Job Description

Overview

The Technical Director (Deputy Chief of Party) serves as the overall technical leader of Jhpiego's Human Resources for Health (HRH) Systems Strengthening Portfolio in Ethiopia and provides strategic leadership for the design, integration, quality assurance, and adaptive implementation of all technical interventions. Working closely with the Project Director, the Technical Director ensures that all technical components are evidence-based, technically rigorous, operationally feasible, and fully aligned with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Human Resources for Health Strategic and Investment Plan, Government-to-Government (G2G) commitments, and the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS).

The Technical Director provides unified technical leadership across two complementary HRH initiatives implemented under a common portfolio. The first builds on the implementation platforms and partnerships established under the former RISE Maternal Newborn Child health and Nutrition (MNCHN) Ethiopia project, with its technical focus strategically transitioned toward a comprehensive HRH systems strengthening. The second is ASCEND a performance-based activity, which expands technical support to additional HRH priorities, institutions, and implementation areas. Together, these initiatives require integrated technical planning, harmonized implementation approaches, coordinated quality assurance, adaptive learning, and continuous technical oversight to maximize impact while maintaining accountability to each award's distinct objectives.

The portfolio primarily supports fragile, underserved, and workforce-constrained settings, where shortages of competent health workers, limited institutional capacity, weak workforce governance, and evolving health system needs require innovative and context-responsive HRH solutions. The Technical Director ensures that interventions across health professions education, accreditation, continuing professional development, competency assessment, professional regulation, leadership, workforce management, digital transformation, workforce information systems, implementation research, and organizational strengthening function as one integrated technical program.

As the project's principal technical authority, the Technical Director provides leadership to multidisciplinary technical teams, mentors senior advisors and technical leads, oversees technical work planning and implementation, promotes innovation and adaptive management, and ensures consistent technical quality across all implementation levels. In the absence of the Project Director, the Technical Director serves as Jhpiego's senior representative for the project with the U.S. Department of State, Government of Ethiopia, and other strategic partners.

Position is contingent on MOH and donor guidance.

Responsibilities

Strategic Technical Leadership

• Provide overall strategic technical leadership and direction for the HRH Systems Strengthening Portfolio.
• Lead the design, integration, sequencing, and continuous refinement of technical interventions across all four strategic objectives.
• Ensure technical approaches remain evidence-based, implementation-oriented, PHCU-targeted, responsive to government priorities, and informed by implementation learning and emerging HRH needs.
• Promote systems thinking to ensure all technical components function as one integrated HRH strengthening program.
• Lead annual technical planning, work planning, implementation phasing, technical prioritization, and adaptive management processes.
• Foster innovation and promote adoption of emerging best practices in HRH systems strengthening.

Technical Integration Across All Objectives

• Provide overall technical oversight and quality assurance for all project interventions.
• Ensure consistent application of standardized technical approaches across all clusters, regions, and implementing partners.
• Coordinate integration across health professions education, accreditation, continuing professional development, competency assessment, professional regulation, leadership, workforce management, Human Resources Information System (HRIS), digital health, implementation research, organizational development, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adapting (MERLA).
• Review and approve technical methodologies, implementation guidance, training packages, digital tools, standards, and technical deliverables.
• Ensure technical consistency across the transitioned RISE HRH portfolio and ASCEND activities while respecting each award's requirements.

Technical Team Leadership and Capacity Strengthening

• Directly supervise the two Senior Technical Leads and provide technical mentorship to Senior Advisors Subnational Advisors , Digital Health Advisor, Research Advisor, and other technical personnel.
• Build and maintain a high-performing multidisciplinary technical team through coaching, mentorship, succession planning, performance management, and continuous professional development.
• Promote collaboration across technical, MEL, operations, finance, and partnership teams.
• Strengthen technical capacity of consortium partners, professional associations, higher education institutions, and government counterparts.

Government Leadership and Technical Partnership

• Serve as Jhpiego's senior technical focal point with the MOH, , Ministry of Education (MoE), Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Regional Health Bureau (RHBs), HEIs, Professional Associations (PAs), regulatory authorities, and other national stakeholders.
• Provide high-level technical guidance to national HRH reforms, policies, standards, and implementation strategies.
• Strengthen institutional ownership of project-supported technical innovations.
• Support technical working groups, policy dialogue, and national guideline development.
• Promote harmonization of project interventions with government priorities and existing national systems.

Technical Oversight of Program Implementation

• Oversee implementation of all technical activities to ensure timely, high-quality, and results-oriented delivery.
• Lead technical review of annual work plans, implementation schedules, training plans, technical reports, and implementation roadmaps.
• Ensure technical consistency across field implementation teams.
• Support timely identification and resolution of implementation bottlenecks through adaptive management.
• Work closely with technical teams to monitor progress toward milestones and expected outcomes.

Adaptive Management and Continuous Learning

• Provide technical oversight for the project's Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adaptive Management (MERLA) framework.
• Promote routine use of implementation data, workforce intelligence, research findings, and learning agendas to improve program quality.
• Lead technical reviews, after-action reviews, implementation learning sessions, and technical reflection meetings.
• Promote implementation research, operational learning, policy translation, and knowledge generation across all technical pillars.

Technical Innovation and Digital Transformation

• Champion innovative approaches that strengthen HRH systems through digital technologies, artificial intelligence, workforce analytics, simulation, digital learning, interoperability, and data-driven decision-making.
• Promote scalable and sustainable digital solutions aligned with Ethiopia's Digital Health Strategy.
• Encourage continuous technical innovation while ensuring practicality, sustainability, and government ownership.

Donor Technical Engagement and Representation

• Serve as the principal technical liaison with the U.S. Department of State and other technical partners.
• Lead preparation and review of technical reports, work plans, success stories, presentations, and technical briefs.
• Present project achievements, implementation progress, technical innovations, and lessons learned during donor reviews and technical consultations.
• In the absence of the Project Director, represent the project with donors, government institutions, and strategic partners.

Technical Partnerships, Business Development, and Knowledge Management

• Strengthen technical collaboration with professional associations, higher education institutions, research organizations, private-sector partners, and development partners.
• Contribute to business development by identifying opportunities for program expansion, supporting proposal development, and promoting technical synergies across Jhpiego's Ethiopia portfolio.
• Champion knowledge management through documentation of innovations, dissemination of best practices, publication of implementation experiences, and strengthening national communities of practice.
• Promote collaboration with Jhpiego global technical experts to ensure continuous access to global evidence and technical excellence.

Cross-Objective Coordination and Organizational Leadership

• Ensure effective coordination and integration among all four project objectives and thirteen sub-objectives.
• Promote collaboration between technical, MEL, finance, operations, grants, and partnership teams.
• Participate as a member of Jhpiego Ethiopia's Senior Management Team, contributing to organizational strategy, quality improvement, and portfolio development.
• Perform other technical leadership responsibilities assigned by the Project Director.

Cross-Cutting Responsibilities

• Ensure integration of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, quality improvement, workforce resilience, safeguarding, localization, implementation research, knowledge management, and public-private partnerships across all technical components.
• Promote adaptive management through routine use of implementation data, learning agendas, and technical reflection.
• Support development of innovative technical strategies and contribute to proposal development for future HRH investments.
• Promote efficient use of resources while maintaining technical excellence and value for money.
• Model Jhpiego's values of technical excellence, collaboration, integrity, innovation, accountability, and respect.

Required Qualifications

• An advanced degree (PhD, MD, MPH, or equivalent) in Health Systems, Human Resources for Health, Health Professions Education, Public Health, Health Policy, International Development, Medicine, or another closely related field.
• Required: Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible technical leadership experience in Human Resources for Health, health systems strengthening, or health workforce development.
• Preferred: 12 or more years of senior technical leadership experience within large, multi-million-dollar donor-funded health programs.
• Demonstrated experience serving as Deputy Chief of Party, Technical Director, Senior Technical Advisor, or equivalent leadership role in HRH or HSS projects.
• Extensive experience working with the Government of Ethiopia, particularly with the MoH, MoE, regulatory authorities, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
• Proven expertise in health professions education, accreditation, competency-based education, continuing professional development, competency assessment, professional regulation, workforce leadership, workforce management, HRIS, and health systems strengthening.
• Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary technical teams and coordinating complex technical portfolios.
• Strong experience with U.S. Government-funded programs (Department of State, other USG projects, or similar) or other major international donors.
• Proven record of leading technical innovation, institutional strengthening, and systems reform.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience serving as Deputy Chief of Party or Technical Director for large HRH or health systems strengthening programs in Ethiopia.
• Established professional relationships with senior leadership across the MoH (Human Resources Development and Improvement (HRDI) and other relevant LEOs targeted), MoE, EPHI, RHBs, regulatory authorities, professional associations, and HEIs.
• Experience supporting Government-to-Government implementation models, localization initiatives, and national health workforce reforms.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, technical guidance documents, policy contributions, or presentations in HRH, health systems, or related fields.

Salary: Between 34,553 – 59,656.50 USD per annum.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jobs-jhpiego.icims.com

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

“Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

EEO is the Law

Application Deadline: September 13, 2026

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