Director of Programs

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Remote – based in sub-Saharan Africa or a similar time zone

Travel: Up to 20%

Who we are

D-tree leverages digital technology to create solutions that transform health systems for the better, making people’s care more personalized, more accessible, and more coordinated. We partner with governments from ideation to implementation, combining a deep understanding of local contexts with global expertise to build human-centered, government-aligned digital health programs that are designed to scale and integrate into health systems — ultimately leading to sustainable, long term improvements in health outcomes for all.

D-tree has received funding from USAID, the Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Foundation Botnar, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Human Development Innovation Fund, Packard Foundation, UN Foundation and more than 20 international NGOs. As a pioneer in the field of digital health, D-tree has supported more than 8,000 health workers serving over 5 million families in 16 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Evaluations have demonstrated improved heath impact through D-tree’s digital programs, including 27% reduction in maternal mortality, 50% increase in facility delivery rates, four-fold increase in postpartum follow-up, 70% increase in contraceptive prevalence rates and 15-fold improvements in health worker performance. In Zanzibar, D-tree is supporting the government to develop and institutionalize digital health initiatives at national scale, transforming service delivery and improving care for millions of people.

D-tree currently has offices in Zanzibar, Mainland Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. In each location, we work with partners and the government to build and demonstrate the potential of digital health systems for frontline health workers and then support the government to scale these systems. We are seeking a collaborative and impact-driven Director of Programs, preferably based in sub-Saharan Africa or a similar time-zone, to oversee current programming and guide the growth of our work in these locations.

What you will do

The Director of Programs is accountable for ensuring that D-tree implements high quality programs across our geographies that are aligned with and promote D-tree’s strategic approach and objectives; exceed donor and partner expectations; and ultimately, improve access to high quality healthcare by strengthening health systems through digital technology. The Director of Programs will manage Country Directors in each of our country offices, providing strategic oversight and support while also ensuring that Country Directors and programs are on track to achieve key milestones. Finally, the Director of Programs will serve as a key member of D-tree’s executive team, contribute to D-tree’s organizational strategy, and ensure consistent alignment across D-tree’s organizational strategy and country programs.

Managing Performance of Country Directors

The Director of Programs is responsible for managing the performance of and supporting Country Directors in each of D-tree’s country offices (currently in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi and Zambia) and overseeing the quality of programs. Key responsibilities include:

• Provide strategic oversight and thought partnership to Country Directors to promote their success in leading strong country teams that deliver high-quality programs, which align with D-tree’s values, approach, and objectives.
• Manage Country Directors’ performance through key performance metrics, providing feedback regularly, and coaching Directors to strengthen skills in key areas, as needed, in order to succeed in their roles. Ensure that Country Directors succeed in their key areas of responsibility including program quality and strategy; growth; staff performance management, cohesion, and skills; financial oversight and stewardship; and, operations and compliance.
• In partnership with the Director of strategy, support Country Directors to have clear goals and a strategic plan for each country program, which are aligned with D-tree’s organizational strategic plans. Ensure that these plans are regularly tracked and updated as environments or plans evolve.
• Serve as a key facilitator across D-tree’s country offices and global team to connect staff with one another and take advantage of talent, tools, resources, and best-practices available across the organization. Organize and facilitate monthly meetings of the Cross-Country Leadership Team.
• Ensure Directors are plugged in as part of the larger global team so that we work as one D-tree team and employ D-tree’s standardized, high quality approach across geographies.
• Keep track of the progress, opportunities, and challenges of each country program and regularly update the executive team, including elevating important or urgent items needing greater organizational attention.

Organizational Strategy and Growth

The Director of Programs will be a key contributor to D-tree’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to guide the strategic direction of the organization, ensure consistent alignment across organizational and country objectives, and support D-tree’s organizational growth. Key responsibilities include:

• Organizational strategy:
  • Serve on D-tree’s SLT and provide input on activities or decisions that are of strategic importance to D-tree
  • Collaborate with SLT to define D-tree strategic priorities—through contributing country program insights, learnings and priorities to executive team conversations—and then work with Directors to integrate organizational strategic objectives into country plans and programs.
  • Engage D-tree’s SLT in developing and monitoring countries’ strategic plans.
  • Contribute to conceptualizing organizational structures to help D-tree programs succeed as we grow, particularly in the current process of decentralization of authority, accountability and decision-making to country programs leadership.
• Stakeholder engagement and growth:
  • Contribute to the design of new projects and writing of funding proposals
  • Collaborate with CEO, Country Directors, and members of the executive team to engage with existing and potential donor or partner relationships, as it relates to D-tree’s programs, on an ongoing basis
• Contribute to external communications, as needed, including representing D-tree at conferences or meetings, and developing blog posts or reports to contribute to the broader field of digital health.

Who you are

We are seeking a full time, motivated professional who excels at managing senior-level staff—providing guidance and support, while holding them accountable for achieving performance targets—in order to drive programmatic success. You are someone who has experience leading complex health programs, managing and leading teams, and cultivating partnerships to lead to new opportunities to expand our impact. You are someone who is just as comfortable serving as a strategic thought partner to Country Directors as you are in cultivating donor, partner, and government relationships. You have the ability to see the big picture, as well as have excellent attention to detail and are very proactive. You are passionate about leading senior-level teams and have demonstrated your ability to develop leaders and create a positive, supportive environment in which staff feel engaged, empowered and valued while championing program initiatives forward with excellence. You are excited to be a key contributor to D-tree’s organizational strategy and growth.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years’ work experience with at least 5 years spent living and working in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. public health, global development) or equivalent work experience
• Required prior work experience includes:
  • Managing senior staff—including coaching, thought partnership, skills building, and keeping staff accountable for achieving key performance targets; having done so in a remote working environment strongly preferred
  • Serving as the director or leader of a country or health program, preferably with a focus on digital health
  • Strategically engaging with governments and donors; having done so to strengthen health systems strongly preferred.
  • Cultivating diverse donor relationships (such as UN agencies, US government, private foundations) and identifying strategic opportunities for country program growth
  • Managing, motivating and mentoring a dispersed multi-cultural team and demonstrated success in cultivating a positive environment for all team members
  • Contributing to organizational strategy and growth preferred.
  • Experience in digital health or health systems strengthening would be advantageous
• Superior analytical skills; ability to think logically and rationally about problems and solution oriented
• Must be able to handle complex priorities, collaborate effectively with a distributed team, be persistent and work under tight deadlines with minimal supervision
• Excellent written and spoken English required.
• Diverse donor relationships (such as UN agencies, US government, private foundations)

This position will be based in sub-Saharan Africa or a similar time zone. Individuals from a country outside of where D-tree is registered will work remotely with frequent travel to our country programs. D-tree is unable to sponsor work permits for this role; applicants are expected to have legal authorization to work in their country of residence.

Salary Range

$95,000 to $120,000 USD annual salary inclusive of all cash compensation

Note: Starting salaries typically fall in the lower half of the salary range; however, they are ultimately determined by the scope of the position, the candidate’s relevant experience, and internal equity.