Country Director | Abuja, Nigeria | 2024

Chemonics International Inc. is seeking an internal or external candidate to fill a Country Director role (based in Abuja, Nigeria) to support the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Health and Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. GHSC-PSM is a USAID-funded project with the objective of ensuring an uninterrupted supply of health commodities to more than 50 countries around the world to prevent suffering, save lives, and create a brighter future for families across the globe. In Nigeria, GHSC-PSM procures commodities and provides technical assistance for the improvement of HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and family planning supply chains.

The Country Director will be responsible for providing overall strategic direction and leadership for the GHSC-PSM projects in Nigeria. He or she will manage the development of technical strategies and work plans; monitor programmatic, financial and administrative performance; supervise the administration of standard project operating and financial procedures; manage short and long-term technical assistance; and maintain effective communication with clients, the home office, the public and private sectors, and other donors and cooperating agencies. The Country Director will also be required to provide direct and targeted technical support in addition to his or her management and leadership role. He or she will manage disparate project funding streams, ensuring activities are properly allocated to their source of funding for reporting and overall financial management purposes.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain strong and positive working relationships with clients and partners including USAID, local governments, and other implementing partners.
• Develop and implement work plans and budgets that reflect the priorities of USAID, local government ministries, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders in the provision of assistance to build the capacity and capability of national systems throughout Nigeria and specifically USAID focal states.
• Identify, develop, and maintain strategic alliances that will ensure the program works in close collaboration with other governments, U.S. government and donor-supported supply chain programs. Work with the same stakeholders to, whenever possible, identify and implement opportunities for supply chain integration, sharing of resources and information, and creation of efficiencies.
• Strategically identify capacity gaps and arrange for appropriate training of over 200 field staff.
• Ensure the use of appropriate management methodologies to plan, organize, and control resources to achieve goals.
• Develop, update, and implement performance monitoring plans that encompass commodity security, supply chain management technical assistance and logistics management indicators and includes project-wide performance measures.
• Oversee regular data collection and reporting and lead quarterly reviews of performance analysis to identify issues and drive evidence-based interventions.
• Oversee finances and cash flow; ensure expenditure forecasts are prepared, reviewed, and submitted to the PMU Director quarterly; track spending against multiple project funding streams and manage overall cost-share structure between four USAID task orders and other funding sources.
• Ensure that positive and productive working relationships and regular communication are maintained within the field office and between the field and home offices.
• Develop and implement staffing, technical assistance, and procurement plans that lead to the effective implementation of the project’s strategy and work plan.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies for procurement and logistics services. Assess risks quarterly and implement risk management/mitigation strategies.
• Ensure compliance with procurement standard operating procedures, including supplier order fulfillment, order tracking, customs clearance/freight forwarding, storage and distribution, and logistics management information systems.
• Monitor security operations in-country, including supporting the home office’s management of the in-country security team to ensure compliance with risk assessments and other rules and recommendations from the home office
• Report results of the project’s work to USAID, relevant government ministries, other funders, and the home office. Ensure timely submission of all deliverables.
• Build capacity of local counterparts in supply chain management and oversight as appropriate.
• Oversee a technical assistance strategy that builds the capacity of state and national host country supply chain staff with the objective of transitioning increasing levels of management responsibility of the supply chain to local stakeholders and partners.
• Engage host country leaders and stakeholders at the national and state levels to advocate for supply chain resources, policy implementation, and issue resolution.
• Identify opportunities for building the capacity of local implementing partners with the objective of transitioning increased levels of supply chain operations to local entities.
• Oversee a technical strategy aimed at building the self-reliance, capacity, and commitment of government agencies and institutions involved in the management of the in-country supply chain.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in health or management-related discipline preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience with USAID-funded programs, preferably in public health program management, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, and/or supply chain management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and implement complex USAID-funded public health programs or projects in a developing country context.
• Demonstrated ability to apply supply chain management best practices and innovations to donor-funded programs.
• Experience working in complex environments with limited resources.
• Ability to create efficiencies and lead operational transformation in large complex programs, preferably with experience in medical procurement, logistics, or supply chain management.
• Skilled in leading and managing large teams to generate large scale results.
• Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate with cooperating partners in implementing complex programs.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communications skills; proven diplomatic and public relations skills.
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.
• Fluency in English required.
• Willingness to live in Nigeria full time and travel throughout the country up to 25 percent of the time.

Level of Effort and Location:

This position will be based in Abuja, Nigeria with intermittent travel throughout the country.

Supervision:

The Country Director will report to the PMU Director during the assignment.