Senior Program Director, Health Systems Strengthening at Results for Development (R4D)

Responsibilities:

HSS strategic oversight, thought leadership and technical quality assurance: (35%)

• Provide strategic leadership, technical direction and effective management of the current portfolio of projects and new areas of impact. Develop strategic vision for HSS work and provide senior management acumen across R4D’s HSS initiatives in collaboration with the R4D executive team and other practice directors.
• Lead design and implementation of program activities that support national and sub-national governments to become better health system stewards, including supporting policy dialogue, country-driven reforms, and evidence generation and use.
• Coach and mentor country leaders and mid-career professionals on best practices in HSS technical areas.
• As a member of the R4D Program Leadership Group and Management Team, contribute to organizational strategy, policies and operations and design platforms that could be replicated and/or utilized for other programs in health, education and nutrition.
• Produce innovative new knowledge and approaches within the field of HSS; lead and publish global knowledge and analytic products on a range of relevant topics
• Ensuring high quality and technical accuracy of the organization’s products and initiatives related to HSS
• Conceptualize potential new strategic areas of impact, including in collaboration with other practice areas at R4D
• Present on HSS topics to external audiences via global and country panels and conferences
• Act as a knowledge translator of learning and information on HSS
• Conceptualize and execute knowledge management and communication strategies to promote the dissemination and uptake of R4D’s work in this field.

Business development (35%):

• Cultivate existing and new stakeholder relationships and partnerships at global and local levels focused on HSS. Develop and oversee institutional partnerships with a wide network of global, regional and local technical partners including potential donors and key multilaterals.
• Lead partner engagement and identify creative opportunities to expand current work in HSS, and actively develop relationships with potential funders and partners that lead to new opportunities
• Lead new business efforts (program creation, opportunity identification, capture, proposal development) for HSS opportunities.

Project Management, people management, recruitment and mentoring (20%):

• Provide senior management oversight to PDs leading project teams, including guidance staffing, workplans and budget management; funder and stakeholder engagement; and quality assurance on program implementation and the production of deliverables.
• Oversee program spending and financial reporting, including decision making on resource allocations and investments in growth in close collaboration with program staff.

Participates fully as a leader of R4D (5%)

• Contributes to, assists and participates in projects, activities, and initiatives as requested by R4D leadership.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated and collaborative thought leader who has worked on large-scale government-led HSS reforms and brings existing funder relationships and a track-record of mobilizing resources for programs through co-creation with funders and/or successful business development efforts. The ideal candidate will also have outstanding people and project management experience, can engage effectively and independently with a multitude of partners (including clients, funders, sub-contractors, sub-grantees, public officials and other stakeholders), and has excellent analytic, communication and presentation skills.

• Advanced degree in relevant field (health system, health policy, health financing or economics, public health, or a related field international affairs) or equivalent academic and work experience, with recognized expertise in health financing.
• At least 15 years of experience in global health and health systems strengthening, with increasing leadership responsibility in global development nonprofits, foundations, donors, multilateral institutions, international health systems, or consulting firms.
• Demonstrated experience working successfully with government and non-government partners on HSS initiatives.
• Demonstrated leadership showing strategic thinking in designing and executing projects, including steering work planning, managing and mentoring junior colleagues, and overseeing compliant and cost-effective use of resources to deliver on objectives
• Strong ability to liaise and negotiate confidently and effectively with donor agencies, host-country counterparts and government officials, and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs
• Strong people and program manager, with an approachable leadership style, and experience with successful implementation of complex programs and multiple work streams and partners
• Ability to effectively lead and manage diverse teams, including remote management through virtual means
• Demonstrated ability to recruit talented experts in the field of HSS
• Excellent oral, verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to draft compelling concept notes and present complicated and detailed data to senior leaders, funders, and partner organizations
• Ability to prioritize and manage work in a fast-paced environment across multiple projects and work streams with competing time/resource demands
• Strong analytical and research skills, including implementation research, economic analysis, and program evaluation.
• Experience living and/or working in low- and middle-income countries.
• Ability to work fluently in English required, and additional language skills desirable.