Technical Director, 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 Technical Director 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 Technical Director will oversee the technical design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of activities to meet the project’s technical objectives and results. She/he will lead technical aspects of the project in compliance with USAID and Palladium rules and regulations to achieve project objectives. The Technical Director will support the Chief of Party in engaging and maintaining good relationships with relevant actors in the health space in DRC. S/he is expected to have depth and breadth of technical expertise and experience in health systems strengthening, a solid professional reputation, interpersonal skills, and professional relationships to fulfill the requirements of the activity. 
The Technical Director will report to the Chief of Party and supervise Technical Advisors.

*This is a proposal position and is contingent upon award from USAID.*   

*Congolese nationals are encouraged to apply.*

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Serve as a member of the senior leadership team of the program and help ensure the program is delivered according to donor and government policiesCo-lead and oversee programmatic functions, i.e., the development of work plans, budgets, quarterly/annual reports, and ensure effective implementation of program strategyProvide technical assistance and guidance on the latest health developments, publications, and other information generation activities nationwide and globallyCoordinate the technical expertise of Palladium and project subcontractors (international and local organizations)Oversee coordination with technical counterparts at all levels of the health system in DRC and with other donor-funded projectsProvide technical assistance and guidance to build Ministry of Health, civil society, and partner capacity through training, mentoring, supervision, and technical exchangesRepresent the project at national and subnational stakeholder meetings and technical working groups as relevant to strengthen coordination between central and provincial level governmentMaintain effective and open communication with USAID, the Project Director, Chief of Party, MEL Director, technical staff, project operations teams, and other relevant stakeholdersProvide technical assistance and guidance to continuously refine implementation processes by integrating lessons learned and best practicesPromote sustainability of project activities through effective networking, linkages to other USAID programs, and capacity building of project staffPerform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned

Key Competencies Required:

An advanced degree in a relevant field of study, e.g. medicine, nursing, epidemiology, public health, health management, health economics, or a related fieldAt least 5 years of experience in strategic planning and technical leadership of international donor-supported health systems strengthening, health financing, health governance, digital health, or integrated service delivery programsTechnical expertise in infectious disease prevention, health financing (domestic resource mobilization, strategic purchasing, health insurance mechanisms), health governance, digital health, private sector engagement, or health systems strengtheningProven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teamsExperience in developing activity work-plans, budgets, managing implementation, staff, and short-term technical assistanceExperience in managing staff and delivering short-term technical assistance
Proven track record of producing high quality project deliverablesExcellent interpersonal skills and ability to lead and work effectively in team situationsWritten and spoken fluency in French and EnglishPrevious work experience in DRCExcellent working relationships with Government of DRC stakeholdersWillingness to travel throughout DRC as necessary

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

Experience working at the provincial or local government level on health or social sector issues involving liaising with the Ministry of Health in DRCExperience on USAID-funded health projects involving coordination with multiple implementing partners or institutionsKnowledge of USAID contract management, policies, procedures, regulations and reporting requirements for health projects, particularly health systems strengthening projects

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.