Chief of Party at ThinkWell

ThinkWell seeks a qualified candidate to serve as the Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated five-year (2022-2027) United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Activity. The HSS Activity will work in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH), counties, and non-state actors to strengthen health systems governance, partnerships and coordination, financing, and accountability systems for quality health service provision to underserved and vulnerable populations of Kenya.

The COP is responsible for ensuring successful implementation of activities, monitoring, evaluation, and learning for the HSS Activity. The COP brings substantial technical and operational expertise to support the HSS Activity design and execution, recruits and builds technical talent within the firm, and supervises technical project staff. The COP brings experience in managing USAID contracts for technical assistance in the Kenyan health sector and has strong managerial and coordination skills. The COP has extensive experience building relationships with senior government officials, donors, and other stakeholders.

The COP reports to the ThinkWell Kenya Country Director. This role is contingent upon funding. This is a full-time position based in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan nationals are encouraged to apply.

What you’ll do

Project Leadership

• Lead HSS Activity strategy and execution in country, ensuring timely and effective delivery of project objectives.

• Provide technical leadership and strategic direction to the HSS Activity; ensuring programmatic and financial integrity to attain the goals, objectives, and targets in compliance with USAID requirements.
• Coordinate effective implementation of the HSS Activity, including the development of annual work plans and budgets, implementation of activities, submission of deliverables and required reports, and leading quarterly program reviews.
• Ensure production of high-quality outputs for the HSS Activity. Provide written input into technical documents, project status reports, blogs and articles for publication and dissemination on ThinkWell’s website, external sites, and at conferences.
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation, research and learning function, staff, and output.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for USAID for day-to-day HSS Activity management and reporting.
• Collaborate with other ThinkWell programs to ensure programming aligns with the organizations mission and vision, and that program best practices and lessons learned are shared for wide dissemination.
• Ensure project compliance with USAID operational policies and regulations and the terms of the award.

Team Management

• Lead by example, delegate effectively, demonstrate integrity, motivate, and inspire others.
• Create a positive, respectful project team operating culture and environment and engage respectfully with employees at all levels across the firm.
• Effectively manage the HSS Activity team, proactively growing team members by focusing on their professional development and capacity building.
• Work with ThinkWell Agility (Operations) team to maintain operational excellence for the HSS Activity, including policies, procedures, and systems.
• Ensure that contract deliverables are met in accordance with contract requirements.
• Manage and monitor sub-contracts related to the HSS Activity (if any).
• In collaboration with the Kenya Country Director, ensure technical staff and sub-contracts comply with HSS Activity financing systems, including financial tracking, recording of financial transactions, financial risk management, and fraud prevention and achieve agreed upon objectives in accordance with established schedules and timelines.

Project Operations and Administration

• Work with ThinkWell Agility (Operations) team to maintain operational excellence for the HSS Activity, including policies, procedures, and systems.
• Ensure that contract deliverables are met in accordance with contract requirements.
• Manage and monitor sub-contracts related to the HSS Activity (if any).
• In collaboration with the Kenya Country Director, ensure technical staff and sub-contracts comply with HSS Activity financing systems, including financial tracking, recording of financial transactions, financial risk management, and fraud prevention and achieve agreed upon objectives in accordance with established schedules and timelines.

• Ensure project compliance with USAID operational policies and regulations and the terms of the award.

Project Representation

• Represent the HSS Activity, establish and sustain collaborative working relationships with USAID, MOH, county leadership, partners, and key stakeholders to build project and reputation.
• Consult and coordinate with key stakeholders within government, USAID, and other stakeholders to present on project-related activities, priorities, and results

Requirements

you are:

ThinkWell core competencies are foundational skills and behaviors that align with our values and are expected of all employees.

An entrepreneurial, results-oriented ‘do-er’ with a willingness to take risk, think big and challenge conventional wisdom.

A change maker who reaches independent judgement with an open mind, influences the conversation, and seeks innovation.

Able to help create an empowering environment in which everyone feels free to take initiative, be accountable and fail intelligently (learn from mistakes).

A collaborative colleague who engages constructively with people from different cultures, orientations, and perspectives and maintains positive relations in a virtual world.

Principally motivated by a growth mindset, meaning the pursuit of knowledge, experience, and self-improvement. You always question and continuously learn.

Authentic, honest, direct, self-aware and open to giving and receiving feedback.

Your qualifications

• Graduate degree and at least 10+ years of relevant experience with a demonstrated track record of achieve results;
• Substantive, relevant work experience in one of ThinkWell’s core technical areas including health financing, health systems strengthening and related international programming;
• Extensive experience managing large, complex projects in Kenya, preferably with USAID-funded projects
• Demonstrated team and people management abilities with a focus on growing staff, mentoring and coaching junior professionals;
• A senior leader, able to rally staff to achieve project activities.
• Proven track record in budgeting and financial management;
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with external strategic partners, donors, government ministries and stakeholders;
• Full written and verbal fluency in English as well as verbal fluency in Kiswahili;
• Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to relate respectfully with staff at all levels, ages, genders, nationalities and orientations as well as across work areas;
• Ability and willingness to travel in-country and internationally up to 25%.