Job title:
Chief of Party (MCOE)
Work Location:
Kono
Department:
MCOE
Report to:
Chief of Party (MCOE)
Req. #:
4306
Line Management
TBD
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.
The Maternal Center of Excellence:
PIH SL is ambitiously setting out to transform Koidu Government Hospital (KGH) into the leading Maternal & Newborn Health hospital in West Africa, serving as a Center of Excellence in both the delivery of quality clinical care and as a health care teaching institution for the region. The MCOE is a 166-bed health facility, expanding the capacity of Kono Government Hospital and providing advanced maternal and neonatal health care in Kono District. Simultaneously, we are refurbishing the existing KGH campus to meet needs in equipment and patient flow for excellent quality of care. The MCOE campus will serve as clinical site, training and research center, creating a global platform of expertise and innovation that can deliver evidence and resources for improving women’s health worldwide and train the next generation of health care workers in Sierra Leone locally. MCOE construction is well underway, and it is due for full completion in 2026 with the first phase comprising the Birth Centre and South Wards due to complete construction in 2025.
Position Overview
The Chief of Party will be responsible for leadership overseeing the full scope of the MCOE project, from pre-opening implementation through phased opening and one year of post-opening facility operations. The Chief of Party will ensure an integrated vision and achievement of critical success factors across our opening plan, including clinical systems, operations systems, data & information systems, patient & staff support systems, external engagement strategy, functional support systems, MCOE construction, and KGH refurbishment. This position will also manage the phased transition from pre-opening planning and implementation to post-opening operations and management.
To achieve this effectively requires tapping into the deep and existing expertise that has been focused on the planning of this project for years, both in Sierra Leone and at the U.S. based coordination site. Partnership is critical, across teams and diverse stakeholders, to ensure we meet project goals, budget, timeline, and standards of excellence. The Chief of Party will oversee collaboration across PIH Sierra Leone, PIH U.S. Coordination site, our construction partner Build Health International (BHI), the Government of Sierra Leone, and myriad stakeholders. Exceptional strategic leadership and team management are needed to navigate complexity, address obstacles in a timely manner, and ensure alignment across workstreams. Ability to thrive under tight deadlines and comfort with ambiguity are essential.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead the successful execution of the Maternal Center of Excellence opening plan and first year of operations post-opening.
- Lead the successful transition from pre-opening phase project management to post-opening phase ongoing operations integrated within organizational systems and structures.
- Collaborate with the Senior Director of Operations to oversee the KGH refurbishment projects as part of the MCOE opening plan, the phased opening of services, and the ongoing management of facility operations post-opening.
- Ensure alignment and integration across the 6 pillars of the opening plan (clinical systems, operations systems, data & information systems, patient & staff support systems, external engagement strategy, functional support systems)
- Partner with the leads of these pillar teams to ensure accountability for timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
- Provide effective, systematic, and transparent decision-making needed to manage project timeline, budget, and standards of excellence.
- Escalate key executive decisions to the Executive Director where appropriate, providing her with clear scenarios and analysis for executive decisions.
- Implement an effective project management system “to get things done,” including the monitoring and control of scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, risk, procurement, stakeholder engagement, and communications.
- Be the primary point of contact for MCOE planning, opening, and operations with PIH leadership in Sierra Leone and the Coordination site.
- Ensure seamless collaboration with BHI across infrastructure projects, including clear communication flow around all project decisions.
- Represent PIH-SL in critical high-level communication with construction partners, government entities, community stakeholders, and project donors.
- Lead strategy development for evolving organizational priorities for the MCOE, ensuring data-driven and inclusive processes, working in close collaboration with Impact & Planning, Clinical Support Systems, and other teams supporting broader Maternal & Child Health strategy development.
- Partner with leadership to translate MCOE project implementation into high-level impact strategy for influence and replication in areas of care delivery, community empowerment, and RMNCH across the world.
- Promote and model tenets of PIH philosophy such as ‘the patients are our bosses’.
Education and Work Experience Requirements:
Required
- Dedication to and passion for social justice and health equity
- 10 years of experience in management, program planning, including at least 3 years at the director level.
- Master’s Degree, or Bachelor’s Degree and equivalent experience
- Experience working in low resource settings similar to Sierra Leone
- Demonstrated knowledge of planning tools and procedures, best practices, and software packages
- Significant experience working on donor-funded projects (USAID, CDC, Global Fund, World Bank, Unitaid, etc.)
- Prior experience with large, multi-year projects with multiple stakeholders across regions
- Proven capability in managing people and projects, including developing and managing strategies, work plans, performance metrics and budgets.
- Demonstrated experience working with and mentoring a diverse team.
- Proven ability and inclination to lead collaboratively, yet able to make tough decisions as necessary;
- Demonstrated strategic thinking and analytical skills, good judgment, political astuteness and tact
- Creative problem-solving and flexibility and impeccable integrity
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills and humility
Strongly preferred
- Prior experience in large international NGOs, ideally in country offices with budgets $25m+/year and significant complexity
- Hospital construction and planning management experience
- Prior experience in organizations engaged in direct service delivery, ideally healthcare
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.
Method of Application
Interested candidates are required to apply through our website: www.pih.org/employment .In your application, please ensure to include names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three (3) referees not later than 5:00pm GMT (Midnight) on Wednesday 16th October 2024
Please kindly note that the recruitment of this position is subject to funding confirmation.
How to apply
Please use the link to apply: