Technical Director, Health

The Health Technical Director (hereafter Director) will provide strategic direction for CRS’ programs globally in disease prevention, health system strengthening, curative support, HIV (prevention, care and treatment), malaria, tuberculosis, nutrition, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and other areas critical to all children and families reaching their full health and development potential.
The Director will oversee the provision of technical support to CRS field programs, advancing approaches for high quality programming, lead the agency on strategic growth within these areas, advance CRS technical leadership in core health sectors, and represent CRS externally with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors, research institutions, local partners, private sector institutions and other stakeholders. The Director will be a key part of the PIQA team, providing support and expertise in health across the agency.

Strategic Leadership
* Provide technical leadership within the community of health and nutrition staff throughout the agency, including strong program direction reflecting robust standards and industry best practices – taking into account the current COVID-19 pandemic, adapting approaches as well as exploring new programming.
* Lead development and implementation of a cohesive health strategy, ensuring alignment with the CRS Vision 2030 strategy, particularly Goal Area 4 – All Children Reach Their Full Health and Development Potential in Safe and Nurturing Families – and building on priorities developed in advocacy, nutrition, malaria, etc.
* Provide guidance and support to Strategic Change Platform 4 “Accelerating the End of Malaria”.
* Advance a strong vision of quality assurance and systems strengthening for continuous quality improvement and program impact – ensuring cohesive teamwork within the health team as well as solid collaboration with other sector teams for effective multisectoral programming.
* Promote ICT4D for data collection, data use, and sharing of evidence-based results internally and externally.

Technical Assistance
* Oversee high quality technical assistance (TA) and support by PIQA Health Unit staff to regions and country programs.
* Provide direct TA for program implementation and evaluation of health programs, including both country-level and global projects.
* Collaborate with the Agricultural Livelihoods (AG/L) and Integrated Program Quality (IPQ) teams on integrated programming.
* Coordinate with the Humanitarian Response Department on integrated approaches to resilience that strengthen health and nutrition programming within the continuum of emergency -to- recovery -to- development.

Sectoral Growth and New Business Development
* Lead agency strategic growth in the health sector, including developing plans for deepening and widening CRS’ institutional relationships.
* Promote, cultivate and support technical and advisory relationships by health staff with donors, including USAID (Bureau of Global Health, Bureau of Resilience and Food Security and Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), PEPFAR, CDC, UNICEF, The Global Fund, Unitaid, WHO, UNAIDS, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others.
* Work closely with PIQA Global Grants colleagues as well as the Institutional Donor Engagement Advancement (IDEA) Department, regions and country programs to position for and pursue new opportunities.
* Collaborate with the Charitable Giving Division to mobilize private resources to support health programming, including developing promotional materials and interacting with donors.
* Lead program design and provide technical leadership on major/global initiatives and proposals.
* Promote/facilitate strategic technical workshops with CRS staff, local partners, government representatives and other stakeholders.

Representation and Advocacy
* Represent CRS to donors, policy makers, and peer organizations, strengthening agency thought leadership regarding key directions in the health sector overall as well as in programming and funding.
* Lead CRS participation at key events, including conferences, international forums, roundtables, and expert consultations – sharing agency learning and results.
* Manage internal relationships and communications regarding agency health programming via presentations and meetings with other CRS divisions and departments.
* Represent CRS among secular and faith-based leaders.
* Maintain a clear understanding of Catholic Church teachings regarding health care and ensure adherence to its principles in CRS health programming.

Qualifications
* Seasoned health professional, with PhD or MD – or Masters’ degree and equivalent experience – in public health, medicine, psychology, nutrition or related field.
* At least 15 years of international working experience in a technical or management public health role, with a minimum of five years overseas managing, or providing technical assistance to, health programs.
* Demonstrated ability to lead high performing teams through clear vision, direction and communications.
* Expertise in strengthening systems for health among civil society, public and private health institutions; experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Digital Health and/or Health Advocacy a plus.
* Working knowledge of integrated programming, e.g., with agriculture, WASH, education, gender, humanitarian response.
* Proven ability to design high quality projects and successful grant proposals for external donor funding; publications of findings from field programming and research a plus.
* Ability to present effectively at conferences and events.
* Excellent interpersonal, diplomacy, and negotiating skills.
* Deep understanding of key donors in health such as PEPFAR, CDC, USAID, The Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF and others; understanding of key trends such as localization and transition to local primes; experience in innovative finance, non-traditional funding schemes and domestic resource mobilization a plus

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

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

EOE/M/F/D/V - CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

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