Deputy Project Director, USAID MAIF Follow-on Activity at Abt Associates

• Abt seeks a qualified Deputy Project Director (PD) to support management of the anticipated Local Market Access for Innovative Finance (MAIF) Activity Follow-on. This activity is a follow-on to the current MAIF contract vehicle that was designed by the Bureau for Global Health’s Center for Innovation & Impact (CII) to assist Global Health offices, Missions, and other USAID offices to apply market-led approaches to accelerate global health goals. The purpose of this activity is for USAID to acquire support specifically through services and technical assistance on a range of market access and innovative financing expertise to improve global health outcomes.
• Project is expected to start around March 2025.
• This position will be full-time and location is flexible in the continental U.S. or in one of Abt’s East Africa offices. Position is contingent upon award.

Core Responsibilities

• Oversees the creation and ensures the quality of all project technical deliverables;
• Provide special expertise in the areas such as leveraging innovative financing instruments, developing new products/partnerships, supporting enabling environment for health financing, etc. with the objective of increasing access to capital/decrease cost of financing for global health initiatives.
• Provides quality assurance to the technical interventions advanced by the project team and subcontractors/subawardees.
• Supervise the project’s technical team to ensure a focus on core results, achievements of annual work plan and targets, and timely/effective implementation;
• Ensures a project team environment conducive to gender, equity and social inclusion and ensures GESI incorporation in the health financing solutions;
• Supervises and provides coaching and mentorship to support continuous technical staff development and high performance;
• Together with the PD, serves as a senior manager to ensure activities are in compliance with USAID rules and regulations and activities meet program targets.
• Provide strategic technical direction and guidance to staff in relevant areas, such as innovative financing strategies and grants management.
• Contributes to a culture of continuous learning and adaptive management by working closely with the MEL team to ensure that the project applies key learnings from knowledge generated to adapt program activities as appropriate.

What We Value

• Bachelor’s degree in business, public health, or another related field and minimum of 15 years progressively responsible management experience with global development programs or a Master’s and 12 years of relevant experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, diplomacy, and leadership skills, including the ability to manage high-level relationships and motivate staff;
• Demonstrated technical expertise in innovative health financing mechanisms including but not limited to health/micro insurance, impact investing, blended finance, impact bonds, microfinance, SME finance, loan guarantees, value based care, etc.
• Demonstrated experience managing grants under contract highly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in adaptive management and program design;
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of government and civil society counterparts and donors
• Demonstrated experience in fostering localization through partnerships, capacity building, collaboration, and mentorship;
• Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with U.S., foreign government counterparts and experience with USAID is preferred;
• Preference will be given to candidates with experience in Asia and/or East Africa.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.