About the Organization
Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an international non-profit health organization that improves the delivery of health care for women and families in developing countries.
Job Summary
The Project Director (Chief of Party) will provide the overall strategic, managerial, financial, and operational leadership for Jhpiego’s Human Resources for Health (HRH) Systems Strengthening Portfolio in Ethiopia. The Project Director serves as the principal representative of the project portfolio and is accountable for successful delivery of program results, achievement of performance milestones, financial stewardship, compliance with donor requirements, and effective partnership with the Government of Ethiopia.
The Project Director will oversee implementation of two complementary HRH initiatives under a unified leadership structure. The first builds on the implementation platforms and partnerships established under the former RISE Maternal, Newborn, Child Health, and Nutrition (MNCHN) Ethiopia project, with its technical focus strategically transitioned toward a comprehensive HRH systems strengthening. The second is ASCEND, a performance-based activity, which expands technical support to additional HRH priorities, institutions, and implementation areas. Together, these initiatives require integrated technical planning, harmonized implementation approaches, coordinated quality assurance, adaptive learning, and continuous technical oversight to maximize impact while maintaining accountability to each award’s distinct objectives.
The portfolio will primarily support fragile, underserved, and workforce-constrained settings, where shortages of competent health professionals, weak institutional capacity, limited leadership and governance systems, and inadequate workforce management continue to constrain delivery of quality health services. Through close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education (MoE), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs), Zonal Health Departments (ZHDs), Woreda Health Offices (WoHOs), Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs), higher education institutions (HEIs), professional associations (PAs), private-sector partners, and development partners, the Project Director will ensure that project investments strengthen resilient, country-owned HRH systems aligned with Ethiopia’s Human Resources for Health Strategic and Investment Plan, Government-to-Government (G2G) commitments, and the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS).
Working closely with the Technical Director, the Project Director will ensure that both projects function as one integrated HRH systems strengthening portfolio that delivers measurable improvements in workforce competency, workforce performance, institutional capacity, organizational leadership, health service quality, health system resilience, and sustainable country ownership.
Position is contingent on MOH and donor guidance.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Provide overall vision, strategic leadership, and executive management for the project portfolio.
Ensure implementation remains aligned with the U.S. Department of State G2G Implementation Plan, the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS), Ethiopia’s Human Resources for Health Strategic and Investment Plan, and other national priorities.
Lead strategic planning, annual work planning, portfolio reviews, implementation planning, and adaptive management processes.
Ensure project strategies remain technically sound, evidence-based, responsive to Government priorities, and informed by implementation learning and emerging HRH needs.
Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and excellence.
Ensure integration of all technical pillars into one coherent HRH systems strengthening program.
Government Leadership and Country Ownership
Serve as Jhpiego’s senior representative to the MoH, MoE, CSC, EPHI, RHBs, ZHDs, WoHOs, PHCUs, HEIs, PAs, and other national stakeholders.
Promote government leadership and country ownership by embedding project implementation within national systems and institutions.
Facilitate high-level policy dialogue supporting national HRH reforms.
Strengthen institutional capacity to sustain project innovations beyond the life of the award.
Ensure project investments strengthen—not duplicate—existing government systems and G2G implementation priorities.
Promote localization by strengthening Ethiopian institutions to progressively assume greater technical and managerial leadership.
Donor Relations
Serve as the primary executive liaison with the U.S. Department of State.
Maintain regular strategic communication with donor representatives.
Lead donor review meetings, portfolio discussions, and implementation planning sessions.
Present program achievements, challenges, risks, and mitigation strategies.
Lead negotiations regarding implementation modifications, approvals, and strategic adjustments.
Ensure timely submission of high-quality technical, financial, and programmatic reports.
Maintain donor confidence through transparency, accountability, and consistent communication.
Overall Project Management
Provide executive oversight for technical implementation, finance, grants management, procurement, operations, administration, human resources, safeguarding, security, and compliance.
Ensure all project components operate efficiently and deliver planned outputs within approved timelines and budgets.
Coordinate closely with Jhpiego Ethiopia leadership and Global Technical Programs to ensure organizational alignment and timely technical support.
Provide timely executive decision-making to address complex technical, operational, financial, and partnership challenges while maintaining implementation momentum.
Financial Stewardship
Provide executive oversight of project finances by approving annual budgets, monitoring expenditure trends, reviewing financial forecasts, and ensuring value for money.
Support strategic resource allocation and budget realignment based on implementation priorities.
Ensure compliance with donor financial regulations and Jhpiego financial policies.
Strengthen internal financial controls and fiduciary accountability.
Monitor financial risks and institute appropriate mitigation measures.
Consortium and Partnership Management
Provide overall leadership for consortium partners, sub-awardees, and strategic collaborators.
Strengthen partnerships with Professional Associations, Higher Education Institutions, research organizations, local NGOs, private-sector partners, and digital innovators.
Ensure effective coordination, mutual accountability, institutional capacity strengthening, and high-quality implementation across all implementing partners.
Promote a “One Team” culture that emphasizes collaboration, transparency, shared ownership, and collective accountability for results.
Senior Leadership
Lead, mentor, and inspire the senior leaders of the activity, ensuring effective coordination across technical, operational, financial, and administrative functions.
Foster a high-performance organizational culture built on integrity, collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Demonstrate proven ability to motivate and retain high-performing staff during organizational transitions, shifting priorities, and challenging implementation environments.
Develop future leaders through coaching, mentorship, succession planning, leadership development, and continuous professional growth.
Risk Management and Compliance
Provide executive oversight for programmatic, operational, financial, security, safeguarding, fraud prevention, and compliance risks.
Ensure timely identification, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting of project risks.
Maintain full compliance with donor regulations, Jhpiego policies, and applicable Government of Ethiopia requirements.
Promote ethical conduct, transparency, safeguarding, and organizational accountability throughout project implementation.
Performance Accountability
Ensure achievement of project milestones, deliverables, key performance indicators, and strategic outcomes.
Oversee implementation of the project’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adaptive Management (MERLA) framework.
Lead portfolio performance reviews, adaptive management processes, organizational learning, and continuous quality improvement.
Promote evidence-informed decision-making through routine use of performance data, workforce intelligence, implementation research, and learning agendas.
Representation and External Engagement
Represent Jhpiego and the project at national and international technical working groups, policy forums, donor consultations, scientific conferences, academic partnerships, and professional networks.
Champion dissemination of project achievements through publications, policy briefs, technical reports, presentations, and knowledge-sharing platforms.
Promote Ethiopia’s HRH innovations and lessons learned within regional and global communities of practice.
Strengthen Jhpiego’s reputation as a trusted technical partner and thought leader in HRH systems strengthening.
Cross-Cutting Responsibilities
Ensure integration of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, workforce resilience, safeguarding, localization, quality improvement, public-private partnerships, implementation research, and knowledge management across all project components.
Contribute to strategic business development by identifying opportunities for program expansion, supporting proposal development, strengthening partnerships, and promoting synergies across Jhpiego’s Ethiopia portfolio.
Champion organizational learning by promoting documentation of innovations, dissemination of best practices, publication of implementation experiences, and sharing lessons across Jhpiego, government, partners, and global technical communi...