JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc (JSI), a Boston-based public health management firm dedicated to providing high quality technical and managerial assistance to public health programs throughout the United States and the world, is currently recruiting for a Project Director for the anticipated USAID Accelerating ChoiCe, Equity, and Sustainability for Services (ACCESS) Activity. The project will focus on advancing equitable, affordable, and sustainable access to family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) information, products, and services. Gender, youth, and health worker priorities with a focus on achieving FP/RH-related outcomes through local capacity strengthening are all central to this award. Substantial engagement of local partners and stakeholders in the innovation and scale-up of evidence-informed and rights-based FP/RH service delivery will be vital for ACCESS to ensure client dignity, agency, choice, and good health. ACCESS will focus primarily on FP/SRH outcomes, at the system, facility, provider, community, and client levels. It will assist USAID-supported countries to constructively and creatively address persistent issues related to health access, equity, and quality of care, particularly for youth.

The Project Director will lead the overall design and implementation of this project, will supervise all activities under the cooperative agreement and have overall responsibility for the successful performance of the technical assistance team. They will provide strategic direction to the project team, guide the senior technical staff, and ensure quality and compliance. The Project Director will be the official representative of the project with the donor, stakeholders, and partners. They will facilitate collaboration across the diverse geographic scope of the project and identify opportunities for knowledge transfer.

The ideal candidate will be based in the DC area, but we will consider remote candidates as well.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and strategic vision for the project
• Overall responsibility for assuring that all technical assistance and services provided under the cooperative agreement are technically sound, in line with USAID rules and regulations, and appropriate for addressing the objectives of the Activity.
• Function as the primary liaison between the USAID and other collaborating agencies on all pragmatic, administrative and financial matters related to the project. Serve as the official representative of the organization in matters related to the ACCESS cooperative agreement.
• Direct the program’s localization strategy to ensure locally led activities, tailored capacity strengthening, and engagement of local organizations.
• Provide leadership and oversight of all project technical assistance needs required to achieve the expected outputs of the agreement, development of scopes of work, recruitment of consultants, and execution of technical assistance and service agreements.
• Supervise and assess the performance of senior staff and ensure supervisory and accountability systems are in place for all long-term and short-term advisors, subpartners, consultants and staff.
• Provide leadership in developing, implementing, and assessing interventions to increase access to high-quality FP/RH interventions at facility and community level, with a particular emphasis on youth.
• Ensure management systems with standard operating procedures are used to implement all activities.Oversee an annual project cycle which formulates comprehensive annual cooperative agreement work plans and budgets, in accordance with the USAID annual planning cycle and assures timely disbursement of funds.
• Oversee all institutional sub-agreements executed under the prime cooperative agreement.
• Ensure all reporting requirements for the cooperative agreement, including quarterly and annual activity reports are produced and submitted.
• Ensure systems and processes for comprehensive and adaptive monitoring, learning and evaluation of the program.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s level education/training or its equivalent in Public Health, Economics, International Development, Business Administration, or a related field. MD or PhD preferred.
• At least 10 years of experience managing international programs in developing countries with a focus on family planning, sexual/reproductive, maternal, and child health.
• At least 5 years of experience in senior-level leadership positions on projects of similar scope and complexity ($50-100M+)
• Extensive experience in managing programs to address persistent issues related to health access, equity, and quality of care, particularly for youth.
• Proven ability to form partnerships with governments in developing countries, and work with local partners and stakeholders in scaling-up innovative, evidence-informed and rights-based FP/RH service delivery.
• Experience working in partnership with U.S. Government agencies, international donors, or other multilateral agencies.
• Fluency in English with strong oral and written communication.
• Comfort and familiarity with representing the Project and JSI at external events, technical working groups, and international forums.

Position is contingent upon USAID award to JSI.