Chief of Party

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi State. Since then, IRC has emerged as a critical partner in addressing the humanitarian crises in the Northeast and Northwest through a multi-sectoral, client-centered and integrated program approach for conflict-affected populations. In Fiscal Year 2023, IRC assisted more than 800,000 displaced people and host communities with interventions in primary healthcare, nutrition, environmental health, protection, education, food security and livelihoods. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and has field offices in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kogi States. With almost 700 staff, and a diverse group of local partners, IRC Nigeria implements programs funded by a variety of institutional donors, UN agencies and private foundations.

Project Overview

Strengthening Quality of Care through Primary Health Care (PHC) is a 5-year and USD 50-100 million activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nigeria. USAID aims to advance PHC, accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), and improve health outcomes. USAID is committed to support Nigeria’s commitment to achieve sustainable, equitable and resilient health systems through locally-led, evidence-driven, and context-specific approaches by strengthening its PHC system and enhancing focused efforts on prevention, detection and treatment at national and local levels.

Job Overview

The Chief of Party (COP) will provide overall strategic vision and technical leadership for the activity and supervise management of the program management team. The COP supervises effective implementation of program activities by promoting a learning agenda and adaptative management approach. The COP makes programmatic decisions, oversees quality data collection for decision-making and reporting, ensures sub-grant development and compliance with USAID rules and regulations.

The COP ensures effective collaboration with government stakeholders, various development and health partners, and civil society organizations to guarantee delivery of the program objectives and outcomes, meeting targets within budget, timely submission of quality deliverables and high-level accountability to beneficiaries. The COP provides the necessary guidance to the consortium management bodies and ensures high quality coordination, analysis, and strategic technical directions to the implementation of the project as per award and agreed action plan between the IRC and USAID. The COP is the main activity point of contact for USAID, and serves as advocate and spokesperson to federal and local governments, and other stakeholders.

The COP will work closely with and under the supervision of the IRC Country Director with collaboration with the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP), as well as in close coordination and collaboration with consortium partners.

Recruitment is contingent upon successful award of the program, and selection of final applicant is subject to USAID approval.

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Technical Excellence

• Provides high quality leadership and strategic vision to the activity, with hands-on management when needed, ensuring program activities achieve expected outcomes and targets, coordinated inputs and quality programming with data-driven decision making and adaptative management

• Ensures program implementation in compliance with USAID rules and regulations, agreements signed with partners and IRC internal policies and procedures

• Ensures effective project management, oversees implementation and monitoring of IRC and partners’ program activities, expenditure, M&E and procurement plans, by organizing joint and regular monitoring and review meetings, assessing progress and reviewing program approaches, identifies proactively implementation challenges and solutions to reach program outcomes and targets

• Leads quality of Project Cycle Meetings (PCM) throughout the project period, promotes regular reviews of program progress (internal and external) and budget spending (i.e., through tracking spending plans, BvA meetings, etc), conducts learning meetings in a timely and participatory manner with all consortium members and relevant stakeholders, and proposes recommendations for changes in partners’ activities, approaches, and areas of action as appropriate

• Ensures production of quality reports, both narrative and financial, and other deliverables by the consortium

• Ensures a culture of client responsiveness through adequate resource allocation, advocacy, and project design and by requesting and using client feedback data to make decisions

• Works closely with IRC MEAL Coordinator and consortium members to develop and ensure a strong MEAL system in place that adheres to program quality standards and procedures and that data drives decision-making and resource allocation

• Conducts frequent field visits to all project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching

• Works closely with the Senior Grants and Partnership Managers to guarantee implementation of IRC’s Partnership (PEER) system across all sub-awards and promote partnership principles, and ensures consortium partners compliance with USAID and IRC rules and regulations

• Provides leadership and transparent communication to the consortium for timely, quality and compliant program implementation

• Serves as the consortium’s representative to USAID, Federal/State Ministry of Health (F/SMoH), development and technical partners, and local organizations, and coordinates with other USAID-funded activities

• Ensures engagement and coordination with humanitarian and development coordination mechanisms, providing regular program updates to partners and stakeholders and promoting joint planning and implementation

Staff Performance Management, Learning and Development

• Manages a diverse team, both international and national staff, cultivating and maintaining a work environment promoting collaboration and mutual respect, and promotes a strong team spirit by providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their roles

• Hires, supervises, and mentors direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, holding regular meetings, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews

• Identifies opportunities for career growth, where appropriate, and develops capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities, as part of succession plan and nationalization goals

• Provides a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths

• Identifies, as required, staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies

• Promotes and monitors staff care and well-being, healthy work-life balance practices, and supports appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs

• Approves and manages time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheets submission and carry out probationary reviews

• Adheres to and acts in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicates through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Job Requirements

Education:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Health management and other relevant health related subjects, Post-graduate medical degree (MPH, MD, RN, PA, or midwife), or other relevant degrees.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 10-15 years of increasingly responsible experience in designing, implementing and managing large and complex health programs in Nigeria or relevant context

• Senior leadership experience with similar USAID-funded programs required

• Demonstrated experience in PHC, with expertise in at least one of the following sectors: health governance; maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH); adolescent health; family planning (FP), sexual and reproductive health (SRH); nutrition; malaria prevention and service delivery; in insecure environments and areas affected by crisis.

• Experience and knowledge of Nigeria’s healthcare system and working with Nigeria local government officials required

• Demonstrated experience leading and managing inter-institutional coordination bodies within a multi-cultural operating environment. and working with local and international partners

• Demonstrated ability to work with central and local governments, policy makers, national partners and research institutions to promote innovation and local-led initiatives and support local capacity development efforts

• Experience in developing or adapting health standards, guidelines and protocols and working with state/local health authorities, health care service providers and communities

• Demonstrated experience in program management, project design and use of project design tools with hands-on management ensuring program activities achieve the greatest coverage and impact possible, coordinated inputs and technical/managerial quality and programming that is data driven and adaptative

• Demonstrated experience in team building and leading large, geographically dispersed and diverse teams, providing staff oversight and performance evaluation, supervision of deliverables and award management

• Excellent oral and written communication in English and interpersonal skills with evidence of ability to productively interact with a wide range and levels of organizations

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office suite

• Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion

• Ability to Travel: minimal.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.