Senior Program Director, Primary and Community Health Care – United States of America

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We partner with change agents around the world – government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators – to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goals to knowing how to achieve them. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytical rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation, and peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver sustainable results. Then we share what we’ve learned so that others can benefit from development.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help us advance our mission. Diversity of thought, identity, perspective and background is critical to who we are and what we do. We are looking for people who embrace these values ​​and help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate on trust and respect. Teams within the organization frequently collaborate on programming and support each other to continuously build better R4D.

R4D seeks a Senior Program Director with expertise in health systems strengthening to provide strategic and technical leadership for a growing portfolio of work supporting primary and community health care. Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of primary and community health care systems to ensure continuity of care and meet urgent health system needs. There is a renewed focus on these front-line levels, with countries focusing on building more resilient and equitable health systems, particularly on strengthening the workforce and learning from challenges and innovations to combat the epidemic.

The Senior Program Director will be a recognized leader in the field of primary and community health care, with experience in health worker issues and innovation in primary health care service delivery and is expected to build a successful career in the growing experience. The Senior Program Director reports to the R4D Managing Directors and collaborates with other members of the R4D leadership team. The preferred location for the location is the Washington, DC area.

In the first year, the Senior Program Director will provide technical leadership on a new community health workforce initiative launched under the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (HACE), focusing on education, recruitment and funding of frontline community health workers. Accelerator is a five-year USAID-supported program that provides catalytic support to countries as they address pressing health systems challenges and accelerate innovation and self-sufficiency. It focuses on strengthening the capacity of urgent health systems to drive change in a sustainable and institutional manner, helping to address specific systemic issues that impede progress towards better health outcomes. In addition to R4D, the Rapid Coalition includes the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), ICF, and a growing number of local and regional organizations. More information about Accelerator is available at: https://www.acceleratehss.org/.

Additionally, and increasingly, the Senior Program Director will provide technical expertise and programmatic strategic leadership to other primary health care innovation and R4D-led consolidation efforts, building on and expanding R4D’s prior experience. Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI [http://improvingphg.org]).

Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic leadership, technical direction, and thought leadership to the primary and community health care practice.
• Lead new business initiatives in primary and community health care practice
• Lead the overall planning and implementation of the Community Health Workforce movement in the immediate project, including leadership of a dedicated team for the project. In collaboration with project and technical directors, ensure high quality of all major technical deliverables and strong partnerships with selected local stakeholders and USAID activity managers.
• Provide overall strategic leadership and technical direction on community and primary health care innovations within R4D’s health portfolio, particularly around the health workforce.
• Links to relevant R4D programs in community and primary health care such as the Joint Learning Network (JLN) for Universal Health Coverage; Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI)the Strategic Procurement Africa Resource Center (SPARC), the Learning Network for Countries in Transition (LNCT) and various bilateral country programmes.
• Establish institutional partnerships related to primary and community health care with international, regional and local technical partners, capacity building donors (e.g. BMGF, Rockefeller Foundation, Global Financing Institution), key multilaterals (WHO, World Bank, UNICEF) and civil society organizations.
• Participate in public forums and effectively engage local and international audiences to ensure strong communication about R4D’s work in community and primary health care.
• Lead and publish global knowledge and analytical products and present them to external audiences at international and national panels and conferences.
• Coach and mentor junior staff on best practices in primary and community health care
• Fosters an organizational culture of excellence and continuous improvement that values ​​learning and innovation, entrepreneurship and a commitment to organizational diversity, equity, inclusion and professional development.
• As a member of the R4D management team, contribute to organizational strategy, policies and operations and design platforms through the accelerator and/or may be deployed to other programs in health, education and nutrition.
• Participates fully as a member of R4D by contributing, assisting and participating in projects, activities and initiatives as requested by management.

Qualifications

Specific qualifications and skills required for the position include:

• R4D seeks a leader with deep experience and passion for strengthening primary and community health care systems around the world, and extensive consensus-building experience across multiple entities and contexts. They will have significant leadership experience on USAID-supported projects and direct experience in local implementation. They are passionate about R4D’s organizational strategy and are motivated to create effective and actionable ways of working with key stakeholders. The successful candidate is a health system expert and an energetic, mission-driven, and collaborative senior leader with a track record of building diverse, high-performing teams and multi-stakeholder partnerships with strong communication and decision-making processes.
• For this critical role, health policy and/or international development professionals 1) have experience and expertise in health workforce issues, including primary and community health care issues; 2) Experience in providing project management and technical assistance through USAID or other donor funding; and 3) ability to meet tight timelines, track results, effectively manage staff and multi-stakeholder relationships, and support decisions at the national and regional levels to drive positive change.
• At least a Master’s degree with recognized expertise in health systems and preferably a PhD in a relevant field (medicine, public health, public/social policy, public administration or similar) or similar experience. Clinical experience is desirable.
• A minimum of 15-20 years of experience, including at least 5 years of supervisory and program development experience, with increasing leadership responsibilities in government health agencies, international development non-profit organizations, foundations, donors, multilateral institutions or international health systems. Experience should include designing, obtaining funding and leading community/primary health care programs.
• Leadership that demonstrates strategic thinking in designing and implementing projects, including planning work, managing and mentoring junior colleagues, and overseeing the efficient and cost-effective use of resources to achieve objectives.
• He has extensive experience working with government leaders in many countries to design and implement primary and community health care reforms.
• Strong analytical and research skills, including clinical or programmatic implementation research, political economy analysis, and/or program evaluation.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for both small, internal teamwork and large, external events.
• Experience leading complex organizations or initiatives with multiple partners, interrelated work streams and operations across the globe.
• Experience in leadership roles in USAID funded programs; Experience in leadership roles with donor funded programs.
• Experience living and/or working in low- and middle-income countries with experience working in the West African region is preferred.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proficiency in French (oral and written) required.