Position Title: Lead, RMNCH

Department/Program: SRH Department 

Level: TBD 

Reports to: SRH Department Director

Based in: Addis Ababa

Required number: One

Duration of contract: Indefinite based on performance and availability of funds

Remuneration: As per organization pay scale plus other PSI Ethiopia staff benefits.

Vacancy posted date: October 21, 2024

Application Deadline: November 1, 2024

Who we are?

We’re Population Services International (PSI), the world’s leading non‐profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire by marketing affordable products and services that range from mosquito nets to contraceptives to HIV testing. We are a $560m enterprise based in Washington, DC, operating in the private and public sectors in more than 65 countries.

There are over 9,000 “PSI’ers” around the world. It’s a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds - from the medical industry to the music business - all with unique skills we bring to the job. 

PSI/Ethiopia wants to reimagine healthcare, put the consumer at the center, and whenever possible, bring quality care to the front door.  We achieve health impact in Ethiopia by working with both government and private partners and harvesting technology innovation to bring quality care closer to communities, schools, and homes.   We empower consumers by including them in the design of healthcare solutions, offering them more healthcare choices, and helping them to have a voice in influencing national priorities.  We work with all market actors in the health system to understand their needs, designing and delivering solutions so that market systems can sustainably serve consumers for the long term, helping to support the Government of Ethiopia in achieving Universal Health Coverage. 

We are looking for an RMNCH lead to provide strategic direction, operational guidance, and leadership to PSI/Ethiopia’s maternal, child and reproductive health projects/programs under the SRH Department. The RMNCH lead will also ensure operational excellence and be responsible for adherence to PSI and donors’ compliance and financial rules and regulations. In addition, the RMNCH lead will provide high level direction on the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of RMNCH activities along with new innovative interventions to expand the projects’ reach.   

Under the supervision of the SRH Department Director, the RMNCH lead will be responsible to lead, manage and coordinate quality program planning, successful implementation, performance tracking and analysis, reporting, budget control and team management among others.

Duties & Responsibilities

You will work under the direct supervision of the SRH Department Director as the Lead for RMNCH Unit within the SRH Department. Your role and responsibilities will include:

Technical project management and leadership:

• Will hold a leadership role in all projects and interventions related to RMNCH at different levels of implementation that include but are not limited to project registration, project launch, site selection, and negotiation with different partners, capacity building and working closely with government officials. 

• Provide high-level strategic guidance on program design, planning, strategy development and implementation related to RMNCH.

• Stay abreast of the latest RMNCH technical guidance, strategies, training materials both national and international level. 

• Oversee and lead project start-up initiatives related to RMNCH. 

• Liaise with the Ministry of Health focal persons on PSI’s interventions and programming related to RMNCH, including Self-Care. 

• Provide regular technical support to the regional-level deployed technical staff. 

• Guide the generation of program learnings for RMNCH interventions, promote and disseminate learnings to key stakeholders (internal and external). 

• Coordinate and facilitate project research activities and baseline, midterm, and end line surveys. 

• In coordination with the QA teams, optimize quality at every project design stage, planning, implementation, and monitoring. 

• Provide robust support to ensure the utilization of D2A to promote evidence-based programming at all levels.

• Assess training needs and capacity gaps of staff and facilitate the provision of training, 

• Review and track performance through continuous project quality improvement endeavours/mechanisms. 

• Actively pursue and participate in fundraising and New Business Development opportunities. 

Partnership and representation:

• High-level representation with donors, government officials, FMOH, and regional and district levels. 

• Ensure responsiveness to donors, the Government of Ethiopia, and stakeholders on programmatic and partnership matters. 

• Ensure PSI/E representation at the MoH Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health TWGs. 

• Establish and maintain partnerships at federal and regional levels with key government partners, other organizations, and stakeholders. 

• Work with regional teams to establish and maintain partnerships with RHBs, zonal health departments, woreda health offices, and community leaders. 

• Closely coordinate with other units and departments and look for opportunities for integration. 

Financial Management and Compliance: 

• Coordinate closely with PSI/Ethiopia finance and compliance teams to ensure strong financial management of RMCNH project budgets.

• Ensure PSI and donor policies and procedures are adhered to. 

• Support the preparation of the annual departmental budget, annual work plan, and quarterly work plan at the central level and cascade to the regions as required/needed.

Donor Management and Relations

• Represent PSI/E as the key focal person to manage donor relations and communications for RMNCH projects.

Other responsibilities

• Other duties as assigned.

What it takes to succeed

• System Thinker: Who understand the Ethiopian Primary Health care system and able to easily identify, leverage and amplify the nuances for effective scale up and operational excellence. 

• A self-starter: You have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision; you are someone who is proactive in looking for new opportunities;

• Consistent and determined:  our activities are considerably challenging that requires someone to be proactively on top of operation challenges which will vary from place to place. A person who is determined and always look at the bigger picture regardless of the challenges on the daily basis is needed 

• Communicator: who has excellent interpersonal and written communication skill so that operation SOPs are cascaded properly. 

• Evidence based decision Maker: capable to interpret both qualitative and quantitative data, transform it in to compelling communication material to influence both mind sets and skill sets as success is all about transforming lives via engaging all concerned. 

• Flexible: who is capable to see other alternatives when trail/attempts fail; someone with strong conviction that CHANGE is possible; and operation of any this size is doable! 

Job Requirements

What are we looking for? The basics

• At least eight (8) years with Master’s degree in Public Health, SRH, population studies or related fields or ten (10) years of experience with first degree in the relevant disciplines with more than 10 years of demonstrated experience in the Ethiopian Primary Health Care system and out of which four (4) years at managerial level 

• Excellent partnership, leadership, and management skills.

• Experience working in Maternal health, SRHR, including Safe abortion care, post-abortion care services and gender-based violence.

• Experience working with non-traditional donors. 

• Able to work within a very complex, program set up that involves government, implementing partner and high touch donor. 

• Demonstrated experience in financial management, developing and realigning budgets; developing systems to track systems, ability to work closely with finance to ensure spending is on track and in compliance with donor regulations. 

• Good time management and organizational skills. 

• Experience in technical project implementation in general and family planning in particular. 

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and with limited supervision. Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time away from head office.

• Ability to work under tight deadlines and in a fast-paced environment. 

• Have key competencies such as being detail-oriented, strong coordination and communication skills, and strong delegation skills. High level of emotional intelligence; Master planner and executor; Good at multi-tasking; Problem-solving mentality; Demonstrated flexibility. 

• Ability to deliver on time under stressful situations without compromising quality

What would get us excited?

• Thought Leader with a growth mindset, someone who is always willing to learn new things and who continues to educate him/herself. 

• Experience in budget and data analysis. 

• Demonstrated capacity building skills; excellent facilitation skills.

• Experience forging strong partnerships with other INGOs, government entities, external stakeholders. 

• Excellent representation and interpersonal skills and good team spirit. 

How to Apply

Are you intrigued? Apply!

By following our 3 steps application process:

1. Fill out the mandatory application form using THIS LINK. It will only take 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Send your CV and application letter to recruitment@psiet.org clearly mark “Application for Lead, RMNCH Position” in the subject line.

3. Check your email and make sure you receive an automatic response acknowledging receipt of your CV. If you don’t receive the automatic response, check again your subject line and if needed, re-submit your CV and application letter with the correct subject.

Application deadline is November 1, 2024. We’ll call or e-mail you back if there is a good fit on both sides.

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.