Cote d'Ivoire Country Project Director

The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PSCM) is implementing the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) contract for USAID as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. SCMS will strengthen or establish secure, reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chains capable of meeting the care and treatment needs of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. In coordination with in-country and international partners, we will: assist programs to enhance their supply-chain capacity; ensure that accurate supply-chain information is collected, shared, and used; and provide quality, affordable, health care products to those who need them. SCMS will offer services in focus countries identified by the USG team, with SCMS field offices established in selected countries as required by the scope of work in the country.

Overall Responsibilities:

The Country Director has overall responsibility for the strategic and operational planning, organization, implementation and evaluation of all the project’s activities in Cote d’Ivoire. This includes the coordination and oversight of workplanning, budgeting and financial management activities. It also includes leadership around making capacity-building and country ownership fundamental elements of all project activities and the strategies and approaches therein. The emphasis of the program is to support the Ministry of Health and the Fight Against AIDS (MSLS) to undertake the activities rather than the project itself undertaking activities.

“Client relations” is a key element of this position. The Country Director represents SCMS to US Government agencies, the MSLS, other Government of Cote d’Ivoire agencies and cooperating partners. He or she promotes collaboration and best practices in strategic planning and coordination of supply chain activities, forecasting, procurement, storage, distribution, and information management of ARVs, HIV tests, lab commodities and other related HIV/AIDS commodities, as well as for other program items such as malaria, TB and essential medicines to the extend it is integrated in the work program.

Responsibilities include the development of technical strategies and work plans and the organization and provision of in-country technical assistance, as well as ensuring that the field office follows standard SCMS and host-company administrative and financial procedures and practices. He or she has first-line SCMS supervisory responsibility for the resident staff implementing SCMS activities in Cote d’Ivoire. The Country Director is responsible for maintaining effective communication with the SCMS Project Management Office (PMO), the US Government Team, MSH, public, private, and NGO sector implementing programs, other USG cooperating agencies and other members of the donor community. The Country Director is also responsible for following corporate policies and procedures and adhering to standards of the employing SCMS Sub-Contractor for the country.

Specific Responsibilities:

Project Management and Leadership

1. Along with the SCMS Project Management Office (PMO) and MSH HQ, participate in project expansion.
2. Liaise with other MSH projects in country and the MSH Country Operations Management Unit (COMU) as needed to ensure coordination of technical activities and optimal operational support.
3. Supervise field office staff by ensuring they have updated, relevant job descriptions; ensuring they have work plans specific to their roles; conducting performance reviews at least once annually; providing on-going mentoring and coaching; managing all personnel issues and liaising with PMO and MSH HQ when needed.
4. Participate in staff recruitment as needed.
5. Ensure that staff follows SCMS and MSH SOPs, work instructions and directives.

Client Relations

1. Represent SCMS to in-country USG agencies, MSLS counterparts, implementing partners, and other cooperating government partners.
2. Help coordinate the best use of available financial resources from MSLS, GFATM, PEPFAR, USAID, CHAI and others with which to conduct coordinated procurement.
3. Create and sustain a culture of commitment and accountability to SCMS clients and project stakeholders through:

• Consulting proactively and continuously with clients at all stages of development and implementation of work plans via various communication methods;

• Ensuring that clients are clearly identified in the projects’ strategic document and work plans and that their needs and expectations are articulated;

• Ensuring that the field office has a clear strategy for communicating with clients (i.e. monthly updates and/or meetings, regular joint planning sessions, submission of reports, etc.)

• Actively monitoring client satisfaction through discussions and other means.

Coordination, Communication and Information Sharing

1. Ensure adequate staffing of the field office to achieve annual work plans.
2. Revise/update work plans as needed based on budget requirements, actual expenditures and determined carryover amounts, as well as changes in MSLS and/or US Government priorities.
3. Review draft trip reports, technical reports, and other deliverables from STTA visits within the time frame provided in SOWs, provide internal approval and submit to USAID as appropriate.
4. Lead regularly scheduled communication with the PMO and home-office based country support teams via conference calls.
5. Ensure and oversee the further development and implementation of the SCMS Performance Management Plan (PMP) to monitor and evaluate the achievement of agreed-upon MOH and USG priorities, outcomes, strategies and activities.
6. Develop innovative methods to capture and demonstrate project impact through evidence and project data.
7. Ensure effective communication with partners concerning supply chain management through regular sharing of data and related information.
8. Generate or oversee technical reports, monthly updates, quarterly reports and other documentation on field program progress and activities for submission to the local USAID Mission, USAID Washington, the PMO and home office. Adhere to reporting guidelines and deadlines.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (Health Systems Strengthening)

1. Engage and coordinate with relevant stakeholders (e.g. PNPEC, MSLS, PSP, DIPE, DIEM, DPM) to build capacity of national staff to achieve effective and sustainable supply chains in Cote d’Ivoire.
2. With relevant stakeholders including MSLS, identify and select strategies for building human resource capacity, while considering existing and planned HR capacity.
3. Define scopes of work (SOW) for short-term technical assistance in collaboration with USAID, PNPEC, and MSLS to augment the in-country longer-term technical assistance, obtain necessary approvals from PNPEC, MSLS and USG, and, working with the relevant program managers, modify SOWs as required.
4. Monitor STTA activities, deliverables and follow up; report results of technical assistance on a regular basis.

Global Supply Chain (SCMS procurement of products)

1. Ensure the development of commodity forecasts, annual supply plans and quarterly supply plan updates and submit them in accordance with SCMS SOPs and in a timely manner.
2. Ensure Price Quotations are placed off supply plans in a timely and efficient manner.
3. Ensure that the field office follows the SCMS policy and strategy around Field Office Managed Procurement (FOMP).

Project Financial Management

1. Assume full accountability for and oversight of SCMS project funds in Vietnam; supervise operations and financial management team.
2. Ensure that financial systems, controls and oversight are in place to mitigate financial risk.
3. Approve all field office disbursement of funds (expenses and advances) and ensure that such disbursements are in compliance with USAID, MSH and SCMS policies; review field accounts prior to submission to PMO; ensure finance and budgeting procedures are adhered to and ensure budgetary procedures are completed in a timely manner.
4. Determine level of effort for project activities and quantify the financial resources required to implement them.
5. Monitor budget implementation and expenditures on a quarterly basis and ensure that budget expenditures contribute to the accomplishment of work plan activities. Note when planned activities and associated budgets are not completed and develop response.

Qualifications:

1. Post graduate degree in public health, international health, business administration, project management, logistics, supply chain management or equivalent experience (MD, MPH, MBA, M Pharma, MHA, etc.).
2. Seven plus (7+) years of progressively responsible related experience is required; Country Director or Deputy Country Director experience is preferred.
3. Demonstrated strategic planning and visioning skills.
4. Demonstrated subject matter expertise in technical content relevant to the project.
5. Demonstrated leadership and management abilities.
6. Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with senior-level colleagues; particular competence interacting with Government agencies, NGOs, private sector groups, USAID CAs and donor organizations in a productive, proactive and comfortable manner.
7. Experience in supply chain management, human resource development, organizational development or capacity building required.
8. Familiarity with USG procurement rules and regulations is a plus.
9. Proven ability to lead and work as part of a team in a diverse, multicultural setting; ability to self-manage own use of time.
10. Ability to manage multiple tasks within tight deadlines and prioritize effectively, while delivering high quality work.
11. Experience working with international donor agencies, particularly USAID.
12. Ability to prepare and deliver public presentations on project/program management, supply chain management and human resource capacity.
13. Experience with work planning and budgeting.
14. Strong organizational and analytical skills.
15. Capacity to work independently and take initiative on one’s own.
16. Excellent written and verbal English language skills; Vietnamese language skills a plus.
17. Ability to work comfortably with Microsoft Office software, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft Project also very helpful.
18. Ability to travel for extended periods of time in-country to support technical activities.
19. Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to the US.

Management Sciences for Health is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental handicap, or status as a disabled or Vietnam Era veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

How to apply:

To apply for this position, please submit a resume to https://jobs-msh.icims.com/jobs/6898/cote-d%27ivoire-country-project-dir.... For more information about MSH, please visit our web site at www.msh.org. If you cannot apply online or have difficulty doing so, please email an explanation of your problem toiRecruiterproblem@msh.org.