Chief of Party, HIV Prevention Program, South Africa

The Chief of Party will have overall responsibility for the project to USAID, under the direction of the Sexual HIV Prevention Program (SHIPP) Executive Management Team. Working closely with the DCOP for Operations & Finance and the Senior Technical Programme Director and managing a core staff of programme professionals, she/he will ensure that project objectives, outcomes, and deliverables are met and that financial, operational, and reporting requirements of the donor are adhered to. The Chief of Party will be the primary liaison with the client (USAID) as well as with other donors, partners, and stakeholders, and in partnership with the senior technical manager will liaise with the South African Government.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership and Governance:

• Facilitates and effectively works as part of a senior executive team with the DCOP and Senior Technical Programme Director.
• With the Senior Technical Programme Director, convenes Executive Management Team meetings for policy and oversight of the SHIPP Program.  (Executive Management Team includes the Chief of Party, Senior Technical Programme Director and the senior organizational leads from Futures Group and WRHI.)
• Ensures that all contractually designated “Key Personnel” work effectively to respond to client needs.
• Effectively promotes matrix management to ensure functional teamwork and high quality cross-cutting deliverables

Strategic and Operational Planning:

• Ensure that annual workplans and budgets are developed and reviewed.
• In collaboration and consultation with Senior Technical Programme Director and DCOP, convenes an annual strategic planning meeting and drives process to develop the annual workplans and budgets.
• Ensure appropriate consultation process in the development of workplans and budgets, including consultation with national government agencies and USAID Mission, as appropriate.
• Obtain approval for the workplans and budgets from key stakeholders in the national government and USAID.
• Ensure that appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are developed.

Human Resource Management

• Assume overall responsibility for the effective and professional management of staff in the organization.
• Lead, guide, mentor, and manage the performance of those staff members that are directly supervised by the Chief of Party, and supports Deputy Chief of Party and Senior Technical Programme Director to effectively manage their program staff.
• In collaboration and consultation with the Senior Technical Programme Director, Provides technical guidance and oversight to all deliverables within the project, liaising with the DC office and partner organization senior technical resources where appropriate.
• In collaboration with the Senior Technical Programme Director, Deputy Chief of Party and HR Manager, oversee the process of recruiting new staff and consultants, including supervision of the following tasks:

• developing terms of reference and contracts;
• recruiting and selecting staff;
• managing of induction and probation periods; and
• providing the necessary initial training.
• Facilitate supervision sessions with each staff member, quarterly or twice a year.
• Conduct performance appraisals as detailed in the organization’s performance appraisal policies and procedures.
• Manage all disciplinary and grievance matters.
• Identify specific staff training and development needs, and arrange in-house and/or external training for staff as necessary.
• Allocate and manage funds for staff training and development.

Administration and Financial Management

• Ensures the development and, where appropriate, revision, of all necessary organizational policies and procedures.
• Ensures that the organization has proper financial controls and procedures in place and that these are adhered to.
• Ensures that all organizational policies and procedures are implemented correctly by all staff and consultants.
• In collaboration and consultation with the Deputy Chief of Party and Senior Technical Programme Director, monitor organizational activities to ensure that they are in line with budgetary requirements.
• Ensure that monthly staff meetings are held and that decisions taken at staff meetings are implemented.

Program Management

• Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of annual workplans and budgets, and for the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.
• Ensures that appropriate monitoring and evaluation of organizational activities takes place.
• Assists staff and consultants to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate their project work.
• Ensures that staff and consultants are documenting their work correctly, and meeting reporting requirements, including the writing up of activities and results in accordance with existing guidelines on a quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis.
• In  collaboration and consultation with the Senior Technical Programme Director, receives, develops, and delegates referrals and requests for work from the national government and USAID Mission.
• Facilitates particular projects which are assigned to the Chief of Party.
• In  collaboration and consultation with the Senior Technical Programme Director, provides guidance on cross cutting themes (stigma, gender) in activities where appropriate or collaborate with local, partner organization senior technical resources, or DC-based technical guidance.
• Supports the DCOP and Senior Technical Programme Director to execute the financial and operational management and technical delivery of the programme and effectively manage their respective staff

Stakeholder Liaison

• Works with Senior Technical Programme Director and Deputy Chief of Party to
  • Maintain regular communication with the relevant stakeholders and USAID, and ensure that activity reports and critical program issues are tabled in a timely manner.
  • Network with, and build strategic alliances and relationships with, key stakeholders and other USG  agencies.
  • Lobby key stakeholders to achieve the strategic objectives of the SHIPP Programme.
  • Effectively represent the SHIPP program at national fora and meetings.
  • Leverage SHIPP partner organization contacts and insights to identify critical enablers and disablers and inform effective SAG liaisons
• Promote the organization’s policies and programs
• Influence present clients’ paradigms to move toward increased effectiveness and more sustainable approaches to project-driven interventions.
• Advise USAID and relevant stakeholders on new and creative strategies that could be incorporated into existing program activities.
• Represent the organization at national fora and meetings.

Other Duties

• Write reports as necessary.
• Perform other duties relating to the needs of the organization, as identified by the the Vice President and Director, Center for Health Systems and Solutions, or corporate leadership in Washington, DC from time to time.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in public health or social sciences or comparable academic credentials
• 10+ years’ international health experience required, with specific experience managing large US government-funded (USAID, CDC) programs.
• Experience in HIV prevention programming, with understanding of key populations for HIV transmission in South Africa
• Demonstrated successful leadership in conceptualizing and managing large in-country programs in a developing country context, collaborating with governmental departments, building capacity of staff, and implementing prevention programs required.
• In-country working experience in South Africa.
• Ability to foster successful partnership approaches and relationships among a variety of organizations/ institutions,
• Excellent English language communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across technical disciplines also required.
• At least 5-7 years of successfully managing diverse and talented staff, including motivating staff, delegating responsibilities and creating and maintaining a fully functioning team.  Direct experience in matrix management is highly desirable.  South African nationals are preferred

Physical Demands

•  Regularly required to stand or sit, and move about the facility

                

Work Environment

•  Usual office working conditions free of disagreeable elements.

All applications for this position should be submitted online at www.futuresgroup.com via the Careers page.  Futures Group provides equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.