Chief of Party

Job Description

Employee Contract Type:

International Assignment – Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Job Description:

PURPOSE OF POSITION

World Vision International Sierra Leone is seeking a Chief of Party (CoP) for a Global Fund multicomponent grant HIV, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria program.

The Chief of Party (CoP) will be responsible for the overall leadership and oversight of the program. The CoP will have a keen understanding of the local dynamics and work collaboratively, effectively and efficiently with the Ministry of Health, other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GoSL), the Global Fund Country Team, the Country Coordinating Mechanism and its Secretariat, the key affected populations Organizations and all stakeholders. The CoP will manage a team of senior staff and ensure quality, timeliness and efficiency of all products and activities generated under the grant.

The Global Fund grant is a three-year project, budget of $21 million dollars, and possibility of increase at a later stage. This position is contingent upon funding and donor approval.

Major Activities

Leadership and Technical Guidance: 30% of time

• Ensure that the Global Fund (GF) Program is both disbursement ready and implementation ready by leading and coordinating the contracting of the Sub Recipients (SRs), the recruitment of the full staffing, the contracting of the suppliers and the full completion of the transition activities between Grant Cycle 6 Principal Recipients (PRs) and Grant Cycle 7 PR2 to the highest quality as per the Operational Policy Notes.
• Ensure that the Program’s strategic objectives, targets and budget are fully aligned with the highest technical quality standards for the program implementation.
• Provide ongoing guidance and technical oversight to members of the GF Program Management Team, sub-recipients, and other stakeholders, including building and strengthening their capacities while monitoring their performance on an ongoing basis.
• Provide high quality technical leadership and oversight to the program, ensuring that program team and SRs are familiar to program content, aligned with the agreed program design and targets as per the Performance Framework.
• Ensure that all relevant technical materials are made available and disseminated in timely and efficient manner and applied relative to the program implementation. Develop and maintain effective management relationship and partnership with SRs, beneficiaries and Civil Society, and all the key strategic partners: MoH, PEPFAR, UN agencies, (WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA), USAID, civil society and affected populations organizations, CCM, LFA and other stakeholders.
• Ensure that program implementation follows WVI and the GF latest technical and operational guidelines, operational notes, administrative policies, procedures and regulations.
• Develop a clear strategy and model for condom distribution and uptake, PREP utilization for FSW, MSM, PWID taking in to account WHO guidelines and the NSP.
• Develop a strategy and model for peer educators and Navigators for comprehensive HIV programing for key population that includes service provision along the entire cascade (identifying, reaching, networking, recruiting individuals to access HIV testing and treatment, counselling services and adherence)

Grant /Finance Management and Compliance: 25% of time

• Direct the timely development of the Global Fund grant program budget and monitor its execution on an ongoing basis so the compliance with WV’s contractual obligations is maintained over the entire period of the Program implementation and as recommended in line with the GF grant budgeting and performance-based funding principles.
• Oversee and monitor the control of expenditures within the budgets. Oversee the appropriate implementation, monitoring of sub-grants to all SRs, ensuring compliance all GF regulations and procedures.
• Oversee all procurement and supply chain management activities allocated to PR2 to ensure they are well coordinated with national partners and implemented systematically in compliance with WHO, Global Fund and national protocols and guidelines.
• In line with the WVI and WVISL Risk Management policies and the GF recommendations ensure development and implementation of realistic and robust risk management plans and contingency plans to ensure the program implementation integrity and continuity as necessary.
• Ensure program spending and cash flows are maintained at the correct levels and take corrective measures in consultation with the PMU as needed.
• Lead discussions in relation to necessary reprogramming of potential savings to achieve effective program implementation and funding utilization.

Networking and Representation: 15% of time

• Closely coordinate and collaborate with the Local Fund Agent (LFA), Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), the Global Fund Country Team, CSOs and implementing partners, as appropriate.
• Represent WVISL as the GF Principal Recipient (PR), interact, build and nurture effective working relationship with GF Sierra Leone Country Team and specifically with the Country Portfolio Manager.
• Serve as a resource person for disseminating knowledge and skills to Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), SRs and all partners as needed.
• Develop and maintain professional and institutional relationship with GoSL Ministries, GF, as appropriate through sharing of reports, concerns, updates and being transparent in the management of the grant.
• Represent World Vision as PR, developing and sustaining work relationship with internal/external stakeholders of WVISL.
• Represent WVI as the PR within the NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) community, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), strategic partners such as Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, UN agencies, USAID (CDC, PMI, PEPFAR), technical working groups, Health sector working groups/committee.

Program Quality:10% of time

• Develop and review in a timely manner the annual, semi-annual and quarterly work plans for Program implementation.
• Sustain regular and quality reporting of grant implementation progress as per the grant Performance Framework and the Program Implementation Work Plan.
• Ensure the Development and submission in a timely manner of quality and accurate Program Update/Disbursement Requests (PU/DR) to the LFA and Global Fund CT
• Ensure there is a well-developed Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system consistent with the grant and able to track and evaluate key interventions, assist in identifying gaps for decisions making, lessons learnt sharing and also to build an evidence base of operational research and surveillance.
• Ensure all program monitoring tools and systems are in place to support high quality implementation by partners.
• Ensure the monitoring system is robust enough to identify gaps in the standards of delivery of the program by partners.
• Oversee that the program’s monitoring and evaluation system is developed and well aligned with the national M&E system, and ongoing data analysis is conducted to measure grant implementation performance.
• Ensure that the M&E system is aligned with the GF and National M&E frameworks.
• Ensure that the M&E system provides basis for informed, and evidence supported management decisions throughout the program implementation and as recommended in line with the GF performance-based funding principles.
• Ensure that research/studies/ assessments are conducted to capture evidence of impact and best practices, and the results and lessons learned are disseminated in timely manner among all stakeholders.

Staff Management and Capacity Building:10% of time

• Lead the Program Implementation Team in fulfilling both the GF and WVI’s core policies including Child and Adult Safeguarding, human rights, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest etc.
• Ensure a high performing and motivated Program Implementation Team is sustained with clear objectives, implementation strategies, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Meet staff support and professional development needs for improved staff performance.
• Conduct periodic individual and team performance reviews to ensure they meet both WVISL and the GF standards, policies and procedures, and technical quality implementation.
• Provide guidance, mentorship and management support to all GF Program Implementation Team staff to ensure timely achievement of program targets.

Internal Coordination: 10% of time

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communication with various departments of the WVISL country office, WVI West Africa Regional Office (WARO), WV USA as well as the WVI Global Center.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations related to Program implementation to the National Director, the WVISL Senior Leadership Team (SLT), and others WVI entities as appropriate.
• As per the donor and the WVISL National Director’s determination, any additional tasks are completed effectively and in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with and update WVISL SLT WV USA, WVI WARO on the GF grant status and performance on a regular basis.
• Work in close coordination with the SRs, the CCM, the GF Country Team (CT), the CSOs, the WVISL Departments, WV USA team to ensure smooth implementation of the GF program.
• Proactively raise any concerns/ issues and propose optimal solutions to WVISL leadership, WV USA, the CCM and the GF CT, as appropriate, for quick and effective solutions.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Minimum Qualification required:

• A minimum of a master’s degree in public health and/or a Degree in Health Economic, Medicine, and/or project management or a post-graduate degree in a similar related field.

Experience:

• At least 8 years’ experience in the management of or in the administration of large and complex health projects at the national level; minimum 5 years in a senior management position, supervising senior staff, in an international or multicultural environment at the national level.
• At least 5 years’ hands on management experience and thorough technical knowledge of HIV/TB project /program at the national or international level is required.
• Demonstrated experience in working with the GF and ensuring compliance with the GF requirements is a required.
• Fluency of communicating in English is required (both read and write).

Preferred:

• Be committed to the well-being of children and able to adhere to the vision and mission of WV including commitment to gender equality, inclusion, and human rights approach.
• At least 10 years’ experience in the management of or in the administration of complex health projects. A minimum 5 years in a management position, supervising senior staff, in an international or multicultural environment at the national level or international level.
• Extensive experience in operational management or administration of health projects, especially Global Fund in either HIV, Malaria and TB other public health programs, and dealing with international partners.
• Extensive experience in financial and grants management, including sub-grant management, and budget and procurement control.
• Strong ability to establish professional relationships and to work collaboratively with host government agencies, donors, civil society and community-based organizations (CBOs).
• A minimum of a master’s degree in project management / social sciences / public health.
• Knowledge of development issues, trends, challenges, and opportunities and implications to community development, particularly public health.
• In-depth knowledge of matters related to health systems strengthening and related implementation approaches with Global Fund.
• Demonstrated experience as development professional managing pool of technical support.
• Knowledge of operational issues in HIV/TB and Malaria programming
• Knowledge of effective participatory M&E systems.
• Knowledge of supply chain management processes.
• Knowledge of financial management systems

List academic requirements, technical skills or other knowledge preferred for this position.

• Advanced university degree in public health, medicine, health economics or related field.
• Experience related to prevention, care, and treatment for key populations.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation.
• Understanding of Procurement and Supply Management issues in large-scale public health programs.
• Ability to consistently produce quality results in a timely manner.
• Strongly drives performance forward in area of the business for which he/she is responsible.
• Involves others in setting and achieving goals.
• Creates strong sense of purpose within own part of the business and with stakeholders.
• Demonstrates honesty and transparency in holding self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and WV standards of behavior.
• Set strong strategy in own part of organization.
• Balances future vision with practical delivery.
• Cross cultural adept.
• Acts as a team player, willing to get the best outcome overall, adjusting own priorities if necessary.
• Creates and delivers outcomes in complex partnerships, keeping key stakeholders on board.
• Sets a strong learning culture in the project/program he/she is managing.
• Uses opportunities across WV to develop others.
• Remains calm and positive under pressure an in difficult situations.
• Sense of initiative and innovation.
• Good capacity to prevent and solve problems and potential conflicts.
• Critically evaluates work effectiveness and searches for better ways of working.

Work Environment:

• National Office-based in Freetown with frequent travel to the field.
• Periodic travel to implementation sites and regional, global meetings is required.
• Travel: the position requires ability and willingness to travel throughout Sierra Leone and internationally up to 30%.
• On call: This position requires being on call up to 50% of the time.