Palladium
Project Overview and Role:
PROPEL Health is USAID-funded five-year project awarded to Palladium on September 23, 2022. PROPEL Health aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through: (1) policy development and implementation, (2) adequate, predictable, and sustainable health financing, (3) enhanced government stewardship, transparency, and accountability, and (4) use of evidence-based advocacy approaches at global, national, and subnational levels to promote best practices. The PROPEL Health Malawi buy-in is one of the largest field-support programs in the PROPEL Health project. PROPEL Health focuses on family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH), maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH), HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, water, and sanitation hygiene (WASH), nutrition, primary healthcare, and the integration of FP/RH with HIV and MNCH through, localizing policy, advocacy, financing, and governance leadership. The project provides technical and financial assistance towards capacity development for enhanced resilience and sustainability, drawing on local actors to co-create the country program and lead implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Localization drives the development of context-specific policies thereby aptly pointing towards an improved and enabling environment for equitable and sustainable FP/RH services, supplies and delivery, and integration into HIV/AIDS and MCH overtime.
Primary Duties:
The PROPEL Health Malawi Deputy Director, Technical will support the Malawi Country Director to ensure technical excellence of the country buy-in through the daily oversight of technical implementation. The Deputy Director will work with technical staff in Malawi and headquarters (HQ) to apply evidence and best practices to the co-design of activities and interventions and will promote a culture of collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) between teams within Malawi and with HQ. As part of the senior leadership team of PROPEL Health Malawi, the Deputy Director, Technical reports to the PROPEL Health Malawi Country Director and will work closely with a Senior Operations and Finance Manager, and PROPEL Health HQ-based staff in the United States to facilitate efficient and high-quality program implementation. The Deputy Director, Technical may be delegated Acting Country Director responsibilities when the Country Director is unavailable.
Key Responsibilities:
- Oversee and manage the design and delivery of program activities from a technical perspective.
- Ensure technical work is designed, developed, and delivered based on recent evidence, best practices, stakeholder engagement, resource allocation estimates, collaboration, for assured results and outcomes.
- Substantially contribute to workplan development and quarterly reporting.
- Guide development of concept notes and planning of individual activities.
- Guide development of activity documentation (briefs, reports, PPTs, etc.) and provide substantial review.
- Work with technical leads to facilitate an integrated technical approach across activities and workstreams and establish quality control standards in-line with PROPEL Health and USAID standards.
- Support the Country Director to manage government, client, donor, implementation partner and other local counterparts’ relationships for a coordinated and integrated approach to achieve project results.
- Keep the Country Director informed of any implementation delays, trends, or issues that need to be escalated.
- Collaborate with technical leads, to ensure all workplan activities are not only of high quality but are also taking place as planned.
- Present on PROPEL Health, Malawi’s work as needed in technical working groups, national meetings, and regional, or international meetings, or conferences.
- Conduct active networking and engagement among various sectors to sustain program success, including private sector.
- Lead program activities on technical capes of the project, and as advised by the Country Director.
- Guide and support policy formulation, strategy development, execution, monitoring, training, technical working groups, and capacity development efforts in support of project activities and deliverables.
- Support monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptation (MELA), and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) practices among the staff.
- Share technical expertise with other Palladium and/or PROPEL Health projects for south-to-south learning on PROPEL Health, Malawi’s successful approaches and interventions. This may include delivering formal presentations (PPT/webinars), participating in activity design calls, or responding to email inquiries and providing advice.
- Participate in and/or coordinate weekly staff meetings and designated team meetings with HQ to ensure the status of technical work is accurately represented, and any issues are presented for discussion.
- Cultivating a whole-team approach to implementing the Malawi workplan, including fostering strong collaboration between technical and operations staff within Malawi, and between technical staff in Malawi and the U.S. Provide feedback to the Country Director and Country Activity Manager (or PROPEL Health PLT as needed) on the quality of HQ technical assistance and future needs.
- Occasionally support Palladium business development and represent Palladium at external meetings if requested and if time allows (funded separately).
- May be requested to supervise individual staff (junior or senior); work with staff to develop their annual performance targets; facilitate biannual 360 reviews; and coach and mentor towards excellence in staff performance.
- Follow Palladium and PROPEL Health project guidelines when exercising expenditure approval authority.
- Ensure staff compliance with PROPEL Health project guidelines and SOPs.
- Other duties as requested by the Country Director to fulfill the needs of the Malawi country program.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in public health, development, organizational management, or related field.
- Recognized expert in one or more of PROPEL Health, Malawi’s program areas: population and development; FP/SRHR; HIV; youth; MNCH; TB; Malaria; Nutrition; WASH; Gender, amongst others.
- Conversant in international evidence and standards, such as those produced by WHO and UNFPA, in one or more of PROPEL Health, Malawi’s program areas.
- Sophisticated understanding of how government works and how to affect policy change at the national and decentralized level.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in management positions in development projects in Malawi, with at least 5 years on a USAID-funded project.
- Experience working with government counterparts and other stakeholders at the national and sub-national level; excellent technical reputation and diplomatic skills.
- Ample program management experience and ability to manage and delegate tasks efficiently.
- Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Strong written and oral communication skills and fluency in English required.
- Experience in monitoring and documenting project activities and outcomes.
- Ability to exercise leadership, build teams, maintain effective communication, motivate, and generate commitment within a team.
Application Deadline:
Applications must be received no later than 21st February 2024
Company Overview:
About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected] and we will be in touch to discuss.
Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.