Ethiopia: Chief of Party, TRANSFORM / Developing Regional States, Ethiopia - Ethiopia

Save the Children is currently pursuing a five-year, approximately $30M USAID-funded grant which is part of the TRANSFORM family of activities focused on supporting the Government of Ethiopia to end preventable deaths for children and their mothers, ensuring equitable coverage of proven, high-impact maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition interventions in the four developing regional states of Afar, Bensahngul-Gumuz, Gambella and Somali. Availability of the position is contingent upon issuance of a USAID funding mechanism, and selection of applicants is subject to USAID approval.

Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact

The Chief of Party (COP) will lead and manage the project, with accountability and authority for all project results and deliverables. S/he will lead programmatic planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation; financial and administrative operations and compliance; documentation and communication; donor and other stakeholder representation; and coordination with other Country Office projects. Preference will be given to candidates with relevant experience in Ethiopia. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide technical and managerial leadership for all program activities to ensure high quality, evidence‐based approaches and effective implementation to increase access to, use, and quality of high impact interventions;


• Serve as the primary project liaison with USAID, maintaining accountability for the achievement of results, ensuring the quality of services are maintained at the highest standard, and that all project objectives and deliverables are met or exceeded according to schedule;


• Ensure that effective and efficient systems are in place to support all aspects of project activity, including sub-grant management, M&E, technical assistance, reporting, and compliance with USAID regulations;


• Oversee collaboration and coordination with consortium partners, negotiating scopes of work, subgrant agreements, building and maintaining productive relationships, and communicating a common vision for the project and partnership.


• Develop and maintain collaborative, productive, and transparent working relationships with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs) and other governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to promote ownership, sustainability and maximum complementarity and leverage of project investments.


• Liaise closely with the SCI Country Office, Regional Area Office, and Headquarters Office, maintaining transparent communications, sharing knowledge and experience, and collaborating and coordinating with other SC projects to maximize learning, outcomes, and impacts for women and children.

Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors

• Clinical background in medicine or nursing and a Master’s Degree in public health or a related field.


• At least 15 years of experience, with expertise in multiple technical areas (maternal health, family planning, newborn health, child health, malaria, and nutrition) highly desired.


• Minimum of eight years of experience in a senior managerial position with public health programs in developing countries, and ideally in Ethiopia; strong background in management of decentralized health systems advantageous.


• At least three years of prior experience as Chief of Party or Deputy Chief of Party is preferred; experience working on USAID-funded programs is essential;


• Prior work in Ethiopia pastoralist areas or similar context is highly desirable; familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of Ethiopia is required;


• Demonstrated leadership, management, coordination, teamwork, and planning skills, with proven ability to liaise effectively with and collaborate with a range of key stakeholders, including national and local officials, public, private and civil society partners, and communities.


• Proven track record in managing and leading large project teams comprised of technical experts, multiple partners, program managers and financial and administrative staff;


• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Amharic is highly desirable;


• Local candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.