Project Director PMTCT - Nigeria at Pathfinder International

Pathfinder International is a global leader in sexual and reproductive health. We place reproductive health care at the center of all that we do—believing that it is not only a fundamental human right, but is critical for expanding life opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, and paving the way for transformations in environmental stewardship, decreases in population pressures, and innovations in poverty reduction. Pathfinder provides women, men, and adolescents with a range of quality health services—from contraception and maternal care to HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment.

Evidence to Action for Strengthened Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services for Women and Girls (E2A) is USAID’s global flagship project for strengthening quality FP/RH service delivery and is led by Pathfinder International. The project is designed to reduce unmet need for family planning by scaling-up proven best practices (BPs) to ensure that women and girls receive – and use – quality services through all stages of the reproductive life cycle. E2A promotes healthy FP/RH behaviors, gender-equality, and the application of compelling evidence for FP use. The project is in partnership with the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), IntraHealth International, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), ExpandNet, and PATH.

Pathfinder International is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Director PMTCT - Nigeria

Job Ref: 15-37-E2A
Location Abuja, Nigeria

Program Overview
This 3 year, USAID supported project aims to contribute to the reduction in Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV/AIDS by providing a standardized package of PMTCT and tuberculosis (TB)/HIV services integrated with quality reproductive MCH services in private healthcare facilities, as recommended by the National guidelines and by addressing the underlying gender, youth, and HIV stigmas that impede access, provision, and sustained utilization of these services in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, C/River and Lagos states of Nigeria.

Position Purpose
The Project Director has overall responsibility for leading and managing the E2A Nigeria Private Sector PMTCT Plus Project (NPSP+P) to ensure that the project achieves its intended impact. S/he provides strategic leadership and managerial oversight of the administrative, programmatic, technical, and operational aspects of the project. The Project Director oversees the day-to-day work of the project and is responsible for the effective use and deployment of staff and financial resources to achieve project targets. S/he is accountable for all aspects of the project’s effective management, including financial and budgetary oversight, timely implementation of activities, and stakeholder relationship management with the oversight of the Country Representative.

Key Responsibilities

• Provides programmatic and technical oversight for the project;
• Represents the project on high-level meetings and other events with government, donors and other partners;
• Provides technical input in the development or refinement of assessment tools, service delivery, demand generation and capacity building tools and other materials required for the implementation of E2A NPSP+P;
• Prepare quarterly and annual work-plans and budgets, monitor performance of the project;
• Prepare quarterly reports and plans for submission to the Donor, Nigeria Country Office (NCO), E2A/Pathfinder headquarters;
• Forecast the need for technical and programmatic assistance from external sources including from E2A/headquarters in close liaison with the Country Representative (CR);
• Identify Nigerian sources of technical assistance (TA) / other support and manage the timely procurement and delivery thereof;
• Liaise with E2A/headquarters and the CR to ensure timely and coordinated technical assistance inputs from the staff;
• Manage and motivate the project team to deliver timely and high quality results;
• Provides TA working with the Senior Advisors , State Program Managers and consultants as may be required to plan and conduct the state level trainings related to the PMTCT project Provides continuous technical assistance and supportive supervision to the PMTCT team including the state program managers in the areas of service delivery, MERL and other project activities;
• Coordinates with the Country Representative to ensure appropriate technical inputs and support are provided from within and where necessary outside the shores of the country;
• Provides oversight and monitors all planned activities to assure progress, identify obstacles and expedite solutions;
• Identifies and coordinates/supervises all short term consultants needed for specific activities;
• Provides expertise to the project to ensure the achievement of the project’s goals and objectives and ensure the exchange of lessons learned, best practices between E2A/HQ and NCO;
• Provides assistance to the State Program Managers to prepare annual and quarterly work-plans and reports;
• Plan and conduct in liaison with other stakeholders and Country Representative, International, National and state level advocacy and stakeholder mobilization as required by the project;
• Provides technical assistance and support to the Program Managers and state field staff to plan and conduct advocacy and community mobilization activities;
• Develops and maintains relationships with a broad range of constituencies including the mission, relevant national and state government officials, civil society and donor groups and other relevant implementing partners especially the lead USAID Implementing partner in the assigned states;
• Liaise with the Country Representative to ensure that the advocacy goals of the project are attained;
• Perform any other duties as required by the Country Representative.​

Basic Requirements

• Master's degree in public health, social sciences, international development or related field.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in the implementation and management of health and development projects in Nigeria, including focus on HIV, FP/RH, MCH and community based programs Good knowledge of USAID regulations and procedures pertaining to activity design/implementation and experience as a Project Director or Chief of Party. Knowledge of USAID/PEPFAR policies and requirements.
• Knowledge of the social, political and cultural context of working in Nigeria, and institutional and policy issues that are related to HIV/FP/RH/MNCH/TB in the country.
• Sound project management knowledge and skills, with excellent coordination capacity.
• Full working knowledge of the private health sector in Nigeria.
• Demonstrated experience successfully fulfilling performance objectives, including the timely implementation and reporting of donor-funded program activities.
• Demonstrated management skills working with complex programs involving short deadlines, multiple tasks, supervisory responsibilities and coordination with multiple partners.
• Excellent diplomatic, interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Proven ability to create and maintain effective working relations with senior government personnel, international organizations, NGO partners, host country governments, and U.S. Government Agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, motivate, mentor and direct all levels of staff while creating a positive team environment.
• Strong presentation skills including the ability to present results and products to USAID and other key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health.
• Expert computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Position requires in-county travel to four assigned states of Lagos, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom and occasional travel outside Nigeria.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical knowledge and experience in program approaches for PMTCT, TB/HIV integration, family planning and maternal and child health and private sector.
• Expertise in capacity building and systems strengthening.
• Ability to speak one or two major local languages of the project area.

Application Closing Date
13th October, 2014

How to Apply
Interested candidates should:
Click here to apply online