Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children, working in more than 120 countries. Every year, Save the Children responds to multiple large-scale and complex emergencies around the world. In 2018, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) awarded Save the Children with a three-year, $8 million award to lead a global consortium aimed at strengthening capacity for response to major infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics. Known as READY, the initiative exists to augment global capacity to respond to outbreaks of infectious disease with epidemic or pandemic potential that rise to the level of a humanitarian emergency.
To lead READY, Save the Children is recruiting a Chief of Party (COP) who will serve as the principal representative of the program and work with consortium partners to drive the project’s vision and ensure adherence to the overall technical and programmatic quality of program implementation. The COP will provide strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a successful and integrated multi-sectoral program that builds upon existing USAID investments and that will achieve lasting outcomes. The COP will be responsible for the overall coordination of activities among USAID, other key stakeholders, and other implementing partners under this agreement. The COP position not only requires significant understanding of humanitarian health leadership, but also requires strong coordination and facilitation skills with solid understanding of operational, political, economic, social and cultural norms in high-risk countries for large epidemics and pandemics.
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children, working in more than 120 countries. Every year, Save the Children responds to multiple large-scale and complex emergencies around the world. Spearheading our humanitarian response is the Emergency Health Unit (EHU), which can deploy medical teams within 72 hours of a crisis. The EHU not only specializes in rapid provision of primary healthcare services, but also retains the capacity to manage disease outbreaks and deliver large-scale immunization programs.
Major disease outbreaks have disastrous impacts on families, societies, systems, and economies. The impact of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa stretched well beyond the estimated 11,310 lives lost or the 28,616 known to have contracted the disease. Many health workers were lost and health systems were unable to cope—severely restricting access to routine and life-saving health services. Millions of children lost months of schooling—many never returned, thousands of children lost parents, siblings, and family members, and disruptions to markets and livelihoods had dire consequences for the poorest communities. Major outbreaks in recent years, including influenza, Zika, the plague in Madagascar, diphtheria in Bangladesh and Yemen, yellow fever in DRC and Angola, and the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC have demonstrated that governments, donors, and aid agencies are severely challenged in their response capacity and coordination, highlighting gaps in the global humanitarian community’s ability to respond to far-reaching disease epidemics.
In 2018, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) awarded Save the Children with a three-year, $8 million award to lead a global consortium aimed at strengthening capacity for response to major infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics. Known as READY, the initiative exists to augment global capacity to respond to outbreaks of infectious disease with epidemic or pandemic potential that rise to the level of a humanitarian emergency. Operational organizations will be supported to build and retain standing capacity to more quickly and effectively respond through a multi-sectoral response approach that addresses the holistic needs of outbreak-affected communities—with community engagement and communications at the heart of the program design.
To lead READY, Save the Children is recruiting a Chief of Party (COP) who will serve as the principal representative of the program and work with consortium partners to drive the project’s vision and ensure adherence to the overall technical and programmatic quality of program implementation. The COP will provide strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a successful and integrated multi-sectoral program that builds upon existing USAID investments and that will achieve lasting outcomes. The COP will be responsible for the overall coordination of activities among USAID, other key stakeholders, and other implementing partners under this agreement. The COP position not only requires significant understanding of humanitarian health leadership, but also requires strong coordination and facilitation skills with solid understanding of operational, political, economic, social and cultural norms in high-risk countries for large epidemics and pandemics.
- Oversee strategic direction of READY, in coordination with the initiative’s core team, management team, and the Strategic Advisory Group, including: (60%)
- Serve as Save the Children’s official representative and maintain effective communications among all key stakeholders, including USAID/OFDA, representatives of consortium members, stakeholders at regional and country levels, and global technical fora
- Lead prime partner activities, including chairing the initiative’s Coordination Working Group (development and implementation of a strategy that will support global and regional outbreak coordination efforts), outbreak preparedness planning, etc.
- Lead the READY consortium, including establishment and adherence to a clear and consistent vision of the project and how all pieces fit together
- Set and follow clear, consistent and transparent decision-making processes, emphasize partner buy-in and engagement throughout the initiative, and hold a global network of partners accountable to collectively achieve the strategic objectives
- Deliver detailed workplan for the initiative’s activities, ensuring that immediate activities stay on track and future activities are planned well-enough in advance to ensure full delivery of objectives within the initiative’s timeline
- Identify risks, monitor challenges, and adjust work plans accordingly so that the initiative’s strategic objectives are delivered in a timely manner
- Ensure high-quality and timely submission of all reporting requirements, including quarterly and annual reports
- Management of 3-5 key staff on the initiative’s core team through clearly defined roles and responsibilities and active support for staff to achieve annual objectives (20%)
- Management of the initiative’s budget, including expense tracking, projections and phasing (in coordination with Award Manager and partner finance counterparts), and strategic decisions on funding allocations (10%)
- Oversee development and implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, in coordination with READY’s M&E Advisor (10%)
- Minimum 7-10 years of experience managing humanitarian health programming.
- Experience in overseeing or managing consortium programs, or integrated multi-sector programs with direct management of technical and support staff within a large team.
- Extensive knowledge and experience in emergency preparedness in general and preferably experience in health-focused emergency preparedness.
- Familiarity with current global risks of pandemics and comprehensive understanding of international humanitarian response systems/mechanisms.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment, and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organization.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is essential.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced Public Health or clinical degree.
- Background in infectious disease prevention and outbreak response.
- Prior experience and knowledge of USAID regulations and requirements.
- Proficiency in a second language.
- Aetna Medical and Dental insurance with a concierge service
- Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
- Vision Insurance
- Life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Commuter Benefit Program
- Vacation and Sick leave
- Paid holidays
What makes us special!
- Generous Retirement Savings with matching company contributions of up to 8%
- Family Leave – 10 additional days of paid time off for you to use to care for your family members
- Additional Maternity and Paternity Leave – 30 days where parents can take additional paid leave (beyond short-term disability and FMLA) at the birth or adoption of a child during that critical first year!
- Critical Child Illness Leave – We hope you never have to use it, but we will provide an additional 30 days of paid leave per year should your dependent child be faced with a critical illness.
- Pet Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Identity Protection, Home, Auto and additional Life insurances
- Summer Fun Fridays – During the summer months, early release at 1:30 pm every other Friday!
- Volunteer Day – One paid day a year to support the causes that matter to you!
- Ergonomic Options – Every employee at our HQ offices has the option of a sitting/standing desk
- Leadership and Employee Development Training, including:
- Our remarkable in-house CORE, Senior Management Development, and Leadership Development Programs
- Language learning opportunities
- Continuous Improvement skill development programs
- Brown Bag information sharing sessions
- Work hard/Play hard! We make sure there’s ample opportunity for fun, engagement, and celebration while you work, such as networking events, March Madness, World Cup, Dodgeball Tournaments, Take Your Child to Work Day, Founder’s Day, and our annual Day of Service