Job Description

About Corus: Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class social impact organizations that collaborate in the world's most vulnerable communities to deliver the holistic and sustainable solutions needed to address the interconnected challenges of poverty, access to healthcare, and climate change. Corus is a new model in the international space, creating a consortium of specialized nonprofit and for-profit entities for greater impact.

Corus combines more than 150 years of experience from our nonprofit and for-profit affiliates-IMA World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and LWR Farmers Market. Together, these organizations take a systematic approach to developing rural economies, eliminating extreme poverty, ensuring access to quality healthcare, and responding to urgent humanitarian needs in fragile contexts.

Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org

About the Job: IMA World Health is seeking a Project Director to lead an anticipated CDC-funded public health project in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 5-year project will focus on:

• Improve prevention of avoidable epidemics including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases of dangerous pathogens;
• Improve ability to rapidly detect threats early, including detecting, characterizing, and reporting emerging public health threats;
• Improve capacity of rapidly and effectively responding to infectious diseases and public health threats of international concern.

The Project Director will serve as the primary liaison with CDC, DRC government, technical partners within our consortia, and other development partners/stakeholders working in the DRC as well as with IMA World Health's national office based in Kinshasa and the headquarters based in Washington DC. S/he will liaise with these organizations to ensure coordination and harmonization with other health-related activities in Democratic Republic of Congo. S/he will ensure the project's goals, objectives, and strategy are achieved and that contractual requirements are met on time and within budget. S/he is responsible for directing the project team with an integrated vision, applying effective leadership and strategic planning skills, management experience, outstanding interpersonal skills, and strong written and oral communication skills.

S/he will be responsible for leading the project team with an integrated vision, demonstrating effective leadership and strategic planning skills, management experience, excellent interpersonal skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. The Project Director is also responsible for ensuring compliance with IMA World Health's policies and procedures and CDC's rules and regulations, including ensuring subcontractor compliance and monitoring the quality of program implementation. The Project Director also ensures that all management systems, from technical to Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) to finance, actively support timely and accurate project reporting and cost effectiveness for successful implementation of the project.

The competencies required to be successful in this position include a theoretical and practical understanding of global health systems and integration strategies to address prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases in health programming in conflict and fragile settings; personnel and project management skills; the ability to motivate and lead teams; and the demonstrated ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and accountability for achieving results. The Project Director will be expected to visit project sites periodically.

The position will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and will report to the Country Director and the Director of Program Development and Quality based in IMA World Health's national office in Kinshasa. He/she is accountable for the smooth running of project activities and the achievement of assigned objectives. He/she maintains functional relationships with senior project staff. Actual hiring is contingent upon signed agreement and CDC's approval.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Implementation Leadership and Technical Oversight:

• Provide overall management, strategic direction, and technical leadership to the project to achieve expected project results within budget and timeframe.
• Oversee implementing partners and advise on technical issues.
• Lead project teams (e.g., technical, program, finance, and operational staff) to ensure program tasks, deliverables, and responsibilities are met.
• Oversee project deliverables and ensuring cross-cutting issues are effectively integrated into project implementation.
• Provide leadership for the planning (start-up, implementation, and closure) and budgeting processes for project activities in accordance with the IMA World Health and CDC's regulations.
• Direct preparation of annual work plans, project activity updates, and other project-related communication and reporting materials. Ensure that the proposed activities are consistent with the achievement of both the strategic objectives and the intended short, intermediate and long-term outcomes of the project.
• Organize and coordinate project activities in collaboration with all stakeholders (technical partners, political and administrative authorities, and communities).
• Ensure that field operations comply with all financial and administrative requirements, as well as IMA World Health and CDC's regulations.
• Review and validate periodic action plans, budget plans, and project staff action plans.
• Evaluate program implementation progress on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis and report on the implementation of the various action plans developed.
• In collaboration with the M&E/HMIS manager, supervise technical results in the field and facilitate work planning as well as the collection, analysis, and dissemination of project data.
• Organize periodic field visits to assess the implementation of planned activities.

Budgetary Oversight:

• Actively manage the field operations budget, including providing regular budget projections for field costs.
• Monitor budget utilization to ensure a reasonable consumption rate in accordance with IMA World Health and donor instructions.
• Actively participate in the preparation of monthly and/or quarterly expenditure forecasts and their monthly updates to facilitate the preparation of the monthly request for funds to be submitted to headquarters.
• Identify potential risks of mismanagement at budgetary and programmatic levels in a timely manner and take appropriate measures to correct deviations.

Project Representative:

• Serve as principal liaison to CDC and the DRC government, ensuring high levels of coordination and while nurturing relationships with all key stakeholders (including partner organizations) on administrative, financial, and programmatic matters related to the project.
• Liaise with donor, government and implementing agencies to ensure coordination of and harmonization with other relevant global health security programming.
• Represent the project in all technical, policy, and programmatic fora at all levels (national, and international). Identify lessons learned and best practices for external dissemination.
• Represent the project in technical meetings with the CDC, and with the Ministry steering and working groups at all levels.

Reporting Oversight:

• Ensure high quality report preparation and timely submission in accordance with the donor's schedule for the project as outlined in the award.

Project Team Management:

• Ensure good collaboration with team members and communicate transparently and effectively while maintaining a calm working environment.
• Oversee the recruitment and hiring of staff and consultants. Develop job descriptions for staff and consultants under your supervision, as needed.
• Validate performance objectives and annual evaluations of supervised staff.
• Support the performance management and professional development of direct reports, including feedback, coaching, and career support.

Qualifications:

• Doctor of Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics degree. Postgraduate degree (Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, epidemiology).
• At least 10 years of experience in development project management, preferably in African countries, with a strong focus on field implementation. Previous experience in a leadership or management position in an CDC-funded project is highly desirable.
• Proven technical expertise in large-scale projects in the public health sector, including at least ten years of experience as a senior manager in projects funded by international donors.
• Proven leadership qualities, including technical expertise, management, and evaluation of complex programs in resource-limited countries; previous experience as a project director or deputy project director is required.
• Proven experience in developing and maintaining strong relationships with government agencies, international donor agencies (USG, WB, FCDO, UN agencies, GF), and private sector stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating and coordinating with local and national host government agencies and aligning program activities and results with national strategies.
• In-depth knowledge of the political, social, and economic context of the Democratic Republic of Congo required, with preferably experience working in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Strong staff supervision skills and proven ability to coordinate programs with partners from diverse backgrounds and expériences.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong communication skills, including written and oral presentation skills; proven ability to develop and communicate a shared vision among various public and private partners.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written) in French and English.
• Ability to travel to project sites as needed.