Chief of Party, USAID/DRC, Equitable Health Systems Activity

About Palladium:
Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. 

This Proposal Opportunity:
Palladium is seeking a Chief of Party for an anticipated 5-year USAID-funded Equitable Health Systems Activity in DRC.

The purpose of this Activity is to strengthen national and select provincial governments’ capacity to identify and act upon key levers for resource mobilization and for reductions in household catastrophic health expenditures, to identify and respond to gaps in equity, quality, and coverage of health services, to strengthen citizens’ capacity to hold government accountable for health services, and to foster collaborative learning. Targeted systems strengthening include efforts to improve the resilience and capacity of the public health system to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats with a “one health approach.” USAID envisions that this activity will strengthen the role of citizens, women, and marginalized groups in the design, delivery, monitoring, and accountability of health services, which in turn fosters trust in the health system and sustainability.

Recognizing the interdependence of governance, financing, and information, this Activity supports a targeted, synergistic approach to complement the USAID Integrated Health Services Delivery Accelerator and USAID Santé Gouvernance Activities. Provincial-level interventions will focus on the 8 provinces of implementation for these Activities (Kasai Central, Kasai Oriental, Haut-Katanga, Haut- Lomami, Lomani, Lualaba, Tanganyika, and Sud-Kivu), be coordinated to promote synergies and avoid duplication of efforts and contribute to a broader learning agenda to foster adoption of best practices and national scale-up. USAID envisions a well-planned collaborative learning agenda for this Activity and commitment to gender and social inclusion principles.

Position Summary:
The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for the efficient and effective oversight of all elements of the Activity. Primary responsibilities are to provide overall leadership, management, and general technical direction of the program, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the desired results. The COP must identify issues and risks related to implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate adjustments. S/he must act as the key liaison with USAID and all other counterparts, implementing partners and stakeholders involved with the program. The position requires significant coordination skills, broad general and technical knowledge, an ability to cope with multiple interests and challenges, experience in developing countries, and skills to ensure coherence and consistency in the face of urgent deadlines. 

*This is an anticipated project, and all positions are contingent upon award from USAID.*

*Congolese nationals are encouraged to apply.*  

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide overall strategic, technical, programmatic, financial, and management guidance and support for large-scale project activitiesRepresent the project at national and subnational stakeholder meetings and technical working groups as relevant to strengthen coordination between central and provincial level governmentServe as the primary point of contact for USAID, the Government of DRC, partners, and other relevant stakeholdersMaintain effective and open communication with USAID, the Project Director, project staff, and other relevant stakeholdersProvide technical assistance and guidance to continuously refine implementation processes by integrating lessons learned and best practicesEnsure that the project’s objectives, outcomes, and deliverables are met in line with Palladium, USAID, and Government of DRC requirementsEnsure that financial, operational, and USAID reporting requirements are followedRecruit, supervise, mentor, and manage project staff, ensuring effective team coordination and performanceIdentify areas of risk in a timely manner and work to mitigate their impact by instituting systems that minimize fraud, waste, and abusePromote sustainability of project activities through effective networking, linkages to other USAID programs, and capacity building of project staffCoordinate closely with Palladium HeadquartersPerform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned

Key Competencies Required:

An advanced degree in a relevant field, e.g. medicine, nursing, epidemiology, public health, health administration, health economics, business, or managementAt least 10 years of proven leadership in the administration of international donor- supported programs with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgetingAt least 10 years of managerial and operational experience, preferably international donor-funded projects involving coordination with multiple implementing partners or institutions
Chief of Party of a health systems strengthening donor-funded project valued at $25M or moreKnowledge of USAID contract management, policies, procedures, regulations and reporting requirements for health projects, particularly health systems strengthening projectsProven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teamsProven track record of building teams and fostering collaboration to achieve goals, meet milestones, and produce high quality written qualitative, quantitative, and narrative deliverablesEvidence of strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written, to fulfil the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the contractExcellent interpersonal skills and ability to lead and work effectively in team situationsWritten and spoken fluency in English and FrenchWillingness to travel throughout DRC as necessary

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

Previous work experience in DRC or East AfricaExisting working relationships with Government of DRC stakeholdersTechnical expertise in infectious disease prevention, health financing, health governance, digital health, or health systems strengthening is desirable

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.  

Should you require any adjustments or accommodation to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. 

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.