Project Director at the Management Sciences for Health (MSH)

The Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over 40 years to help leaders, health managers, and communities in developing nations build stronger health systems for greater health impact. We work to save lives by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Director

Job ID: R3726
Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

• The Project Director is the technical lead for the project and is responsible for coordinating and managing all activities for this project.
• S/he shall be accountable and responsible for the development, regular update and implementation of the work plan and budget to ensure attainment of the program goals and objectives.
• S/he will lead the project implementation and oversight in line with the project’s goal, objectives and approaches, to contribute to the strategic goals of health financing in Nigeria, working in close collaboration with the National and State Health Insurance Authorities, relevant disease programmes of the Federal and State Ministries of Health, Civil Society Networks, and development partners.
• S/he will serve as the primary liaison between the project, government counterparts, stakeholders, and partners involved in health financing and/or implementing related programs in the country, such as expanding financial risk protection and implementing integration of comprehensive HIV and TB services into State Health Insurance Schemes.
• The Project Director is accountable for the management and supervision of the project team, provides strategic and technical guidance and works closely with the assigned Technical Service Lead, other home office technical and operational staff, and other MSH projects in the country to ensure that MSH GC7 Project plans and activities effectively address set goals and objectives.
• As the head of the country project team, he or she ensures the timely and quality delivery of project products and activities and supervises in-country project staff.
• Support Nigeria and the project states efforts to strengthen and expand coverage of the social health insurance programme.
• Lead the project team to develop and implement operational plans, including monitoring, evaluation and learning activities.
• Lead technical engagements with government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, private sector, civil society organizations including patient networks, and other implementing partners working in the health financing sub-sector.
• Develop and implement project results framework, performance monitoring and management plans, technical strategy and annual work plans for the project, in collaboration with the project team.
• Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with other relevant projects financed by the Global Fund and other donor partners in the country.
• Ensure effective collaboration with other MSH projects for resource optimization, alignment, and impact.
• Ensure that all projects reporting obligations are met in a timely manner and outputs are of highest standards.
• Support Nigeria’s efforts to achieve financial sustainability for its HIV, TB and malaria programmes.
• Ensure excellent delivery of project activities within approved budget and timelines.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight to the project implementation.
• Organize and participate in technical forums, technical working groups and other relevant meetings at national and state levels that will contribute to the excellent execution of the project and outcomes.
• Provide technical assistance to government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in health financing as may be required throughout the project implementation period.
• Provide technical and managerial leadership to the project team, ensuring all team members are performing at optimum level.

Specific Responsibilities Include
Vision, Technical Strategy and Results (25%):

• Develop and manage the Results Framework, Performance Monitoring Plan, Technical Strategy, annual project work plans, technical assistance plan and budget for project technical assistance in the country, in collaboration with Portfolio Director, Performance and MERL team and Technical Advisors, according to GC7 requirements, obligations, results frameworks, approaches and standards, and Results Management Systems (RMS) guidelines. Manage the implementation of project technical activities at the national and state levels ensuring that all activities are adequately implemented in a timely fashion and that they adequately address the Health Financing focus in the Global Fund Strategy
• Facilitate the identification and provision of required short-term technical assistance in support to program activities in collaboration with home office and state offices based technical teams.
• Monitor project training and on-site capacity building activities, ensuring the development of local institutional and personal capacities needed to State health insurance premiums for target populations while ensuring country ownership and sustainability of interventions.
• Maintain close interaction with the Portfolio Manager based in Abuja to ensure adequate support to the country program, completion of work and the achievement of targets in a timely fashion and within budget. Also, ensure that plan adjustments are made and documented as necessary.
• Management needs at the different levels of the system to meet the expectations of clients, partners, and other local stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership and direction for the development and implementation of innovative strategies and approaches in supporting Health financing in Nigeria and system strengthening activities in country.

Project Management (25%):

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the country/project office and serve as a liaison with the home office to ensure that logistics, contracts, letters of agreement, and any approvals are adequately in place in support of program activities. Also, ensure adherence to MSH office management and accounting procedures.
• Implement a Financial Pipeline Tracking system for effective budget monitoring and cost control based on sound financial and accounting principles, MSH Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and MSH and project requirements.
• Ensure project staffing, structure and reporting relationships are aligned with country needs, local context and available resources.
• Promote and facilitate staff participation in MSH's Technical Exchange Networks (TEN), relevant social networks and south-to-south exchanges.
• Conduct budget monitoring and cost control based on sound financial and accounting principles, MSH Standard Operating Procedures, and MSH and project requirements.
• Ensure implementation of activities in compliance with project contracts, MSH and Global Fund policies, regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Manage human resources as per MSH values, policies and guidelines, and implement an effective performance management program focusing on results and individual accountability, including regular check-ins, annual reviews, supportive supervision, a merit-based reward system, training, coaching and career development support.

Reporting (25%):

• Facilitate the review of technical reports developed by other team members and/or consultants ensuring the quality of delivered products and that reports/recommendations are appropriately disseminated among counterparts and partners.

Safeguarding MSH (25%):

• The PTA works closely with all CG7 and country projects, Technical Strategy Leads, and Portfolio Managers to identify opportunities to use new and existing global and GC7 developed tools, to coordinate technical work, and to ensure that the GC7/Nigeria strategies and technical approaches are based on and informed by country-level needs and priorities.

Qualifications
Required Qualification:

• A Post-graduate Degree in Health Financing, Health Economics, Public Policy, or Public Health.

Required Minimum Experience:

• At least 8-10 years of progressive experience in designing and leading financing for public health programmes, preferably for HIV and tuberculosis on a large scale. Experience in international public health highly preferred. 

Knowledge and Skills:

• In-depth knowledge and experience in health policy development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in Nigeria’s health system, particularly health financing and management of large-scale public health projects.
• Demonstrated experience working with stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector including federal and state governments, donor partners, development partners, civil society networks, private sector, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated competence to manage a variety of activities in a time-sensitive context and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills in English are essential.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically as may be required. Demonstrated experience in managing and supervising technical staff.
• In-depth understanding and knowledge of National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022 and The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
• Demonstrated competence in the design and implementation of large-scale public health programme with a health financing component.  

Competencies:

• Ensuring Delivery of Results: Functional/technical skills, client management, managing and measuring work, negotiating, information sharing, process management, priority setting, problem-solving and timely decision making Leading with Credibility: Managing others, building effective teams, conflict management, managing vision and purpose, integrity, and trust, motivating others, approachability and improving direct reports and others.
• Core Personal Competencies: Ethics and values, integrity, and trust, listening, and written communication.
• Core MSH competencies: Adaptability, Communication, Problem-Solving, Creativity and Innovation, Timeliness of Work, Quality of work and Team Relationships, Efficient Resource Utilization.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply