Chief of Party / Project Leader

Organization Overview

The International Health Division is committed to the improvement of health and healthcare delivery around the world. Serving both the public and private sectors, our efforts include health policy research and evaluation, health promotion and disease prevention, health finance, and health systems management. Our impact is felt in policies that ensure healthcare access for women, children, and individuals with special needs, in strengthening health infrastructures, and HIV/AIDS solutions.

Opportunity

Abt Associates seeks a qualified Chief of Party / Project Leader to support the International Health Division in Vietnam.

The Project Leader has overall responsibility for contract fulfillment in country (Abt Associates is the prime contractor). This includes management of all project’s programmatic AND administrative aspects – including supervision of a staff of professional, administrative, and clerical employees. The Project Leader has full authority and accountability for project decisions as delegated by Abt Associates corporate office.

In Vietnam, the HFG project team will work together with USAID and the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to support sustainability and country ownership of Vietnam’s HIV/AIDS programs. HFG is supporting the country’s health financing activities, which includes identifying viable solutions for sustaining HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services. Vietnam is a recipient of funding from USAID’s Sustainable Financing Initiative (SFI), a PEPFAR-funded innovative mechanism to promote Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) in countries where external funding for HIV/AIDS is projected to incrementally diminish over time. With SFI and USAID/Vietnam support, HFG’s team in Vietnam is working with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to build health financing capacity to analyze domestic resource mobilization options and to leverage the Social Health Insurance (SHI) system to progressively increase domestic funding for HIV. HFG seeks to hire a Chief of Party responsible for overseeing project activities in Vietnam.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Represent Abt Associates and the project to the USAID Mission, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) and other key stakeholders.
• Set and pursue a results-oriented program strategy in coordination with the team and in consultation with USAID, other partners and stakeholders.
• Assume responsibility for the technical quality of all project activities and products.
• Develop and maintain relationships with the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security, Ministry of Finance and other Vietnamese stakeholders at national and provincial level. Maintain active partnerships and communication with development partners, USAID implementers and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure that staff, team members and consultants understand their roles and responsibilities and comply with contract requirements, USAID and Abt policies and procedures.
• Oversee development and timely implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans for all project activities and ensure that data required for USAID performance benchmarks and results frameworks are produced.
• Oversee the design and operation of management systems and operating procedures for the implementation of project activities.
• Lead, monitor and guide the teams/team leaders carrying out the work; assigns and delegate responsibilities as appropriate
• Supervise institutional sub-agreements with assistance from the Abt Senior Management Team.
• Assume responsibility for the technical quality of all project activities and products.
• Lead the project annual work planning, and ensures that quality operational plans, budgets, and reports are submitted as per contract agreements.
• Provide regular status and progress reports to USAID and Abt Associates.
• Coordinate with the HFG Country Manager and Contract Administrator to assure that all managerial and administrative matters are communicated and actions comply with the provisions of the contract and with USAID.
• Establish an effective M&E system for the project including the development of appropriate evaluation questions and selection of suitable design.
• Ensure that project budget projections, expenditure, tracking and reporting are in accordance with USAID requirements, procedures and practices.
• Develop documentation processes and capabilities to ensure documentation and dissemination of project results/activities.
• Develop and maintain relationships with the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security, Ministry of Finance and other Vietnamese stakeholders at national and provincial level. Maintain active partnerships and communication with development partners, USAID implementers and other relevant stakeholders.

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• Master’s Degree (minimum), or a Doctorate (desirable), in Health Economics, Economics or equivalent
• 15+ years of relevant professional experience in managing progressively complex health programs. Experience in managing USAID programs is highly preferred, experience in South East Asia desirable.
• Relevant work experience, particularly in health insurance, health expenditure tracking, and health system strengthening
• The COP is expected to have the strategic vision, leadership qualities, depth and breadth of technical expertise and experience, professional reputation, management experience, interpersonal skills and written and oral presentation skills to fulfill the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the program description.
• Must have a proven track record of working effectively with government counterparts at various levels within the context of South East Asia. Experience in Vietnam is highly preferred.
• Must exhibit effective personnel management, coordination, and decision-making skills along with an ability to troubleshoot.
• Experience implementing complex and multi-faceted projects is required, with demonstrated skill in organizing resources and establishing priorities
• Substantial developing country context experience, combining health systems strengthening and broad competencies in HIV/AIDS.
• 5 years of demonstrated excellence in a senior level management and leadership position, preferably in an international health development context; previous experience as a Chief of Party is preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership in management skills and ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary, multicultural teams.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with USAID, ministry officials, and other development partners and a proven track record of interacting with other projects, high-level host country governments and international agencies.
• Experience developing and communicating a project vision, aligning key stakeholders around the vision, and assuring the vision is translated into an efficiently implemented program.
• Experience in agenda setting, coordination, obtaining support for information systems design and carrying-out implementation.
• A proven, successful record of achieving results, preferably in a difficult and politically challenging working environment.
• Strong writing and presentation skills, as demonstrated by publications in the area of health economics, health finance or related fields.
• Fluency in English is required.

Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.

To apply, please visit www.abtassociates.com 

Please contact Ms. Phuong Doan (Email: [email protected]) for support during application process.

Deadline: 15-January-2017

The position is based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.