Chief of Party 

Collaborating, Learning & Adapting Advisor, Technical Advisor

The Strengthening Integrated Health Services Activity (SIHSA) aims to contribute to the Government of Sierra Leone’s overarching goal of improving the health of adolescents, pregnant and postpartum women, and children under five years old. The program seeks to 1) enhance the quality of family planning, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (FP/RMNCAH), malaria services, 2) promote the adoption of crucial health behaviors and 3) strengthen the stewardship and governance of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation at central and district levels. SIHSA seeks to promote the integration of health services, including malaria services, to rapidly scale-up evidence-based interventions to address preventable causes of maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent morbidities and mortality. SIHSA seeks to demonstrate innovative models to catalyze community-driven solutions and show models to promote private sector engagement.

Role Overview:

The Chief of Party (COP) will provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and management for the SIHSA program. Reporting to the Country Director, the COP will be responsible for ensuring the program’s goals, objectives, and strategy are achieved within the specified timeframe and budget. The COP will serve as the primary liaison with USAID, government stakeholders, implementing partners, and other relevant stakeholders.

Recruitment is contingent upon successful award and USAID approval.

Responsibilities:

• Set, communicate and deliver the strategic direction of the programme and ensure consistency with the overarching objectives of the project.
• Provide overall leadership and oversight of the project’s delivery and results and on planning, designing and the implementation of project activities in the light of donor strategic priorities and project design/objectives.

Project Management:

• Oversee and monitor project risks (including financial, logistical and other support systems, security and safeguarding) and flag issues in a timely manner to the Concern Country Director and Programmes Director. 
• Ensure compliance with organisational and donor rules and regulations, particularly with respect to financial and contract management, budget and expenditure monitoring. 
• Lead on quarterly and annual work planning, programme implementation, M&E and donor reporting.  
• Ensure that efficient systems are in place to support all aspects of the project, including grant management, M&E systems, and technical assistance provision, in compliance with organizational procedures.
• Ensure adherence to agreed project quality standards, M&E guidelines, frameworks for the project and provide technical support to embed M&E and accountability throughout all aspects of the project implementation. 

Stakeholder Management:

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with downstream partners; maintaining regular communication, including negotiating scope of works, addressing revisions in project work, and addressing issues that may arise.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, representing Concern and serving as the primary focal point for the donor and the Government of Sierra Leone, which involves ongoing political economy and stakeholder analyses.

Capacity Building:    

• Contribute to the daily capacity building and strengthening of decision-making capacities of the team and national staff.

People Management: 

• Provide line management to the Core Project Management Team staff (4+) in accordance with organisational policies and procedures, contributing to their capacity building and career development through technical support and on-the-job training and coaching.
• Ensure that all department positions have accurate job descriptions and that each member of the team fully understands outcomes which are expected of them, by setting SMART objectives, and that they are aware of the success criteria relating to their work.
• Ensure that all department staff are aware of and comply with all of Concern’s policies and procedures.
• Monitor and review performance of staff and hold staff accountable for meeting their success criteria; give corrective feedback where required and take decisive action in the case of poor performance.
• Ensure that work within the team(s) is planned and organised in a way which will meet the organisation’s needs in the most cost effective manner possible; ensuring that team members are given appropriate workloads and are working efficiently.

Other:

• Actively participate in collective exercises such as preparation or updates of Preparing for Effective Emergency Response (PEER) plan, Security Management Plan (SMP) and other Concern initiatives.  
• Ensure that gender equality and diversity principles are upheld in the recruitment, orientation, performance and management of staff and to demonstrate leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Promote and ensure accountability to programme participants and Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Do No Harm principles, and ensure high ethical research standards, particularly given the sensitive nature of the topic areas throughout programme implementation. 
• Ensure adherence/compliance with Concern’s Code of Conduct, Programme Participant Protection Policy, Safeguarding policy and associated policies and to role model a positive safeguarding ethos. 
• Actively participate in any emergency response if called upon to do so (within the existing programme area or in a new one).
• Undertake other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Country Director.

• Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, International Development, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience designing, managing and implementing complex health projects, preferably in Sierra Leone or West Africa.
• Minimum five (5) years of successful experience as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Team Leader, Project Director, or equivalent senior position for USAID or a similar donor agency-funded project.
• In-depth and extensive knowledge of USAID approaches and regulations.
• Technical expertise in one or more of the following: health systems strengthening, family planning, RMNCAH and malaria.
• Strong financial management and donor compliance skills.
• Experience in the design and use of monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Ability and experience in building and maintaining effective relationships with senior representatives of donor, particularly USAID, INGOs, and Government structures, and to represent at national or international level fora.
• Strong coordination skills specifically with the ability to effectively coordinate, influence, and negotiate with partners and grantees.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills.

Desirable

• Cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Commitment to capacity building, protection, and participation.
• Demonstrated experience of team building and participatory approaches.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a changing environment.

• Raising awareness and being updated on HIV & AIDS issues.
• Protecting him/herself and colleagues.

Sharing information with colleagues and avoiding stigma and discrimination.

Therefore, each staff member of Concern is expected to be sensitive to equality issues in their relationships with colleagues and in their work and to participate in implementation of gender mainstreaming plans, both at the workplace and in programmes.

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.