Project Director – CDC Health System Strengthening Activity (Global)

About Corus: Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. Our more than 800 employees around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world's most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives. Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org

Today, IMA offers extensive expertise in managing and implementing highly successful and complex donor-funded programs in global health security, vaccine-preventable disease immunization, nutrition, maternal and child health, health systems strengthening (HSS), malaria, HIV/AIDS, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). IMA has managed an average of $100 million annually over the last four fiscal years, through grants and contracts from the United States Government (including CDC, DoS, and others), FCDO, World Bank, the Global Fund, UNDP, and private donors.

About the job:

IMA World Health, a member of Corus International, is seeking a Project Director to lead an anticipated 5-year CDC-funded project titled Continuing to Enhance Global Health Security: Sustain Efforts and Strategies to Protect and Improve Public Health Globally.

The program's goal is to build upon activities funded by CDC to support Global Health Security (GHS) through implementation of programs and activities that focus on protecting and improving health globally through partnerships with Ministries of Health and other governmental institutions. This NOFO will build on lessons learned from the global COVID outbreak and other significant public health events. After ten years of implementing and strengthening global health security systems, the U.S. Government (USG) will continue to advance strategies to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. The activity's main outcomes are to: 1) Improve prevention of avoidable epidemics including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases of dangerous pathogens; 2) Improve ability to rapidly detect threats early, including detecting characterizing, and reporting emerging biological threats; 3) Responding rapidly and effectively to public health threats of international concern.

The Project Director will lead the technical approach of the project and serve as the primary liaison with CDC, country governments, and other implementing development partners on the progress and reporting of all activities under the award. S/he will ensure the project's goals, objectives, and strategy are achieved and that contractual requirements are met on time and within budget. S/he is responsible for directing the project team with an integrated vision, applying effective leadership and strategic planning skills, management experience, outstanding interpersonal skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. The Project Director supervises the day-to-day work of staff and oversees project implementation to ensure quality programming.

The Project Director also ensures that all management systems, from technical to MEL to finance, actively support timely and accurate project reporting and cost effectiveness for successful implementation of the project. The Project Director is also responsible for ensuring compliance with Corus's policies and procedures and CDC rules and regulations, including responsibility for ensuring sub-awardee compliance and monitoring the quality of program implementation.

The competencies required to be successful in this position include a theoretical and practical understanding of global health systems and integration strategies to address prevention, early detection, and response to infectious disease threats; programming in conflict and fragile settings; personnel and project management skills; the ability to motivate and lead teams; and the demonstrated ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and accountability for achieving results. The candidate must demonstrate proven experience in coordinating public health systems and resources in fragile settings. The position will report to the Managing Director, Tech Services & Global Practice Head, Health. The Project Director will be expected to visit project sites periodically.

The Project Director will report to Corus HQ and may be remote, depending on circumstances.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide overall management, strategic direction, and technical leadership to the project to achieve expected project results within budget and timeframe.
• Serve as principal liaison to CDC and the country governments, ensuring high levels of coordination, while nurturing relationships with all key stakeholders (including partner organizations at the national and subnational level) on administrative, financial, and programmatic matters related to the project.
• Liaise with CDC, other donors, and implementing partners and stakeholders, to ensure coordination of and harmonization with other relevant public health mechanisms, private sector engagement, and USG activities globally.
• Ensure results-oriented technical components and high-quality and timely deliverables and reports.
• Oversee implementing partners and advise on technical issues.
• Lead project teams (e.g., technical, program, finance, and operational staff) to ensure program tasks, deliverables, and responsibilities are met; staff management includes hiring, supervising, and mentoring project staff.
• Oversee project deliverables, including ensuring programmatic and financial report preparation and high-quality timely submission, and ensuring cross-cutting issues are effectively integrated into project implementation.
• Direct preparation of annual work plans, project activity updates, and other project-related communication and reporting materials.
• Represent the project in all technical, policy, and programmatic forums at all levels (country, national, and international). Identify lessons learned and best practices for external dissemination.
• Oversee implementing partners and advise on technical issues.
• Ensure compliance with CDC rules and regulations, working with the headquarters grants and contracts team.

Qualifications:

• Advanced graduate degree in public health, medicine/nursing, international development, or related field experience. Doctoral degree or MD/MPH an asset.
• Minimum of 10 years' experience in the implementation and management of international donor/CDC funded health projects, with substantial knowledge and experience related to infectious diseases prevention and mitigation highly preferred.
• Proven technical expertise using new approaches to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response and disease surveillance.
• Knowledge of USG framework of strengthening outbreak response, health emergency preparedness and disease surveillance systems in fragile contexts and familiarity with CDC policy and strategies.
• Knowledge of and experience with CDC rules and regulations required.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining strong relationships with government agencies, international donor agencies, and private sector stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating and coordinating with local and national host government agencies and aligning program activities and results with national strategies.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities, including technical, management, and evaluation expertise for complex programs in resource-constrained countries; prior experience as a Project Director/Chief of Party for CDC-funded projects similar in scope and size is required.
• Strong staff supervision skills and demonstrated ability to coordinate programs with partners from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences; demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience building the capacity of national non-government partner organizations and government systems to achieve CDC's goal of strengthening national ownership for future funding.
• Strong communication skills, including both written and oral presentation skills; proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public and private partners.
• English fluency with professional proficiency in writing required; fluency or proficiency in Krio strongly preferred.
• Working fluency or better in other language an asset, especially French, also potentially Spanish, Arabic, etc.
• Experience working fragile contexts preferred.
• Ability to travel to project sites as needed.