors on the design and implementation of Performance Monitoring Plans and implementation research; guide country contributions to project-wide program learning objectives;
- Review and assist in finalizing required deliverables, including country progress reports
- Review country performance against expected results and spending against approved budgets, and take action as needed to bring both into line with approved plans;
- Provide technical support in areas of expertise as time permits;
- Ensure program staff support SC/MCSP, MCSP and DGH Knowledge Management efforts.
Impact
- Decisions taken by the incumbent may affect Save the Children’s functioning and positioning within USAID’s flagship maternal, newborn and child health program, and thereby have an impact on the Program as well as the organization.
- Positive decisions and actions taken by the incumbent will improve the SC/MCSP team’s efficiency, achievement and documentation of results, staff retention and overall perception/reputation in the minds of partners and USAID representatives, both at headquarters and in country offices.
- 7 to 10 years of mid- to senior-level experience in designing, implementing or managing large, complex health projects in developing countries. Strong preference for experience specific to RMNCH programs;
- Experience and success working in complex environments – including a minimum of two years working in a developing country – and experience managing remote-based teams;
- Strong leadership qualities;
- Knowledge of USAID policies and procedures and experience managing USAID-funded health programs.
Skills and Behaviors
- Proven skills in group facilitation, team building, personnel management, mediation and partner coordination
- Strong program planning and management skills, including familiarity with common planning frameworks and monitoring tools;
- Excellent verbal, written communications and presentation skills;
- Skilled in cross-cultural communication;
- Ability to build relationships and interact effectively with technical experts, other partners and donor representatives;
- Ability to effectively delegate to and mentor country, program and technical staff;
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to organize and present information in a compelling way;
- Ability to travel up to 20% of the time to developing countries.
Preferred Qualifications
- Public health generalist, advanced degree in public health, public administration or related field strongly preferred;
- French and/or Spanish language proficiency
- Meaningful work, with a knowledge that you are changing the lives of children all around the world
- A family friendly work environment
- Highly collaborative and innovative teams
- Generous paid vacation days, holidays, family leave days, and sick time
- Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions
- Structured and formalized management development and coaching programs for mid and senior level managers
- Extensive e-learning opportunities on a variety of topics offered through our affiliation with several prestigious universities as well as language learning opportunities