Project Director – RISE

Project Director needed to provide management and technical leadership for the COVID-19 response in Ecuador. Under the USAID-funded RISE project, Jhpiego will be implementing interventions to support the Government of Ecuador to prevent, detect and respond to COVID-19. A significant focus of our work is accelerating and strengthening the technical and operational capacity of local healthcare workers to deliver high quality COVID-19 vaccination services, prevent the nosocomial spread of SARS-CoV-2, provide quality case management and allow for the safe maintenance of routine essential services, including the provision of clinical technical assistance around the triage of patients and appropriate use of emergency care resources, safe and effective use of medical equipment, and supporting the mental health and resiliency of healthcare workers.

The Project Director will be responsible for ensuring technical and operational rigor in the planning and scaled execution of COVID-19 response projects being implemented at the national, regional, and facility level. This includes assisting the clinical response to COVID-19 in treatment centers and improving coordination and communication amongst frontline health workers impacted and engaged in hotspots. Additionally, liaising with MOH, USAID/Ecuador, and other partners regarding technical strategy, monitoring and evaluation of project milestones and targets. Ecuadorian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Position Duration: 12 months, with potential extension depending on funding availability.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, guidance and support for the design, management, and implementation of the COVID-19 clinical response, coordination and communication
• Collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to provide guidance to the national COVID-19 vaccination program, and to plan and implement relevant case management and vaccines technical assistance, in accordance with global and local standards and in alignment with national plans
• Help the Government of Ecuador and frontline health workers to identify solutions to implementation challenges
• Build close working relationship with USAID Ecuador and ensure donor coordination in all aspects of project planning and implementation
• Represent the project to stakeholders; build close working relationships with key stakeholders and participate in stakeholder meetings and deliver presentations, as needed
• In collaboration with project team, ensure that project workplan is developed, approved, and on track for scope and schedule and work with finance staff to review budget and expenses
• Ensure that the project activities are meeting client and stakeholder expectations and that implementation is on time and according to budget
• Ensure high-quality training of clinical mentors and frontline health workers; provide mentorship support to COVID-19 treatment center staff, including through a Community of Practice (COP) and facilitation of case discussions, as appropriate
• Liaise with the global RISE TA team to ensure that approaches, training tools, job aids, and other approaches are in line with guidance from the global technical secretariat ; coordinate with technical advisors to update / adapt any training resources, guidelines, SOPs, job aids, or other materials to the national context
• Lead regular reporting to USAID on project progress; coordinate with the RISE global MEL director to ensure data collection and reporting tools are implemented consistently and in alignment with global COVID-19 M&E and reporting requirements, and that project results are proactively disseminated, and learnings are shared and incorporated to continuously improve
• Manage technical contributions of potential subgrantees/subcontractors, including defining scopes of work and compliance oversight, in coordination with project team
• Comply with Jhpiego and JHU operational policies and regulations
• Other duties, as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Clinical degree in medicine required; post-graduate training in critical care or emergency medicine preferred
• 10+ years experience managing international health program
• Experience planning and working in clinical care settings within public health programs
• Demonstrated experience working with USAID
• Familiarity with the Ecuadorian health system and demonstrated ability to collaborate with government officials (at all levels) to strengthen program implementation
• Demonstrated ability in working and collaborating with a range of local and international partner organizations
• Excellent skills in clinical decision making, facilitation, team building and coordination
• Excellent writing and communications skills, including demonstrated technical writing skills for publication
• Fluency in English and Spanish
• Ability to work effectively with diverse international teams and willingness to learn and empower others
• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to implementation regions and health facilities including COVID-19 treatment centers