CGPP DRC – Deputy Director and Technical Lead

Position Title: Deputy Director and Technical Lead, CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP) DRC
Hiring Organization: CORE Group, Inc. to be paid from the US
Type of Employment: Fulltime consulting contractor
Duration of contract: April 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026 (with the possibility of extension)
Reports to: Secretariat Director, CGPP DRC
Supervises: Assigned Secretariat technical staff and/or technical officers (Polio/RI, GHS/One Health, MCH, Nutrition, MEAL, SBC/Communications, and others as relevant)

Background

The CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP) is a multi-country, multi-partner initiative that provides on-the-ground technical assistance and guidance to support host country efforts to eradicate polio and strengthen immunization systems. CGPP works across four technical areas – polio, nutrition, maternal and child health, and global health security – through existing networks of international and local NGOs operating in hard-to-reach areas with low immunization coverage. At the country level, a Secretariat coordinates the work of CGPP partner organizations in a manner that complements the efforts of all implementing partners. CGPP supports the national action plan for polio eradication and national health strategies by expanding access to essential lifesaving health services, enhancing outbreak preparedness and response, and promoting child and family health through integrated community-based interventions.

Purpose of the Position

The Deputy Director and Technical Lead (DD/TL) is the Secretariat’s chief technical officer and second-in-command to the CGPP DRC Secretariat Director.

The DD/TL will:

• Provide overall technical leadership for CGPP DRC’s integrated portfolio in polio and routine immunization, community-based surveillance, GHS, MCH, and nutrition.
• Ensure that program design and field implementation are evidence-based, aligned with national policies and global guidance, and responsive to community and health system needs.
• Support the Secretariat Director in managing partnerships, strengthening secretariat operations, and ensuring high-quality implementation, monitoring, reporting, and learning across all CGPP DRC partners.

Key Responsibilities

The DD/TL will be responsible for the following:

Technical Leadership and Strategic Direction (approx. 25–30% LOE)

• Guide the development and adaptation of CGPP DRC’s technical priorities and strategic plans to ensure robust acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and priority zoonotic disease (PZD) surveillance; effective supplemental and routine immunization; integrated MCH and nutrition services; and GHS multisectoral interventions at community and facility levels.
• Ensure that CGPP interventions are consistent with national policies, GPEI guidance, and CGPP global technical frameworks.
• Provide high-level technical guidance to secretariat and partner staff on polio/routine immunization, community-based surveillance (CBS), PZDs, vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), MCH, nutrition, and outbreak readiness and response.
• Support the Secretariat Director in defining priorities for geographic and thematic expansion, including integration of MCH and nutrition in new health zones and provinces.

Program Design, Planning and Implementation (approx. 20–25% LOE)

• Lead or coordinate technical input into the development of annual and quarterly workplans and budgets, ensuring realistic, measurable and integrated activities across technical areas.
• Provide regular field-based technical support and supportive supervision to partners and field teams in target provinces/health zones.
• Ensure integrated planning and joint implementation (e.g. linking immunization outreach, CBS, MCH services, nutrition screening, and risk communication).
• Monitor adherence of partners and field teams to approved workplans and budgets and recommend timely programmatic adjustments in collaboration with the Secretariat Director.
• Support preparedness and rapid response during cVDPV/wild polio outbreaks and other public health emergencies, including coordination of NGO networks and rapid response teams as needed.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), Surveillance and Data Use (approx. 15% LOE)

• Work closely with the MEAL team to ensure robust indicators, tools and processes for monitoring integrated interventions and community-based surveillance (polio, VPDs, PZDs, and other priority conditions).
• Support data quality assurance (DQA), regular data review and learning meetings, and promote systematic use of data for adaptive management and decision-making at all levels.
• Guide and/or contribute to operational research, documentation of lessons learned, success stories, case studies and at least one technical article or conference presentation per year, where feasible.

Capacity Building, Supervision and Mentoring (approx. 15% LOE)

• Assess technical capacity needs of secretariat and partner staff and develop targeted capacity-building plans for polio/routine immunization, CBS, GHS, MCH, nutrition, and MEAL.
• Review and approve technical training plans, curricula, and job aids developed by secretariat and partner staff.
• Organize and facilitate trainings, workshops, on-the-job coaching, and mentorship for secretariat technical staff, partner staff, and community-level workers.
• Provide supportive supervision to assigned technical staff and ensure a culture of teamwork, learning, and accountability.

Partnership Management, Representation and Coordination (approx. 10–15% LOE)

• Support the Secretariat Director in maintaining strong working relationships with national and provincial MOH, GPEI, UNICEF, other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society, and key stakeholders involved in polio, routine immunization, GHS, MCH, and nutrition.
• Represent CGPP DRC in relevant technical working groups, coordination mechanisms, and partner/donor meetings at national and subnational levels, as delegated.
• Serve as a technical resource person for donors and partners on CGPP DRC’s work in polio, GHS, MCH, and nutrition.
• Act as Officer-in-Charge in the absence of the Secretariat Director, as requested.

Management, Budgeting, and Reporting (approx. 10% LOE)

• Contribute to the development of the annual secretariat workplan and budget and monitor implementation to ensure activities and expenditures are on track; work with finance staff to review financial reports and recommend corrective action where necessary.
• Support the Secretariat Director in oversight of field operations of all CGPP partners to ensure that interventions are technically sound and supported by adequate capacity-building efforts.
• Lead or contribute to preparation of high-quality quarterly, semi-annual, and annual technical reports, as well as ad hoc donor and government reports.
• Participate in the recruitment, onboarding and performance management of secretariat technical staff, as requested by the Secretariat Director.

Community Engagement and Cross-cutting Priorities (approx. 5% LOE)

• Promote meaningful community engagement, risk communication and social behavior change strategies that are culturally appropriate and conflict sensitive.
• Ensure that safeguarding, protection, and “do no harm” principles are incorporated into program design and implementation.

Education

• Medical degree (MD/MBBS), Veterinary Medicine, and/or master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, infectious diseases, health systems, nutrition, social sciences, or a closely related field. A PhD is an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in public health programming, including significant technical experience in polio/routine immunization and at least one of the following: GHS (including CBS), MCH, or nutrition.
• At least 4 years in a senior technical and/or management position (e.g., technical lead, program manager, or deputy director) supervising multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience managing or providing technical oversight to donor-funded projects (e.g., DOS, CDC, foundations) and in working with international NGOs and local civil society partners.
• Proven field experience in complex, fragile or conflict-affected settings, preferably in Eastern DRC or similar contexts in the region.
• Experience with community-based surveillance, immunization system strengthening, and integrated primary health care at community and facility levels.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical expertise in at least two of the following areas:
  • Polio eradication and routine immunization
  • GHS, including community-based surveillance of zoonotic and other priority diseases
  • Maternal and child health (MCH)
  • Nutrition (including community-based approaches)
• Excellent strategic thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to interpret and use data to inform programmatic decisions.
• Proven ability to provide high-quality technical assistance, mentoring and capacity building to diverse teams.
• Very good relationship management skills; ability to work effectively with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, community leaders and donors.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines under pressure.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to prepare high-quality reports, technical briefs and presentations.

Required Languages

• Bilingual fluency in French and English (oral and written) is mandatory for this position.
• Knowledge of one or more local DRC languages is an asset.

Computer Skills

• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with online/web conferencing platforms. Experience with basic data analysis software is an advantage.

Travel Requirements

• Willingness and ability to travel frequently (up to 30–50% of time) to project provinces and health zones, including remote and insecure areas, following organizational safety and security protocols.

Working Relationships

• Internal: Secretariat staff (Secretariat Director, technical staff, MEAL staff, finance and operations teams), CGPP Global HQ technical team, and other CGPP country secretariats
• External: Ministry of Health (national, provincial, and health zone levels); UNICEF and other UN agencies; international and local NGO partners, CBOs, and community structures; donor representatives and other stakeholders relevant to polio, routine immunization, GHS, MCH and nutrition.

Disclaimer

• This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

• Interested candidates can apply by March 17, 2026, by sending an expression of interest letter and an updated CV to info@thecgpp.org
• Please title your email “DRC Secretariat Deputy Director application”
• This position is strictly for local nationals in DRC