Project Director, Midwives Save Lives

Midwives Save Lives - Project Director

Location:TBD (Addis Abeba or Dar es Salaam)

Reports to: Director of International Programs

Contract type: 5 year fixed-term contract

Salary range (Cad): $75,000 - $85,000

Language requirements: English and French (verbal and written fluency)

Eligibility: Open to national and international candidates

PLEASE NOTE THAT BILINGUALISM IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH IS A REQUIREMENT

Summary

Cuso International is a development organization that works to reduce poverty and inequality through the efforts of highly skilled volunteers, collaborative partnerships and compassionate donors. We envision a world where all people are able to realize their potential, develop their skills and participate fully in society. We believe in the power of people, value diversity and take responsibility for our actions and proactively demonstrate that we work with and on behalf of others. Cuso international works in developing countries across the world. We currently have programs in eighteen countries.

Cuso International, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM), will be implementing one new multi-country project entitled “Midwives Save Lives”, funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) Canada. The Project will contribute to the reduction of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity through strengthening the availability, access, acceptability and quality of reproductive, maternal, and child health services delivered through midwives in four target countries: Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania. The project will increase the skills and competencies of pre and in-service midwives, strengthen health systems to work more effectively with and for midwives, address low levels of demand for MNCH services at the community-level that impact the health status of girls, women and babies, and strengthen the capacity of Midwifery professional associations to improve the quality and coverage of midwifery care. Central to this project is the universal right of all women to be treated with dignity and respect. The initiative will draw on the unique Canadian model of Midwifery which supports midwives to work independently and in remote areas; as well as additional technical resources available through the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).

The Project Director will represent Cuso International and CAM, providing strategic and operational leadership to the local implementing partners and will be ultimately accountable for the effective and efficient achievement of overall project objectives and outcomes. The Project Director will ensure that Cuso International and CAM maintain a high profile in relevant networks and will seek to establish strong and long lasting relationships with government and stakeholders in four countries. He/she will also build strong and productive linkages with project staff based in four countries and in Ottawa (HQ of Cuso and offices of CAM).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Direction and Representation

• Represents Cuso International and CAM at the head of the project with local governments, DFATD, other donors, development organizations and other stakeholders;
• Provides overall strategic leadership and direction to project’s operation in four countries;
• Liaise with leadership and higher management of Cuso and CAM on critical issues regarding the project and provides timely information regarding project progress;
• Liaise with Cuso’s Programs Quality and Learning Team to ensure best practices and knowledge sharing;
• Participates in project Executive committee (he/she will organize and facilitate meetings, ensuring follow up to decisions);
• Oversees management of partnership agreements and stakeholders relations in four countries;
• Oversees all aspects of the operation in four countries to ensure that the delivery of project activities complies with the project’s Contribution Agreement signed with DFATD , as well as internal policies and regulations;
• Maintains a strong understanding of social, political and economic context of four countries, as well as of issues and challenges pertaining to partners’ and communities’ in the project areas;
• Establishes and maintains good working relationships with high level government representatives in four countries and represents Cuso International effectively;
• Acts as the champion for gender equity and social inclusion for the “Midwives Save Lives Project”.
• Works closely with Head of Programs (HoPs) and North American based staff in order to develop alliances, partnerships and strategic networks with institutional partners, including the private sector;
• Ensures synergy between Cuso International’s programs in the field, identifies gaps, and makes suggestions to better address the needs of beneficiaries and ensure achievement of development goals;
• Works with Senior Management at Cuso International and CAM to develop management processes and to build local capacity to deliver the project;
• Oversees the design and implementation of the project’s communication strategy in the field and in Canada;
• Identifies and pursue advocacy opportunities strategic for project objectives;
• Participates in national and international policy-dialogue fora.

Project Development and Delivery

· Oversees all aspects of project implementation (administrative, financial, technical, HR), ensuring that project is delivered efficiently to the highest possible quality;

· With the support of the Regional Project Manager ensures that management systems are developed based on relevant project documents (logic model, performance measurement framework, and other key results-based management documents), put in place and performing well;

· Oversees the development of the PIP, annual work plans and annual budgets, ensuring that resources (volunteers, employees and funding) are allocated appropriately;

· Leads the launch of the project and start-up activities in the four countries;

· Oversees preparation of all reports;

· Ensures cross cutting themes (gender, governance and environment) are included as appropriate.

Management of human resources

• Creates a shared vision among all project staff (in Canada and in the 4 countries of the project) centered on the objectives of the MSL project and their role in achieving them;
• Ensures that project staff and volunteers are appropriately briefed and supported prior to the start of their assignment (in collaboration with the HR department at Cuso International in HQ), and that they are informed of relevant policies and procedures and briefed on the context of countries of concern;
• Establishes and/or maintains a system of overviewing all staff activity in pursuit of project objectives, and ensures effective teamwork among staff;
• With respect to security, in consultation with HoPs and Country Representatives if applicable, ensures that appropriate security guidelines and procedures are established, updated regularly, and adhered to by project staff and volunteers.

Financial Management

· Oversees the development of realistic project plans and work with project finance team and finance department at Cuso HQ to ensure that budgets comply with donor requirements;

· Oversees the annual budget preparation process and ensures that budget plans are respected by countries;

· Oversees the preparation of financial reports;

· Oversees auditing processes.

Monitoring and Evaluation

· Directs and assess the design and the establishment of appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track results and impacts;

· Ensures that learning takes place and that best practices and lessons learned are shared and disseminated in countries, across countries and in Canada;

· Ensures that reporting is in line with Cuso International and donor requirements, to the highest possible quality.

Other responsibilities

· Reports and advises the Director of International Programs on strategic directions with respect to health programing and advocacy in RMNCH;

· Carries out any other duties as required by the Director of International Programs, from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

Education

§ Post graduate degree in relevant discipline of health with 7 or more years of program experience in international health most of which has mostly been gained overseas

Experience

· Solid experience in developing and implementing projects of similar nature and scope in Africa

· Proven experience in health programing, preferably with focus on RMNCH

· Proven practical experience of developing and managing project cycles from initial idea, through development and implementation to monitoring and evaluation, using participatory approaches in the field of Global Health.

· Solid experience and understanding of Results Based Management and Logic Model tools

· Proven track record of developing high quality funding proposals, that successfully win funding from a variety of funding sources.

· Experience of managing DFATD funded programs.

· Proven experience of developing, managing and revising complex budgets in line with all internal and external contractual obligations.

· Demonstrated experience in successfully managing, leading and coaching teams, while promoting a results-oriented work culture.

Knowledge

· Familiarity and solid understanding of current development thinking related to Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

· Familiarity with approaches to implement community-based RMNCH initiatives.

· Solid grasp of the gender and rights based approach to health.

Abilities

· Ability to think and plan strategically and proven ability to lead and inspire teams to do the same, and develop project ideas.

· Ability to present and represent Cuso International in a variety of media and to a variety of audiences including: government, donors, civil society and communities.

· Proven ability in creating high performance teams adhering to a “results-oriented” work culture. Experience in dealing effectively with staff with performance difficulties, and geographically dispersed.

· Attitudes and behaviors that demonstrate respect for diversity and commitment to gender equity.

· Ability to work flexibly as part of a team to ensure the objectives of the program are achieved.

· Proven ability to be self-serving in IT (Outlook, Email, databases, basic Excel, PowerPoint) and willingness to develop IT skills in order to improve effectiveness at work.

· Ability to travel internationally frequently, up to 30-35 % of the time

Skills

· Excellent communication skills, with proven ability to work fluently in English and French.

· Strong networking skills and the ability to build relationships, alliances and networks in a fast paced, ever-changing work environment.

· Excellent planning, prioritizing and time management skills.

· Excellent problem-solving abilities, finding innovative solutions to difficult, complex and unpredictable challenges.

Asset

· Experience in project implementation in one of the four countries covered by this project would be an asset.

HOW TO APPLY:

HOW TO APPLY

Your application consisting of a maximum four (4) page cv. and one (1) page application letter should beforwarded to hr.eastafrica@cusointernational.org with the competition number: Project Director - 2016-06 clearly marked as the subject. Applications should be received no later than Friday, March 18th, 2016 11h59 Eastern Time. No late applications will be considered. Please identify the web site you consulted for this position.

To be considered, your résumé and cover letter should demonstrate that all of the essential qualifications are met. Failure to demonstrate that you are meeting the requirements of the position will result in your application not being considered.**