JOB DESCRIPTION

District Delivery Manager

Job Type:          Full Time

Location:           Bombali & Moyamba, Sierra Leone (1 each)

Start Date:        1st December 2023

End Date:         30th November 2028; Annual contract (renewable)

Reports to:        Program Coordinator (Nutrition) 

Open to Expatriates: No 

Grade: I

Introduction :

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Helen Keller has been operating in Sierra Leone for nearly 20 years in support of the reproductive health, nutrition and Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) components of the National Health Development Plan of the Ministry of Health, as well as food security component of the Ministry of Agriculture. The organization is committed to generating evidence, carrying out robust research and a high input into research publications.

Helen Keller is recruiting for a District Delivery Manager (1 each in Bombali & Moyamba) for the FCDO funded Saving Lives Phase III program in Sierra Leone. The program aims to support the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to deliver on improving maternal, child and reproductive health outcomes in country while strengthening health systems for a sustainable solution.

The District Delivery Manager (DDM) will hold the overall responsibility for overseeing and supporting the implementation of the Saving Lives III program in their respective district. Working in close collaboration with the Ministry and other key stakeholders in the districts, the DDM will play a key role in ensuring that the Saving Lives 3 program is implemented to a high technical standard and is in full alignment with relevant national policies and protocols.

S/he will be responsible for ensuring day to day oversight of project district budget, reporting and implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning in addition to the procurement plan and harmonization of project activities and cross district learning. S/he will coordinate with Helen Keller’s other projects in the district and represent the Saving Lives III program in external meetings and related events at the district level as well as build and maintain positive relationships with District Ministries, and other stakeholders. Approximately 50% of his/her time will be spent in the field carrying out supportive supervision visits to the project implementation areas.

Key Responsibilities :

• Support the District Medical Officer (DMO) and Medical Superintendent (MS) in planning, management and implementation of the annual District Health Plan including requests for and liquidation of funds, as needed.
• Co-lead with the DMO and MS, in their respective districts, on developing the Saving Lives Phase III district plan in accordance with the District Health Plan, while ensuring the effective use of resources and value for money.
• Provide ongoing technical advice on implementation of the Saving Lives Phase III plan.
• In collaboration with the M&E staff provide support and mentorship to District Health Management Team (DHMT) and hospital staff on how to interpret and interrogate qualitative and quantitative data for decision making.
• Support the DMO in the coordination of all RMNCAH partners in the districts.
• Support DMO to organize monthly PHU-in charges meetings and use it as a forum for discussion and analysis of health data from facilities.
• Support and mentor DHMT and district hospital staff to ensure key human resource tools are available – job descriptions for key posts, organograms, key performance indicators, etc.
• Mentor and support the Social Mobilization lead in the DHMT to hold regular adolescent sexual and reproductive health stakeholder meetings.
• Ensure adherence to the district level monitoring plan and timeline.
• Conduct regular field visits to the targeted Community Health Centers (CHCs) in the respective districts to monitor performance of the District Clinical Mentors.
• Assist in preparing annual procurement and detailed implementation plan (DIP), for your district with realistic phased budget that corresponds to approved donor proposal.
• Ensure the project is implemented according to agreed district annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans and budgets; delivers against timeframes, output and outcome targets.
• Provide regular updates on project progress to the supervisor highlighting any areas of variance/risk with suggested corrective actions.
• Lead on district inception activities with support from the supervisor.
• Promote cross learning across project districts.

People Management:  

• Line manage Project Finance & Admin Officer and Driver in your district, contributing to their capacity building and career development through technical/operational support and on-the-job training and coaching, including a thorough induction at the start of their contract.
• Have dotted line supervisory responsibility for the District Family Planning Officer and District Data Clerk.
• Ensure that each member of the team fully understands deliverables, which are expected of them, by setting SMART objectives.
• Ensure that all staff are aware of and comply with all of Helen Keller Policies and Procedures.
• Monitor and review performance of your direct reports and hold them accountable for executing their job as per the agreed job description and performance objectives; give corrective feedback where required and take decisive action in the case of poor performance; conducting regular Performance Reviews; setting and identifying areas of staff development needs as per the Helen Keller policy.
• Ensure that work within the team (s) is planned and organized in a way which will meet the organizations and project’s needs in the most cost-effective manner possible; ensuring that team members are given appropriate workloads and are working efficiently.
• Routinely observe and monitor the co-facilitation of field activities to ensure they are carried out to the highest quality, providing critical and constructive feedback to the team.
• Budget Oversight for your respective districts.
• Monitor the project district operational support budget in the respective district under the supervision and guidance of the Project Coordinator.
• Provide support and oversight to the DMO and MS on operational fund in the district under the supervision in consultation with and guidance from supervisor.
• Ensure that the district resources are used effectively and transparently on prioritized RMNCAH activities.

Review Budget-vs-Actual, financial reports, and spending plans for your district; Promptly respond to all budget-related inquiries.

Others:  

• Understand organizational safeguarding and gender policies.

• Understand the relevance of safeguarding to their work and is able to implement safeguarding requirements in your area of responsibility.
• Promote accountability and ensure compliance with all Helen Keller Policies and code of conduct inlcuding but not limited to safeguarding considerations to ensure maximum protection of program participants and the efficient and transparent use of Helen Keller resources.
• Promote equality, especially gender, as a cross cutting theme within the organization and across programs, in line with Helen Keller Policy.
• Represent, promote, and protect the reputation of Helen Keller in external settings, ensuring that the organization’s experience and expertise is well communicated and consistently presented, in a professional manner.
• Attend district level meetings and other workshops, working groups, and coordination forums as required to ensure close coordination and collaboration.
• Analyze and present data in creative new ways to influence district-level discussions around and prioritization of RMNCAH activities and strategy implementation.
• Any other reasonable tasks as assigned by the Program Coordinator.

Qualification and experience 

• CHOs/Midwives/SECHNs with public health experience/trainings
• A bachelor’s degree in nutrition or public health a big plus
• At least 7 years of relevant field experience with managing staff
• Experience in planning and management of programs in Sierra Leone, including experience in implementing/managing RMNCAH programs.
• Able to work calmly and lead teams successfully in stressful/pressured environments
• Demonstrated knowledge and/or experience of having worked with district health systems and District Sector offices especially DHMTs will be a big plus.
• Strong measurement, analytical and data skills inlcuding demonstrated experience in developing both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools.
• Strong computer and writing skills (in English) (World, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to organize and plan effectively.
• Good budget and financial management skills
• Excellent skills in representation and communication
• Able to work independently, multi-task, and take initiative, but also able to delegate responsibilities, harness team efforts, and ask for help as needed.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to SierraLeone.Recruitment@hki.org or hand-deliver to: Helen Keller Int Office at 16H James Macarthy Drive, off Spur Road, Wilberforce, Freetown.

• • Please mark your application as per the post above (referencing the SUBJECT heading)

• Closing date for the receipt of applications for the above vacancy is November 17th, 2023, at 17:00hrs. 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

“Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.