Job Description

Job title:  

Senior Program Manager, Primary Care Expansion

Work Location:

Freetown with 50% travel to rural Sierra Leone

Department:

Policy&Partnerships

Report to:

Director of Primary Care; Director of Policy&Partnerships

Line Management

Yes

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world. 

Our Work In Sierra Leone:

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health centre and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

PIH-Sierra Leone is further strengthening our partnership with Ministry of Health and Sanitation, to scale our health systems strengthening model across a wider geographical area in Sierra Leone, as part of national policy implementation, partially supported through a large 5-year project funded by an institutional donor.

The Senior Program Manager, Primary Care Expansion will oversee and be accountable for the program of work to realize this vision, overseeing and managing significant service delivery, infrastructure-building, quality improvement and technical advisory activities. An experienced senior leader, this role will be responsible for successful execution of project activities, project HR management of a large team, budget management, relationship management with the donor and Ministry of Health and Sanitation, and meeting all grant requirements including reporting, compliance, procurement and financial management.

For a talented all-rounder with strong leadership, relationship, organizational, writing and numeracy skills, this is an exciting opportunity to reduce preventable deaths, especially among women and children, in Sierra Leone under a flagship program building on PIH’s existing track record and impact in country that will be implemented in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

This role will manage a team and report to the Director of Primary Care and Director of Policy&Partnerships. The Senior Program Manager will work closely with PIH’s Chief Medical Officer, Director of Government Relations, Grants Manager, Finance Director, Procurement & Supply Chain Manager, Chief Operating Officer and other leadership to manage specialist staff and ensure successful execution of the program, in keeping with realizing PIH’s Sierra Leone mission and vision.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Leadership and Management

• Develop strategic vision for the project in collaboration with the Senior Management
• Develop and manage work plans, define indicators and targets, and track progress against those targets. Owner of all program documentation, supported by a project specialist
• Develop and manage budget for the program with support from Finance and Grants colleagues, and project Finance and Grants staff, as well as all the relevant PIH department leads
• Manage communication and relationships across the project’s work, both internally and externally, including organizing and chairing key program meetings. Keep the internal organization updated proactively and regularly about the project, ensuring that it is fully integrated into PIH’s overall strategy and work.
• Together with functional leadership, manage and create a culture of effective collaboration and results among large project staff, including senior technical advisor, district advisors, district clinical leads, M&E manager, procurement associate, senior grant specialist, finance manager, project specialist etc.
• Turn PIH and MOHS vision into a reality within constraints of a donor-funded program, effectively navigating ambiguity and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the program leads to significant improvements in health outcomes in project areas and reduces preventable maternal and child deaths
• Proactively drive program results, by identifying and resolving obstacles to program implementation, effectively managing organizational resources and time

Technical (quality improvement and operational research)

• Collaborate with clinical and programmatic experts and project Senior Technical Advisor to review and support the development of SOPs and guidelines to support health systems strengthening and quality improvement
• Contribute to development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, working with project M&E Manager
• Support the routine programmatic data analysis and presentation to the various audiences, including PIH Senior Management, DHMT, central ministry, etc., as necessary.
• Encourage the culture of research and quality Improvement initiatives within the various programs.

Policy and Partnership

• Represent project with Ministry of Health and Sanitation counterparts, Primary health Directorate, National AIDS Control Program (NACP), National TB Program (NTP), Reproductive, Maternal & Child Health Directorate (RMNCH), DHMT, and other government leaders, working closely with Director of Government Relations and Director of Policy and Partnership. Collaborate and negotiate effectively and build high-quality long-term partnerships
• Maintain strong relationships with the project donor and other partners, including leading on all aspects of donor-reporting and being accountable for all aspects of compliance with donor regulations
• Collaborate with PIH clinical team in Sierra Leone, Boston, members from the district and national MOHS, and other organizations to share best practices
• Support Director of Policy and Partnership as needed

Education and Work Experience Requirements:

Required

• Bachelors degree and 5+ years relevant work experience
• Experience with donor-funded projects in international development, including budgets, work plans, proposals, donor and government relations
• Prior experience in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Excellent planning and prioritization skills, including supporting teams in prioritizing across competing and growing needs and limited resources
• Strong project management and time management skills, including previous experience in managing teams and budgets
• Proven ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders and drive immediate results. Exemplary interpersonal communication skills, verbal and written, required to effectively engage with senior leadership, partners, and clinicians on sensitive political and confidential issues
• Ability to navigate complex government and donor processes, including donor reporting, and ability to supervise grants, procurement and compliance specialists and quality-control their work
• Experience in training, professional development and mentorship
• Highly numerate and strong Excel skills. Comfortable with financial documentation and budgeting; as well as data, M&E frameworks and strategies. Strong analysis and research skills
• Strong technical writer, with experience independently drafting and editing technical documents for various audiences
• Ability to develop high-quality presentations in Powerpoint, and run complex meetings effectively and to time
• Entrepreneurial mind set, including ability to work independently, self-motivate and propose and implement new initiatives with minimal oversight and direction
• Sense of humour and flexible disposition
• Ability to live in Sierra Leone and willing to travel up to 50% of time in rural Sierra Leone
• Commitment to social justice and human right.

Strongly preferred

• Relevant Master’s degree – MPH, MPA, MBA or clinical training or qualifications
• Experience managing large-scale clinical and programmatic global health interventions with a focus on RMNCAH
• Experience with quality improvement, technical advisory, government accompaniment or similar projects
• Experience with health systems strengthening; pharmacy; labs; supply chain
• Experience managing large teams in a matrix-management structure
• Familiarity with PIH 5S approach to health systems strengthening
• Prior experience in Sierra Leone, and working in partnership with Ministry of Health and Sanitation
• Experience in a ‘chief of party’, ‘deputy chief of party’, ‘project director’, ‘team leader’ or equivalent role in a large-scale donor-funded project

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be

undertaken in conformity with Partner In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.  By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.