Deputy Chief of Party - Indonesia MCH Flagship

Overview:

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 6,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects.

IDG’s Global Health Division focuses on strengthening health systems, controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases, improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, and supporting programs to combat malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases—with the goal of assisting countries to prepare for and respond to emerging health threats. We incorporate learnings from monitoring, evaluation, and operations research to refine and improve the effectiveness of our programs. Relying on partnerships with governments, local organizations, universities, service providers, and communities, we identify and address the root causes of public health challenges.

Working with and through our country counterparts’ own systems, we help them improve the quality of policies and practices using data and feedback from every level—from village health volunteers to local government authorities to health officials.

Program Description:

The anticipated USAID Maternal Child Health (MCH) Flagship in Indonesia aims to contribute to the national goals to reduce maternal and newborn mortality by improving the quality of care targeting the poorest and most vulnerable. The objectives are as follows:

1. Objective 1: Strengthening the supply of quality maternal and newborn health services.
2. Objective 2: Improving the demand for quality services through social behavior change communication and accountability mechanisms.
3. Objective 3: Fostering innovations and building the evidence base to inform national and sub-national policy reforms which will establish institutional quality standards.

The Activity will draw upon valuable insights gained from existing Government of Indonesia (GOI) programs and past USAID initiatives. It aims to enhance and expand successful strategies at both provincial and national levels, taking advantage of the recent lending program by Multilateral Development Banks for acquiring and installing necessary equipment. Moreover, the Activity will proactively evaluate emerging challenges to maternal and newborn health outcomes to refine practices. It will integrate considerations of climate and gender.

Position Description:

RTI is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for an anticipated USAID/Indonesia MCH activity. The DCOP/Technical Director will support the COP in the management and implementation of the MCH activity. The DCOP/Technical Director will lead the technical design, planning, and execution of the activity’s interventions aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes. He/She will be responsible for overseeing, supporting, and mentoring technical teams to advance primary health care quality and resiliency and improve health outcomes. The DCOP will ensure that the activity meets health service delivery and health system targets, quality standards, and reporting standards across objectives and locations, in alignment with USAID and national government priorities. The DCOP will serve as the lead technical point of contact to relevant technical fora/technical working groups and foster coordination with government and civil society health implementers. This position will report to the COP and be based in Jakarta with potential travel to activity implementation areas.

Please note that this position is contingent upon funding availability/award from USAID.

Responsibilities:

• In close collaboration with the COP, provides technical direction and leadership of the project.
• Develops and adapts technical strategies, approaches, and activities to achieve objectives, and applies and contextualizes global best practices and learning to the Indonesian setting.
• Oversees and coordinates activities of technical leads.
• Takes a leadership role in work planning and implementation of program activities by working in close collaboration with the COP and ensures that the project activities are meeting client and stakeholder expectations.
• Represents the activity with USAID and liaises with donor technical teams.
• Serves as a member of the leadership team, setting a positive and professional tone for the team, collaborating closely with the other team leaders.
• Leads the development and delivery of the activity’s technical components, providing programmatic leadership and overseeing technical assistance, working in close collaboration with leadership at the national and state-level.
• Provides technical guidance on integrated health policy, strategy, and programming within the activity to staff and sub-contractors and externally.
• Reviews data and reporting to analyze progress toward targets and determine corrective action needed to improve goal achievement.
• Develops and implements the activity’s local capacity strengthening initiatives, building on the existing technical expertise available in Indonesia.
• Working with teams, host government entities, and local partners, identifies local innovations for scale-up within and across geographies.
• Supports development and monitoring of technical work plans and budget, working with project staff, consortium members, and government stakeholders.
• Ensures the production of high-quality technical deliverables and reporting.
• Documents lessons learned and technical innovations of the activity.
• Develops and maintains effective partnerships with relevant health donors, implementers, and consortium members, to foster collaboration. Serves as the activity’s main point of contact for technical collaboration fora.
• Represents the project in public and professional circles through meetings, conferences, and presentations.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree and 10 years of experience, or other advanced degree (PhD, MD) in a relevant field, such as medicine, public health, health system management, social administration, or social sciences and 8 years of experience. Clinical qualification a plus. A master’s degree may be substituted by a bachelor’s degree and at least 12 years of relevant experience as described below.
• Experience in donor-funded project management in of which at least 6 years’ experience with technical and/or operational issues related to a mix of public health and development work, policy development, and community engagement.
• Substantial experience in program management, either as COP, DCOP, or comparable role.
• Expertise in facility- or community-based efforts to improve maternal health.
• Experience designing, implementing, or overseeing quality improvement efforts and capacity development initiatives.
• Experience supervising technical staff across different offices and operating contexts.
• Proven ability to work independently and multi-task in high-pressure settings.
• Ability to travel and work anywhere in Indonesia.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, negotiation, and writing skills.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Work experience in Asia, southeast Asia, and Indonesia specifically preferred.