Country Director, Deworm the World Initiative

• Reports to: TBD
• Location: Bangalore, India preferred
• Deadline to Apply:  July 15, 2013
• Desired Start Date and Duration: June 2013; 2 year commitment
• NOTE: This position will be hired through a partner of IPA: Action Foundation for Social Services

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C. and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture.

Position Summary:

DtWI is seeking a Country Director to join the success of our young, fast-paced initiative and lead growth in India at this critical stage. The Country Director will lead DtWI teams and activities in India, with a specific focus on partner development and relations, fundraising, strategic growth plans, and business systems. The Country Director is supported by the India Operations Director, who directs day-to-day program operations and state program teams. The Country Director will maintain continuous lines of communication with the DtWI Managing Director and senior staff, and responsibilities will be carried out under the direction of the DtWI Managing Director and in coordination with AFSS leadership.

About Deworm the World Initiative:

The Deworm the World Initiative (DtWI) actively supports the scale-up of school-based deworming programs worldwide to improve children’s health, education, and long-term development. School-based deworming is proven to be an extremely effective intervention with tangible health, education and productivity benefits, and is one of the most cost-effective methods of increasing overall school attendance and participation. DtWI operations in India are led by the Action Foundation for Social Services (AFSS), a Section 25 company headquartered in Bangalore with the objective of bringing well-researched social interventions to scale.  

DtWI has helped to treat over 40 million children across 27 countries since 2009. Over half of these children were reached through the scale-up of new programs that DtWI advocated for and/or provided in-depth technical assistance to plan, implement and evaluate. In India, DtWI has already enabled the scale up of statewide programs in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Rajasthan and is planning for rapid expansion over the next years.  

Responsibilities:

Partnership Development and Management

• Lead efforts to develop and maintain a high level of government support for statewide school-based deworming programs. Identify and engage key stakeholders at the national and state-level to advocate for school-based deworming, resulting in the initiation of new programs and ongoing commitment to existing ones.
• Work with all partners (including National and State Departments of Education and Health) to ensure the implementation of high quality programs following international protocols and good operational practice.
• Publicly represent DtWI in meetings, conferences and other events in India and throughout the region. Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with high- and mid-level government officials and other key stakeholders, including technical agencies, NGOs, funders and other actors.

Fundraising

• Raise funds to support deworming plans. Develop a fundraising strategy and identify new donor partners, including foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Maintain positive relationships with existing donor partners.
• Develop funding proposals, budgets and progress reports to support DtWI activities, working closely with senior management, program and finance teams.

Strategy

• Develop strategic recommendations and execute approved plans for DtWI’s growth in India.
• Participate in high-level strategic discussions surrounding school-based deworming and school health with internal and external stakeholders.
• Work with India Operations Director to think critically about programmatic components (materials, resources, personnel and costs) to improve and innovate on program quality and efficiency.

Business Systems and Program Administration

• Build systems and direct staff for business operations (financial, HR and administrative) support to program activities.
• Oversee management of grants, contracts, budgets, and financial reporting, with ultimate responsibility for ensuring programs are within budget and conducted in accordance with all donor requirements and restrictions.
• Develop and direct implementation of operational policies and internal controls including procurement, human resources, grant administration, financial management, travel and expenses.
• Identify human resource needs and lead recruitment of all in-country staff and consultants. Ensure staff has requisite experience and/or training for the fulfillment of job functions.  
• Supervise DtWI’s India staff; establish and implement performance management system.  Maintain a strong day-to-day leadership presence for India staff, setting the tone for achievement of high quality and timely deliverables.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

• Support state governments in planning and implementing new/subsequent rounds of school-based deworming.  This includes overseeing and supporting the Operations Director and state teams to develop, execute, and refine program plans and processes.
• Oversee and guide development of program documentation, including work plans, budgets, best practices and reports for India programs. Support global DtWI documentation, including resource guides and best practices. 

Desired Qualifications and Experience 

• At least 10-15 years work experience, with related responsibilities in a private, public or nonprofit context.
• Masters degree (in public policy, public health, education or business preferred).
• Experience and ability to develop and oversee financial, HR and administrative teams, systems and processes.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and proposal development.
• Proven leadership ability, with strong critical thinking and judgment to quickly identify problems and devise solutions, as well as escalate matters as needed.
• Experience working in partnership with government officials and/or high-level policymakers.
• Effective communication and collaboration with colleagues and partners to achieve desired results.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Robust understanding of and experience with program design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
• Strong program management and organizational skills, and able to prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities efficiently in a fast moving environment.
• Able to travel within India regularly and out of the country on occasion.Fluencyin English (required) and Hindi (preferred).

Required Attitude

• Enthusiastic to lead and grow the core work of DtWI in India.
• Dedicated to promoting a team environment that is evidence-driven, innovative and oriented to deliver the highest quality work.
• Highly self-motivated and willing to be involved in all levels of work, with a “do what it takes” attitude.
• Eager to be part of a fast-paced, growing program and nimble team with a start-up atmosphere.

How to Apply:

Please follow the application instructions below.  Any applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be considered.  Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

1) Send an titled email to grace.hollister@dewormtheworld.org and cc jobs-dtw@poverty-action.org, following instructions below:

• In the email body: Copy exactly the following position line: 100752IPAIndia, DtWI India Country Director
• Attachments: Please attach ONLY your CV letter and cover letter.
• In the subject line: Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name.

IPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer

All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the Country Director.  The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions tojobs-info@poverty-action.org.