Nigeria Country Director, Data.FI at Palladium Group

Job ID: req15006

Project and Job Overview

• Palladium’s Information Systems Portfolio is seeking a Country Director for Nigeria for the Data for Implementation (Data.FI) Project.
• Data.FI is a five-year global project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the HIV and COVID-19 response.
• Data.FI partners with programs to accelerate and sustain access to and use of high-quality data to expedite HIV and COVID-19 epidemic control and maintenance.
• By improving global, regional, national, and community/local in-depth analyses of HIV and COVID-19 epidemiologic and programmatic data, Data.FI expedites program achievements to improve client services and attain and sustain control of the epidemics.
• Data.FI supports host country governments to enhance existing health information systems (HIS), informing management responses to gaps in programming and sustaining impact by supporting local partner transition.
• The Nigeria Country Director will lead a large portfolio of health information system strengthening work geared towards supporting long-term solutions built on efficient, stable HIS architecture capable of producing high-quality and timely data towards improving health outcomes.
• Data.FI Nigeria technical teams - comprising health informatics, strategic information, and data analytics experts - are working on strengthening governance processes for HIS in collaboration with a Health Informatics Community of Practice, co-led by USAID/Nigeria and Data.FI; leading in the development of digital solutions to meet the needs of USAID/PEPFAR Nigeria program implementing mechanisms; institutionalizing data demand and use through technical assistance to development and strengthening of a standardized approach to integrated “situation room”  implementation to cover all disease areas and programs at both the federal level and across all states in Nigeria. 
• Towards delivering on these commitments, the Country Director will be responsible for overseeing the work and ensuring delivery on workplan commitments of the project’s technical and finance/admin teams consisting of over 40 in-country staff.
• The Country Director would also act as Data.FI’s primary liaison with USAID/Nigeria, relevant Government of Nigeria ministries, departments and agencies, PEPFAR/USAID implementing partners, and other stakeholders.
• The position requires significant coordination skills, broad general and technical knowledge, an ability to cope with multiple interests and challenges, experience in Nigeria, and skills to ensure coherence and consistency in the face of urgent deadlines.
•  If you have exceptional project, staff and relationship management skills, a strong sense of initiative, fine-tuned business development skills, a keen understanding of USAID/PEPFAR and USAID/COVID-19 programming across Nigeria and the WAR, and an interest in data analytics and digital health, we are interested in hearing from you. 
• We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical and financial oversight to Data.FI/Nigeria, managing a team of digital health staff, data analysts and data use experts, to achieve the objectives and benchmarks laid out in the workplan
• Meet contractual obligations, meet activity benchmarks, produce all project products, and achieve project results as specified by the activity workplan.
• Ensure the strategic and functional integration across all technical areas of the country workplan.
• Provide technical and managerial oversight to any project partners and sub-contractors in Nigeria.
• Oversee project planning, contribute technical expertise as necessary to ensure project implementation, with a focus on results and financial accountability for all project activities.
• Work with the Deputy Country Director, Data Analytics and Health Informatics team leads, and other project staff to continuously refine implementation processes by integrating lessons learned and best practices.
• Establish quality control standards in line with Data.FI and USAID standards.
• Establish a cost share plan for the buy-in, with responsibility for meeting cost share targets.
• Advise USAID and the Nigerian government on priorities and approaches with respect to health information systems and data analytics.
• Maintain strong, positive working relationships with host-country government, USAID/Nigeria, WHO, Palladium colleagues,
• USAID Washington, and partners, including but not limited to major subrecipients, local grantees, subcontractors, and local governments, to ensure effective implementation of project activities.
• Provide strategic vision on program sustainability including strategies for building local capacity.
• Lead and advise on best governance principles, including ownership, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, integrity, and ethical standards; balance the interests of various stakeholders and support participatory governance through multisector partnerships.
• Work to expand the reach and impact of the Data.FI portfolio and Palladium’s work in-country.
• Promote project work and contribute to thought leadership by authoring blogs and related communications about the project’s work and representing project at national, regional, and global technical forums as required.

Reporting Requirements

The role reports to the Data.FI Regional Manager, Nigeria and West Africa. Reporting requirements include:

• Attendance at routine Data.FI team meetings.
• Provision of regular updates to the line manager, including status of Key Result Areas (KRAs), and any other material matters and/or areas of concern.
• Submission of financials and forecasts, and contributions to Data.FI internal project and client reporting.
• Lead reporting to USAID for the Nigeria activity.
• Other reporting as requested by the line manager, USAID or Project Director.

Relationships:

• The role is part of the Data.FI Project Team and will work in coordination with US-based and regional technical leadership and project management staff.
• The role is the principal liaison to the client, USAID/Nigeria, to the Government of Nigeria and to partner organizations in Nigeria.
• This role will supervise a number of senior positions, including finance staff.

Authority Levels:

• The role carries a degree of autonomy on technical leadership with appropriate consultation.
• The role will oversee and maintain quality country over project activities at the country level.
• The role will manage the Nigeria activity budget with the Finance Manager and HQ Project management team.
• This role will contribute to process improvement through innovative and cost-effective proposals and ideas.

Required Qualifications

Minimum education and experience required:

• MD, PhD or Master's level education in Public Health, Health Informatics, Monitoring and Evaluation or any other relevant field of study; MBA or PMP certification would be an asset.
• At least five years of experience managing complex digital health programs with experience in program, financial and administration management; staff oversight and supervision; award contractual compliance; sub-award management; and tracking project performance and costs via specific funding streams.
• Experience managing a USAID-funded program strongly preferred.
• Significant technical experience in health information systems strengthening or digital health or similar in Nigeria.
• Experience working in digital health on a USAID-funded project strongly preferred.
• Experience working at different levels of the health system, from the state to the national level, in Nigeria, including strong working relationships with government staffing working in strategic information and informatics.

Key competencies and professional expertise required:

• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with USAID, government officials, and other development partners. Demonstrated high-level stakeholder alignment skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of health information systems including surveillance systems. Experience supporting immunization information systems is preferred.
• Intricate understanding of the current PEPFAR operating context, the COP process, and current experience managing PEPFAR programs. Experience in COVID-19, highly desirable
• Strong existing relationships within PEPFAR operating units in Nigeria and the wider WAR
• Strong management skills, strategic vision, leadership qualities, professional reputation, and ability to create synergies across a program of work.
• Experience overseeing a team of M&E and health informatics professionals, based across multiple sites.
• Detail-oriented and deadline-driven with strong organizational skills and ability to work in a dynamic and agile environment with changing requirements and priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a fast-moving and multicultural team while maintaining a client-centered focus, and promoting diversity and inclusion across different cultures, genders, and hierarchical levels. 
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong risk management ability to think through potential scenarios and mitigating interventions to delivery project objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team with a high degree of drive, initiative and autonomy.
• Entrepreneurial and inquisitive mindset that takes initiative to learn new systems, technologies, and skills pertinent to the work of Data.FI.
• Professional level of oral and written fluency in English language. Fluency in local Nigerian languages preferred.
• Willingness to travel within Nigeria at least 25-30% of the time and internationally, periodically