CRS seeks to recruit a program manager II / Director seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) H/F – Bamako, Mali

Département :  Health

Bande : 09

Reports to : Head of Health department

About CRS :

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

 

Background :

CRS has been present in Mali since 1999 and works in the areas of health, education, agriculture, and emergency response. With its head office in Bamako and sub-offices in Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao, CRS is a well-respected relief and development actor in Mali. The health portfolio represents CRS Mali’s largest sector, with current programming covering the majority of the country (all regions except for Kidal) and sectors including laboratory systems strengthening, tuberculosis control, zoonotic disease, and seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). CRS partners with a variety of local partners to ensure quality implementation of health programming, including Church partners, local NGOs, and the Ministry of Health.

CRS has been a leading implementer of SMC activities in Mali since 2015, beginning with the UNITAID-funded ACCESS-SMC project, and continuing as a subrecipient under the Global Fund malaria award for 2017 and 2018. In the 2018 SMC campaign, CRS provided over 1.8 million Malian children in 25 target districts with preventative SMC drugs.  In addition to managing the drugs and other inputs to ensure last-mile SMC delivery, CRS has been a leader in collaboration with the GoM for micro-planning, adaptation of service delivery approaches, digital data collection for real-time adjustment, and quality reporting. CRS has negotiated with PSI to continue its role in SMC implementation in 25 districts in 2019 and 2020 with a budget of 4.8 million Euros, to reach a target of 1,941,980 children in the first year. CRS’ expanded role also includes a significant component of strengthening the capacities of the NMCP, to ensure progressive, effective handover of management of the malaria grant from CRS to the NMCP by 2020. The project will continue to be implemented under the Global Fund’s additional safeguards, employing a limited cash policy (utilizing mobile payment and payment agencies) to reach remote beneficiaries.

 

Job Summary :

The PM II/SMC will be responsible for overall quality implementation of the scope of the service contract, managing both programmatic and administrative aspects of the contract with support from dedicated project and country program colleagues. By directly supervising four additional programmatic, MEAL/ICT4D, and grants management project, staff he/she will ensure high-quality and timely implementation and reporting of SMC activities to the PR and donor throughout, including the incorporation of digital data collection into the government health database.

 

Roles and Key Responsibilities :

Project Management :

• • Ensures staff compliance with all CRS administrative, operational and security procedures and policies, as well as applicable donor regulations: Ensure the Mali GF SMC project adheres to all contractual obligations ;
  • In collaboration with the PR and the PPM, ensures the Mali GF SMC project accurately tracks supply chain and reconciles stock with children reported as served with SMC ;
  • Ensures sound financial management (Approves program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests; carries out monthly financial tracking and reporting; identifies and addresses financial issues with staff and partners; ensures accurate and timely reporting of program finances and progress status; reviews actual financial performance against the budget and takes corrective action where needed).

Program Quality and MEAL :

• • Engage program staff and key stakeholders to ensure program’s strategic objectives and results are fully accomplished and meet expected technical quality standards through annual and quarterly activity planning and budget forecasts, as well as quarterly technical review of implementation plans with the NMCP to ensure appropriate actions are taken to meet timelines and commitments ;
  • Coordinate with MEAL/ICT4D project manager and the country program Head of MEAL to oversee design and implementation of the program’s MEAL system using appropriate forms, procedures, and tools for data collection and analysis as the basis for measuring, documenting and reporting of project performance and outcomes. Ensure ICT4D tools are appropriately leveraged for real-time programmatic decision-making ;
  • Monitor field-level activities on a quarterly basis, and monthly during SMC campaigns ;
  • Oversee implementation of capacity strengthening plans developed for the NMCP, conducting regular reviews to assess progress and modify CRS support as needed ;
  • Establish strong systems for project learning, ensuring that lessons learned are incorporated into the design and execution of program activities to better meet stated objectives and beneficiary needs; contribute to documentation of learning for sharing with the broader malaria community, and provide guidance and oversight to partners and collaborating agencies to document and disseminate best practices/lessons learned ;
  • Ensure project alignment with CRS’ PQ standards (ProPack methodologies, Program Management Standards, Integral Human Development (IHD), the Justice Lens, the Gender Lens and CRS Partnership principles, in collaboration with the Head of Programs; and integration of approaches with CRS Mali’s health and non-health programs, as appropriate (with Health Director and HOP).

Human Ressources :

• Manage recruitment for the project, in collaboration with Human Resources Department and CRS country program management ;
• Directly orient, supervise, mentor, and coach project team members to meet program objectives and advance professional development; conduct periodic performance reviews of direct reports in line with CRS’ performance management system.

Representation and Communication :

• • Represent CRS at project relevant external meetings with stakeholders, preparing and deliver presentations of the project ongoing activities, challenges/opportunities, and results achieved where required.  Ensure frequent liaison with other actors in SMC (UNICEF, PMI) and with the Mali INGO forum Health Working Group ;
  • Collaborate effectively and regularly with regional/HQ management and technical advisors, especially with regards to reviewing important communication with the client ;
  • Oversee the management of the relationship with Caritas partner organizations, ensure regular communication and organization of review/planning workshops.

 

Basic Qualifications (BQs) :

Education and Experience :

• MD, MPH, or other advanced degree relevant to project areas required ;
• At least 5 years managing complex health projects for NGOs, including :
  • Experience managing Global Fund or other donor-funded malaria projects ;
  • Experience implementing malaria prevention interventions.
• At least 3 years managing complex health program operations and systems ;
• Significant experience managing contracts and sub-contracts ;
• Experience managing health supply chains.

Required Languages :

Fluent written and spoken French and English required

Travel :

Approximately 25% within Mali

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKAs) :

• Ability to leverage technology and data for evidence-based decision making ;
• Ability to produce high quality, well-written and on-time reports ;
• Strong demonstrated budget management skills, particularly for large budgets (<$5M) ;
• Strong personnel management skills, with proven ability to coach and mentor staff ;
• High level of diplomacy, tact and negotiation skills ;
• Strong understanding of the malaria landscape and key interventions ;
• Must possess ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications – (If applicable) :

• Knowledge of the Mali health system context and/or previous experience working with Government of Mali health structures (National Health Direction, etc.) preferred ;
• Direct experience with implementation of SMC preferred ;
• Experience working with Global Fund’s additional safeguards policy desired ;
• Previous experience on projects employing organizational capacity strengthening approaches (especially with government agencies) would be an asset.

 

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff) :

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results :

• Integrity ;
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation ;
• Builds Relationships ;
• Develops Talent ;
• Strategic Mindset ;
• Accountability & Stewardship.

Supervisory Responsibilities :

This position directly supervises the following four project positions: Project Manager, Grants Manager, Supply Chain Manager, and ICT4D & Knowledge Manager

Work Conditions/Environment Conditions :

This position is based in Bamako, Mali with normal office hours and approximately 25% field travel, occasionally to zones in Mali where a security pre-authorization may be required.

Les dossiers de candidature comportant un curriculum vitae détaillé, une pièce d’ identité en cours de validité, une lettre de motivation, un casier judiciaire en cours de validité (n’est obligatoire qu’une fois retenu au poste) et les contacts de trois personnes de références, dont celui du dernier emploi, doivent parvenir au plus tard le 4 Mars 2019 2019 à l’adresse email suivante : ml.recruit@crs.org avec comme objet : « Candidature au poste de PM II – SMC ».

NB : Les candidatures ne comportant pas l’objet susmentionné ne seront pas considérées. Seules les personnes retenues pour des tests seront contactées.

Les candidatures féminines sont vivement encouragées.