Country Director

Country Director

Resolve to Save Lives, Ethiopia

***Please apply via the job posting on our website by clicking here: Country Director.***

Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is a US-based, global public health organization with a mission to prevent 100 million deaths from heart disease and to make the world safer from epidemics. We are led by Dr Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2017, Resolve to Save Lives has partnered with low- and middle-income country governments, multi-lateral agencies, academic and other civil society partners, and communities to build capacity for and support implementation of enabling policies and effective programs to treat and control hypertension, reduce sodium intake, eliminate artificial trans fat, and strengthen systems for epidemic prevention. To find out more about our work visit:   https://www.resolvetosavelives.org and https://preventepidemics.org/

Position Purpose:

Resolve to Save Lives seeks to fill the role of Country Director for Ethiopia. This role has three main components: technical, operational and political. The Country Director is a critical partner in translating RTSL’s two technical programs - Cardiovascular Health and Prevent Epidemics - on the ground in Ethiopia. The Country Director is responsible for the overall management of the country office, including supervising a matrixed team of technical and operations staff, financial stewardship and accountability, and ongoing reporting on program progress. Finally, the incumbent is an advisor and strategist who can identify and cultivate productive relationships with government leaders, non-governmental and multi-lateral partners, ensuring effective coordination and implementation of program activities in the country.

The Country Director is a member of RTSL’s Senior Leadership Team which comprises country directors from other RTSL country offices and the executive leadership of RTSL. In this capacity, the Country Director supports the Resolve to Save Lives global organizational strategy and is an ambassador for the organization’s vision to save lives and approach to impact.?The role reports to the Vice President, Global Operations with matrixed reporting into the Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular Health and the Senior Vice President of Prevent Epidemics. This is a full-time, mostly remote position based in Addis Ababa. The incumbent will be expected to convene periodically for in-person team meetings and to demonstrate flexibility for occasional meetings with colleagues based in US East Coast time zone.

Core Duties & Responsibilities:

Representation, strategic public health leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy

• Represent the interests and protect the reputation of Resolve to Save Lives
• Provide leadership, build strategic alliances, and provide direction for the development and implementation of programmatic activities in Ethiopia 
• Promote country engagement, co-operation and effectiveness amongst implementers and the country team in line with the principles of national ownership, harmonization with country priorities, alignment, and mutual accountability 
• Develop and maintain key partnerships with national and international organizations working in relevant areas, including but not limited to, the Ethiopia Public Health Institute (EPHI), the Federal Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, Africa CDC, National Agency For Food and Drug Administration Control, academic institutions, funding agencies, and foundations to promote information exchange and appropriate coordination of efforts to prevent epidemics and prevent cardiovascular related mortality in Ethiopia
• Lead the development of short- and long-term objectives for the country in partnership with global technical directors
• Engage with national and regional health authorities with evidence-based, impartial advice and updates on key global health matters, including the implications for national and sub-national public health programs
• Identify data sources and develop an evaluation plan for RTSL-Ethiopia initiatives, including metrics to identify and measure the success of program activities
• Other responsibilities as delegated by global supervisors 

Operations and Finance

• Lead the co-ordination of the activities of the country office operations team in providing an enabling environment for implementation of program activities in Ethiopia
• Manage annual work planning and budget development in consultation with the local and global RTSL program and finance teams
• Ensure financial management and fiscal administration, budget monitoring, and compliance with stipulated requirements and other statutory obligations as required by law and funders
• Facilitate the implementation of and compliance with standard operating procedures, policies, and guidelines for fiduciary compliance by staff and sub-grantees
• In collaboration with global teams, oversee local policy development and ensure adherence to policies related to HR, procurement, IT, and operations
• Coordinate with the safety and security in-country team and the Director of Global Operations in the implementation of and compliance with the security management plan for RTSL Ethiopia staff and travelling international staff; serve as the focal point for safety & security
• Coordinate with RTSL Global to ensure necessary insurance policies for RTSL Ethiopia employees
• Ensure regular staff debriefs on security matters, emergency planning, and other staff protection matters
• Oversee the adherence to all local safety & security protocols, business continuity policies and procedures by RTSL Ethiopia staff

Team Building and People Management

• Support the implementation of human resources policies and procedures, benefits, and conditions of service for RTSL Ethiopia employees
• Partner with the Ethiopia Senior Management Team to foster a culture of trust and team building within the Ethiopia country team
• Promote a conducive work environment for RTSL Ethiopia staff
• Coordinate with RTSL Global on the recruitment and onboarding of new staff and consultants
• Oversee staff performance management and professional development to ensure a skilled and competent workforce
• Oversee implementation of justice and inclusion policies of RTSL
• Undertake all measures to ensure an ethical and conducive work environment for staff, free from all forms of harassment 

Program Implementation and Scale-up: Prevent Epidemics (PE) and Cardiovascular Health (CVH)

• Provide ongoing strategic guidance on program design, prioritization, and implementation of key activities and approaches to overcome barriers and achieve the objectives of the PE and CVH programs in Ethiopia
• Oversee the submission of regular updates to the Senior Vice President of Prevent Epidemics and CVH on progress by program component to inform quarterly progress reports for RTSL executive leadership and donors
• Support the implementation of PE and CVH programming in Ethiopia by providing high level technical oversight and support to the PE and CVH teams to increase national and subnational capacity to prevent epidemics and improve cardiovascular health
• Support the coordination of PE and CVH activities among partners working on health security, hypertension control, dietary sodium elimination, public food procurement, and reduction of dietary trans-fat, ensuring synergy, cohesion, and complementarity of efforts with the relevant national plan and priorities
• Provide oversight of activities implemented by partners, including intersectoral/programmatic surveys, monitoring and evaluation of program efforts and reporting

Qualifications:

Experience:

• At least 15 years of relevant experience working on complex public health initiatives, with at least 5 years in a leadership position working on large-scale initiatives in Ethiopia
• Demonstrated executive/managerial skills, including experience working with the Government of Ethiopia across a range of agencies (FMoH, EPHI, etc) centrally and at region level, civil society organizations, and local and international NGOs and professional associations, with ability to cultivate effective relationships at senior-most level
• Experience with operational / management functions including overseeing reporting, budgeting and finances of a small to medium sized organization
• Experience and skills for working with senior management on both short- and long-term strategic planning
• Experience with public health program design, management and evaluation
• Demonstrated experience of co-developing ideas and fostering successful partnerships
• Experience working in a matrix or networked organizational structure

 Skills & abilities:

• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to provide high level political leadership, advocacy, and engage in policy dialogue
• Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to think strategically as well as understand risks
• Demonstrated excellence in people management skills
• Leadership skills demonstrated in prior experience, ability to lead, inspire and motivate teams to drive impact
• Knowledge of and ability to analyze, plan strategy for, and implement large multi-partner projects
• Comfortable working in a matrix-managed organization
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and local language(s); strong influencing and negotiation skills
• Clear, tactful and effective communicator (written and verbal) with exceptional interpersonal skills when engaging with internal and external audiences
• Demonstrates excellent judgement when working across partner agencies
• Collaborative, flexible, and resilient work style in a rapidly changing environment; energized and positive about navigating complexity
• Skilled at receiving and integrating feedback
• Proficient in computer software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Education:

• An advanced degree in Public Health

Other:

• Ability to travel within Ethiopia and internationally for convenings, as needed

Compensation and Benefits:

Resolve to Save Lives prides itself on cultivating a supportive, connected remote team doing work that matters. We do everything we can to ensure our employees are connected and set up for success.

The salary for this position is competitive and set according to national labor rates for the international NGO sector in Ethiopia. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors, such as the candidate’s skills and experience relative to the requirements of the role. 

In addition to a competitive salary, Resolve to Save Lives provides a generous package of benefits, including:

• Health insurance for you and your dependents
• Contributions toward retirement 
• Paid annual leave and sick leave, in addition to public holidays
• Two paid, week-long organization-wide breaks at mid-year and end-of-year 
• Professional development and home office setup benefits
• Up-to-date computer equipment

How To Apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter on our website by clicking here: Country Director, Ethiopia.

RTSL believes its programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We encourage applications from and provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Resolve to Save Lives complies with all applicable US EEO laws.?

RTSL accepts and reviews applications on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for your interest in our work and for your application. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to respond to every applicant. One of our talent team members will contact you if your qualifications match the role.