This HS4TB Senior Operations Manager position provides high-level support to projects, including program management, administrative, and logistical support.
The PC is a member of the Health Systems for TB (HS4TB) Program’s management team and works in line with guidance from the Program Delivery Group’s Center for Project Management Excellence. The PC conceptualizes and executes project management support strategies to enable the project director to deliver project results on time and within budget, while maintaining MSH’s strong reputation with donors and stakeholders.
This position coordinates planning, implementing, and monitoring of core and country projects, and may oversee one or more core projects. The incumbent is responsible for the efficient organization and functioning of project activities, ensuring prompt and seamless communication and follow-up with country/project teams, MSH business units, consultants, and partners.
Primary accountabilities are:
- Plan and manage activities related to project support, including logistics, procurement, security, travel, consultants, calendar management, meeting management, and files and minutes management, etc.
- Maintain clear communication with MSH business units, offices, and different project staff and teams to facilitate efficient and smooth project support functions.
- Create and maintain global project management systems and tools for centralized management and oversight of numerous activities and initiatives (e.g. deliverables, workplans, calendars, contacts, consultants, subcontractors, procurement, travel).
- Coordinate work planning and quarterly reporting processes, and track work assignments, deliverables, and implementation.
- Set up and then oversee file management systems, maintain project files, including a library of reports and technical resources.
- Ensure each week’s project meetings are planned in advance; with background materials and agenda items compiled and shared. Take notes during each meeting to disseminate, follow up on action items. Coordinate logistics for meetings with project partners, stakeholders, and donors including USAID.
- Contribute to project implementation and technical activities as requested.
- Contribute to internal and external communications, including writing, editing, and formatting correspondence, communications, presentations, reports, webpages, and other documents.
- Manage consultants, including recruitment, onboarding, and invoice processing; support procurement requisition processes.
Project Operations Support (75%)
Project Operations
- Plan and manage activities related to project support, including logistics, procurement, security, travel, consultants, calendar management, meeting management, and files and minutes management, etc.
- Create and maintain global project management systems and tools for centralized management and oversight of numerous activities and initiatives (e.g. deliverables, workplans, calendars, contacts, consultants, subcontractors, procurement, travel). Oversee development and maintenance of internal project pending lists, trackers, and meeting agendas.
- Ensure resolution of all issues related to operations support needs of the project management team, tapping into expertise of content area experts as needed.
- Follow up on requests and processes with corporate business units. Gain familiarity with MSH policies and procedures to ensure projects are in alignment.
- Anticipate and manage administrative and operational activities, ensuring the Project Director and project management team is informed of and prepared for upcoming events, commitments, and responsibilities, with appropriate and timely follow up.
- Oversee file management systems and project files, including a library of reports and technical resources.
- Manage consultants, including recruitment, onboarding, and invoice processing; support procurement requisition processes.
- Assist with subcontract/subaward monitoring and management, including tracking invoices, budgets, deliverables, and planning meetings.
Project Coordination/Liaison
- Act as liaison between project senior management team and other MSH staff, units, countries.
- Maintain clear communication with MSH business units, offices, and different project staff and teams to facilitate efficient and smooth project support functions.
- Manage project start-up or close-out processes, tailoring the MSH start-up or close-out toolkit to the project.
Project Meetings
- Plan each week’s project meetings in advance; compile and share background materials and agenda items. As needed, take notes during each meeting to disseminate and follow up on action items. Coordinate logistics for meetings with project partners, stakeholders, and donors including USAID.
Project Activity Planning, Monitoring, Reporting
- Coordinate work planning and quarterly reporting processes, and track work assignments, deliverables, and implementation together with assigned Project Officer(s). Set up templates, process flow charts, production calendars; manage work flow.
- Help organize and monitor multiple workstreams and commitments across large global project.
- Contribute to project implementation and technical activities as requested.
Project Travel Coordination
- Ensure international or U.S. domestic travel for project management team, including hotel arrangements, are arranged and in compliance with USAID regulations and MSH procedures.
- Ensure travelers receive Memorandum of Engagement (containing all travel details) prior to departure.
- Oversee and/or provide support to project team members when traveling.
Project Communications (12.5%)
- Support design and implementation of project strategic communications and knowledge management plans, including monitoring and follow-up with the project team, communications team, and contributors.
- Contribute to internal and external communications, including writing, editing, and formatting correspondence, communications, presentations, reports, webpages, and other documents.
- Provide support developing, drafting, and editing deliverables as needed, including quarterly progress reports, STTA reports, and other technical or contract deliverables.
- Draft project briefs and reports, presentations, documentation, and other communication materials and collaborate with project, technical, and communications staff in final development and production.
- Contribute to the development of key technical pieces, as requested.
- Assist in preparing project presentations as requested.
- Ensure electronic archiving of documents, including submission of documents to DEC or MSH’s Institutional Memory.
- Monitor project materials and deliverables for alignment with project branding and marking plan.
Project donor, partners, and stakeholder relations (12.5%)
- Track donor requests. Establish system and tools to systematically anticipate and respond to donor requests. Coordinate across multiple teams and individuals for inputs and verification to ensure fast turnaround to USAID requests.
- Coordinate closely with project contracts officer to plan for formal correspondence with donor contract contacts.
- Establish and maintain effective working and liaison relationships with project partners as well as external stakeholders.
- Follow up on contacts made by the Project Director and senior management team and support the cultivation of ongoing relationships.
Education
Required: A graduate degree in a field of study relevant to job responsibility or equivalent work experience.
Experience
Required: 8 years of relevant and related experience in international development project management. Knowledge of US Government funded programs, regulations, and requirements, and experience in the management of USAID-funded activities. Experience writing, editing, and formatting communications, reports, and presentations, including professional communications for important stakeholders and donors.
Preferred:
10 years of demonstrated success and experience in project support and management. Direct overseas project work experience. Demonstrated, relevant and related experience in project management, specifically setting up and maintaining project management tools and systems for large complex global multi-country projects. Understanding of USAID and field Missions; USG audiences, trends, and requirements. Understanding and interest in health systems strengthening, health governance, health financing
Knowledge and Skills
- Experience in the management of USAID and other donor-funded activities (e.g., CDC, World Bank, DFID, Gates Foundation, Global Fund, foreign governments, etc.), including an understanding of donor requirements, trends in donor priorities, and best practices for donor relations.
- Significant experience managing long-term projects and supervising professional staff.
- Proven track record in financial management of and reporting for international projects.
- Demonstrated experience planning, writing, and ensuring quality of project deliverables, including progress reports, technical reports, as well as other high level project correspondence and documentation.
- Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated capacity to lead global teams and to collaborate with colleagues and partner organizations to achieve results.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and management skills.
- Able to assess priorities and solve problems using innovative, evidence-based solutions.
- Strong conceptualization, facilitation, and planning skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and within and across multiple teams.
- Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly.
- Successful experience working in a home office environment.
- Proficiency in foreign language (French or other) preferred.
- Proficiency with advanced functionality of Microsoft Office products including Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
Competencies
- Strategic and cross-cultural agility, business acumen, cross-cultural sensitivity, comfort around higher management, dealing with paradox, perspective, dealing with ambiguity, attention to detail while understanding the big picture, managing diversity and relationships, motivating others, managing for results, prioritization and time management, organizational resilience.
- MSH Core Competencies: Information Sharing, Managing and Measuring work outputs, Negotiating.
- Demonstrated ability to succeed in a dynamic and fast-paced business environment.
- Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of client service and response.
- Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and manage a variety of activities with attention to detail.
International / domestic travel may be required up to 30% (travel to be limited during COVID pandemic)