Madagascar: Chief of Party, WASH Program

Organization Overview

Medical Care Development International (MCDI), a division of Medical Care Development, Inc., is a private, non-profit voluntary organization founded in 1977 with offices in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America. MCDI’s mission is to enhance the wellbeing of peoples and communities in developing nations through superior technical assistance in health and socio-economic development. Since 1977, MCDI has provided technical assistance to over 40 countries and institutions in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East.

Overview of the Position

MCDI is seeking candidates for the Chief of Party position for an anticipated rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Program funded by USAID in Madagascar. The primary goal of the Program is to increase access to sustainable WASH services in targeted rural areas of Madagascar. Specifically, the Program would expand access to sustainable WASH services, facilitate improved behaviors and use of those services, develop and support public-private partnerships, and strengthen governance at the community, commune, regional and national levels.

The Chief of Party would provide overall leadership and management to the program. His/her primary responsibility will be to ensure that the activity produces the results specified in the annual work plans, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. The position would act as the main point of contact with USAID and is the key liaison between USAID and other stakeholders that are involved in program implementation. The Program Director would also ensure the program is represented in national technical, policy and planning forums with USAID, Government of Madagascar (GOM) and other key stakeholders.

The position is contingent on successful award of the Cooperative Agreement to MCDI.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership, strategic direction and management to ensure the quality of processes and results of all Program activities;

• Provide overall management and oversight of the operational, technical, financial and administrative aspects of the Program;

• Act as a main point of contact with the donor and as the key liaison between the donor, the GOM, Program implementing partners and other key stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Program;

• Provide oversight to ensure that the Program monitors its progress and performance and achieves the program benchmarks as per the Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan;

• Direct the annual work planning and budgeting and reporting (quarterly and annually) process in accordance with USAID rules and regulations;

• Contribute to the knowledge management aspects of the Program, to include gathering and dissemination of lessons learned and best practices;

• Supervise all Program senior and key staff, and provide capacity building to Program staff as necessary;

• Ensure the Program has appropriate representation at high-level stakeholder meetings and national and/or regional WASH working groups.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• A Master’s degree in business or public administration, WASH, public health, or other related field is desirable;

• At least 10 years of progressive experience managing WASH or public health or development programs in sub-Saharan Africa or other resource-limited settings, including demonstrated financial and human resource management experience;

• Proven experience in managing complex programs of similar size ($ 30 million, encompassing an expansive geographic area and activities that involve coordination with the government and private sector at different levels, program implementing partners, donors and other in-country stakeholders;

• The ideal candidate would demonstrate the knowledge of and experience with the implementation of integrated WASH projects that encompass health and nutrition objectives;

• Possess demonstrated experience interacting and maintaining relationships with high-level stakeholders and host country government officials;

• Experience in capacity building and training in WASH-related technical areas i.e. water quality, SBCC, CLTS, SCM, etc.

• Experience communicating across geographical areas with an eclectic mix of staff, partners, beneficiaries, and key stakeholders;

• Demonstrated leadership and experience in WASH programming and design, strategic planning, budgeting, management and supervision, monitoring and evaluation;

• Experience working with USAID and knowledge of USAID rules and regulations are preferred; in addition, experience with managing World Bank and large WASH programs financed by the World Bank and other major WASH donors would be considered a plus;

• Strong management and problem solving skills;

• Highly computer literate, familiar with programs for word-processing, spreadsheets, database management, presentations, and electronic communication;

• Full professional proficiency in English and French;

• Prior experience working in Madagascar is strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with WASH-related mHealth and GIS applications a plus.

In order to apply for this position, please email your CV to Emily van Bronkhorst at evanbronkhorst@mcd.org with the title "Application for Chief of Party, WASH Program".