The Population Council Vacancy for a Country Director, Nigeria
The Population Council is an international, nonprofit,
nongovernmental institution that seeks to improve the well-being and
reproductive health of current and future generations around the world
and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between
people and resources.
The Council conducts biomedical, social science,
and public health research and helps build research capacities in
developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an
international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a
global network of regional and country offices. We are seeking an
individual to fill the position described.
Job Title: Country Director, Nigeria
REPORTING TO: Programmatic Vice President and International Support Director (co-supervisors)
LOCATION: Abuja, Nigeria
SALARY: Depends on qualifications and experience
ASSIGNMENT LENGTH: Two years, renewable by mutual consent and availability of funding
JOB DESCRIPTION
The
Population Council is seeking a professional to serve as country
director for its office in Nigeria. Successful candidates will have
experience in key management and leadership roles in international
development and broad knowledge of global health, including family
planning and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, gender and youth
studies.
The
Country Director is responsible for achieving the strategic direction
of the Council’s work in Nigeria. S/he leads external relations with
government, donors, and national and international NGOs to identify
research needs, promote utilization of research results and fundraise.
The Country Director provides technical support to research initiatives
to gather and utilize high quality evidence for programme and policy
change. The Country Director supervises and ensures project goals and
milestones are met in accordance with project budgets and work plans.
S/he provides on-going budget oversight and management of all projects
and grantees in coordination with headquarters financial team. The
Country Director has the responsibility to monitor that the financial
and administrative management of the office complies with local laws,
budgetary allocations, donor requirements, and Council policies and
procedures. S/he provides guidance, supervision, capacity building, and
leadership to Council staff and consultants in Nigeria, and oversees
recruitment and hiring, and performance management.
The Country Director also serves as a Principal Investigator for select research studies. The
Council has a diverse portfolio of research in Nigeria, with activities
that represent all three of the Council's program areas. The Council is
contributing to the country’s evidence base on HIV by testing the
feasibility of community compacts as an HIV prevention strategy;
operational research on programming HIV prevention for adolescents, HIV
and family planning integration; and various community-based strategy to
HIV prevention and care and support; and behavioral research on male
circumcision,. The Council is also working with national and
international partners to estimate the size and distribution of
most-at-risk populations, measuring HIV prevalence and incidence among
these populations, identifying and describing their key characteristics,
and strengthening the capacity to conduct research on key populations.
The
Council is recognized as a leader in the country’s efforts to combat
sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and has been pivotal in the
development of national policy and programmatic responses to this
problem. The Nigerian office is focusing on improving the social and
economic assets of adolescent girls by conducting research on girls’
protection strategies and providing support to local partners to
implement "safe spaces" programs. Having made significant contributions
to family planning and reproductive health policy during the past two
decades, the Council remains involved in Nigeria’s national debates on
family planning.
The
successful candidate will initially take over the portfolio of studies
from the recent country director; these are predominantly in the HIV and
AIDS program area, while the future portfolio will depend on the
country strategy, the interest and expertise of the country director,
and funding.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Country Office Leadership and Management
1. Establish
a country strategy to articulate needs and priorities of the country
within the context of the Council’s three programmatic areas of HIV and
AIDS, Reproductive Health, and Poverty, Gender and Youth.
2. In collaboration with New York, develop and implement effective office systems and procedures within the context of Council policy. Directly manage the Finance and Administrative team that support program activities on the execution of local and international policies and procedures.
3. Develop the program plan and budget, and provide ongoing budget oversight and management.
4. Provide
guidance, supervision and leadership to Council staff and consultants,
including recruiting and hiring, and performance management.
Technical/Research
5. Carry
out operational and behavioral research by developing or contributing
to the development to protocols and study procedures and instruments,
collaborating with partner organizations, overseeing study implemtnation
and monitoring progress, and analyzing data.
6. Prepare reports and manuscripts for peer reviewed journals on research projects.
7. Ensure
quality, ethics, program relevance and country needs in the design and
implementation of programmatic research and other activities in Nigeria.
8. Provide high-quality, local technical assistance services by building the capacity of Nigerian staff and consultants
9. Maintain and develop collaborative efforts with Council staff in Africa, other regions, and New York and Washington DC.
Business Development
10. Raise
funds for program activities of the Population Council in Nigeria,
including proposal development and donor stewardship, with an emphasis
on growing each of the Council’s core program areas.
Representation
11. Represent
the Population Council in all of its activities in Nigeria. This
includes interacting and developing relationships with all the major
organizations, including donors, development partners, policy makers,
collaborating agencies, NGOs and government and private sector
institutions.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Doctoral
degree in social science, medicine, public health, or related field
with training relevant to reproductive health, family planning, HIV and
AIDS, poverty, gender, and youth.
- Minimum of six years' relevant postdoctoral professional experience.
- Proven
ability and interest to manage and administer a country-level program
on HIV and AIDS; reproductive health; or poverty, gender, and youth.
This qualification requires experience in recruiting, monitoring,
evaluating, and supervising local staff; managing project resources;
fundraising and donor reporting; as well as the ability to work well
with all levels of national and international staff within a complex
technical assistance organization.
- Demonstrated ability to design, implement, analyze, publish, and disseminate research in developing countries.
- In-depth,
substantive knowledge of HIV and AIDS; reproductive health; and
poverty, gender, and youth issues, as well as an international
reputation for excellence in developing such programs.
- Understanding
of government systems and entities in Nigeria desirable and a
demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment.
- Excellent English written and oral communication skills.
- Willingness to travel within the region and overseas on a regular basis.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should
Click Here to Apply