Project Director at ICAP

Job No.: 492869
Categories: Program Management / Implementation / Support

Position Summary

• ICAP at Columbia University seeks experienced and qualified experts to serve as Project Director (PD) for several proposed CDC-funded projects related to improving and protecting global health security through developing capacities of government health ministries, institutions, and local partners; strengthening health information and surveillance systems; and promoting initiatives that support International Health Regulations (IHR) core competencies.
• ICAP is recruiting five PDs who will provide strategic leadership, oversee the design, planning, and implementation of project activities, and lead a team of experts to successfully implement the CDC-funded projects.
• Each PD will ensure that project activities are effectively supported in the technical, programmatic, financial, and administrative domains.
• The PD positions will lead projects based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. The positions are subject to a successful funding application and final approval by the CDC.

Major Accountabilities

• Provides strategic as well as technical, operational, financial, and administrative leadership to ensure the achievement of CDC-funded project goals and objectives.
• Leads local efforts to improve the prevention of avoidable epidemics, including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases.
• Oversees activities aiming to improve the local ability to rapidly detect threats early, including detecting characterizing, and reporting emerging biological threats.
• Ensures that the program strategy is technically sound and evidenced-based and that processes, approaches, and tools are aligned with the overall goal as well as with donor and key stakeholder requirements.
• Ensures that surveillance-related activities are in accordance with IHR and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines.
• In collaboration with laboratory specialists, strengthens national laboratory systems safely and accurately detecting epidemic-prone diseases from both known and unknown threats nationwide.
• Provides technical assistance and support to strengthen the multidisciplinary local workforce for prevention, detection, and response activities through supporting capacity building, training, mentoring, and supportive supervision initiatives.
• Leads efforts to improve the management and effective coordination of the response to outbreaks and emergencies utilizing coordinated multisectoral responses across all levels.
• Establishes, manages, and develops technical, operational, and administrative staff and teams, including identifying and defining their counterparts within relevant government health ministries and partners.
• Oversees all activities, outputs, and outcomes related to project management and administration, including reporting, financial transactions, execution of project plans, and project performance monitoring and evaluation
• Acts as the project representative and serves as the contact person with USG and other key stakeholders in local and international fora.
• Establishes and ensures a smooth relationship and flow of communication with government partners and other stakeholders to improve the interconnected global network that can respond rapidly and effectively to biological threats of international concern.
• Increases the visibility of the project through representation at high-level visits with donors and other stakeholders.
• Leads the production and dissemination of relevant project findings and analysis, reports, publications, and other communications.

Qualifications
Education:

• Advanced degree in Public Health, Public Administration or related fields.

Experience, Skills, and Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of experience leading or directing large-scale multi-million dollar, multi-country international health or development projects in resource-limited contexts related to any or all of the following areas: global health security, global health programs through health systems strengthening, integrated health service delivery, capacity building, strategic health information system strengthening, surveillance, emergency response.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Global Health Security Agenda Joint External Evaluation (JEE) indicators, outbreak investigation, and response.
• Proven capabilities in strategic and operational planning, managing a diverse team of technical and support staff as well as budgeting, managing, designing, implementing, and evaluating.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the country context in general and public health situation, in particular, is required.
• Demonstrated diplomatic and communication skills to liaise and advocate with governments, donors, thought leaders, and other key stakeholders and implementing agencies.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating the dissemination and use of population-based and/or facility-based data in developing countries
• Demonstrated competence working within CDC or similar regulations and procedures
• Proven experience in establishing working relationships and collaborating with the U.S. government, other bilateral and/or multilateral donor agencies, and with host-country governments
• Proven ability to write technical reports and program documents and deliver presentations.
• Willingness to travel regionally/locally or overseas up to 40% of the time.
• Written and spoken English proficiency.