Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Response Lead – STRIDES

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has a global opportunity titled Strengthening Infectious Disease Detection Systems (STRIDES). Through STRIDES, USAID seeks to build on previous work by assisting countries prioritized for the Global Health Security Agenda program of varying capacitates in countries in Africa, Asia, and the Latin America/Caribbean regions to support different discrete aspects of the infectious disease detection and analytic pipeline.

International Medical Corps seeks an experienced and strong candidate with proven experience in health systems strengthening and nexus initiatives in conflict and post-conflict settings to serve in the role of Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Response Lead for an upcoming Request for Proposals.

JOB SUMMARY

The Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Response Lead will be a senior member of the consortium-wide technical leadership team, ensuring cross collaboration and implementation of the technical scope. The position will provide technical and operational oversight, coordination, and support to all components of Objective 4, focused on increasing capacity for infectious disease response, including guiding corresponding interventions based on the globally recognized standards and latest evidence. This role will also serve as senior representative for IMC in the project consortium.

Activities led by this position may include providing technical assistance for emergency preparedness, increasing operational readiness capacity and technical emergency outbreak response support to local and national governments and/or local organizations, as determined by the project goals and objectives.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation.
The position is contingent upon successful bidding and donor agreement.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership and Project Management
• Develop, lead, and execute overall objective strategy, work plan and budget to achieve project results at global and country levels.
• Provide technical direction that ensures the objective’s implementation and management plans are consistently technically sound and aligned to the aims of project objectives, needs identified, and expected results.
• Provide technical leadership on all objective data collection and analysis activities and pilots and implementing these activities aligned with the objective’s overall vision.
• Lead overall strategy, management, and operations for the objective, making key decisions, mitigating risks, and ensuring the integrity of the project’s timely implementation.
• Lead and supervise the Objective’s senior team, including providing leadership and building capacity as needed.
• Lead collaboration and coordination across IMC’s team and in collaboration with other consortium members to ensure and results-oriented directions, targets, deliverables, internal control standards, and measurement plans are technically sound, adhered to, and aligned with project requirements.
• Lead regular reviews of deliverables, project practices, tools and achievements against programmatic targets and quality standards; integrate learning and adaptation for continuous performance improvement informed by an effective use of data.
• Lead the effective implementation of and adherence to all International Medical Corps’ policies, prime organization, and donor’s requirements for IMC related activities.
• Coordinate with the cross-cutting team, including gender; communications/KM; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) staff to prepare and collect information for deliverables and reporting.
• Provide overall vision and technical guidance of country-based technical advisors to ensure continuity of technical approach across country programs.

Senior Coordination and Representation
• Works with the Consortium’s Project Director, and Deputy Project Director/Technical Director, and the other objective leads to coordinate across technical activities to provide USAID and country stakeholders robust and innovative solutions and processes for emergency preparedness and outbreak response support.
• Supports the PD and Technical Director in liaising with USAID, the national governments, activity partners, and other donor(s)/donor programs on complementary activities.
• Represent the project within International Medical Corps’ global portfolio; facilitate and ensure internal cross-departmental support consistently meets the needs of the project and its team; cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with relevant International Medical Corps’ staff across relevant departments such as International Programs, Technical Unit, Grants and Contracts Managements, Global Communications, and more.

Human Resources Management
• Ensure that the Objective team is properly onboarded, roles and responsibilities are properly assigned, and the team is prepared to implement the agreed project deliverables.
• Develop support strategies for staff, foster teambuilding, and introduce principles of self-care.
• Provide supportive and constructive feedback and conduct regular performance appraisals.
• Ensure project staff adhere to and are supported by any established dotted-line supervision with broader departments.

Security and Conduct
• Provide leadership for the coordination of Objective 4 staff with the global and mission-level lead safety and security focal points; ensure that the project’s implementation strategies and risk mitigation approaches align with IMC’s safety and security plans.
• Contribute to the positive image and overall credibility of the project and organization, notably through adherence to the Code of Conduct and Ethics, including compliance with anti-harassment, safeguarding and PSEA policies.
• Ensure that team members are properly trained in security and conduct protocols and policies, put in place systems to support staff wellbeing, safety and security are in place, and measures to support accountability to beneficiaries are effectively integrated and prioritized throughout the project.

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Typically, a master’s degree in the Medical Field, Public Health, International Development, International Relations, or related field.
• Typically, 12+ years of relevant and progressive experience managing high-value, complex, multi-year, multi-partner projects implemented in international development and/or humanitarian settings, including at least 7 years in a senior-level position providing technical assistance and managerial oversight.
• Demonstrated, significant experience designing and managing projects with focus in the areas of infectious diseases management and prevention, emergency preparedness and response, health systems strengthening, capacity development at regional, national, and local levels, and Infection Prevention and Control detection and response in healthcare settings.
• Proven experience cultivating and managing donor, host-country, and muti-lateral agencies relations.
• Demonstrated significant experience designing and managing projects with focus in the areas of humanitarian to development nexus, health systems strengthening and health systems reform.
• Experience providing technical direction, assistance, and oversight for project implementation, measuring performance against targets, as well as leading any necessary training and mentoring staff, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated, significant experience leading and/or supporting capacity strengthening and technical initiatives with national and local governments and other NGOs in related technical areas,
• Demonstrated experience managing teams, employing both in-person and remote management approaches to supervision of staff in various locations.
• Strong leadership and management skills with proven ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary and multicultural project teams.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, creativity, acute problem solving, and analytical skills.
• Knowledge of foreign aid architecture, including humanitarian and development funding mechanisms.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong familiarity with USAID rules and regulations, including monitoring related compliance and mitigating risks.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; language skills in Arabic, French and/or Spanish a plus.
• Willingness and ability to travel to project sites in the assigned countries, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.

Code of Conduct

As applicable to this position, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards. Staff are also responsible for preventing violations to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are made aware of any violations to the Code of Conduct and Ethics or Safeguarding Policy, you have an obligation to report. If this is a supervisory position, one must set an example of ethical behavior through one’s own conduct and oversight of the work of others; ensure that those who report to you have sufficient knowledge and resources to follow the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct & Ethics; monitor compliance of the people you supervise; enforce the Code of Conduct & Ethics and International Medical Corps’ policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Protection from Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, consistently and fairly; support employees who in good faith raise questions or concerns.

Safeguarding

It is all staff shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. This includes safeguarding from the following conduct by our staff or partners: sexual exploitation and abuse; exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children, adults at risk, or LGBTI individuals; and any form of trafficking in persons.

Equal Opportunities

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Misconduct Disclosure Scheme

All offers of employment at International Medical Corps are subject to satisfactory references and background checks. International Medical Corps participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme from the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR). In accordance with this, we will request information from an applicant’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.