Job title:

Senior Director of Operations

Work Location:

Koidu, Sierra Leone

Department:

Operations

Reports to:

Executive Director PIH Sierra Leone

Line Management

Yes

Requisition #

4278

Duration of Contract

Twelve (12) Months with possibility of extension

Application Status

External Advert

Organization Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In Sierra Leone, PIH’s programs support health facilities in Kono District and Freetown. Aligned with national priorities determined by Sierra Leone’s MOHS, PIH is pursuing an ambitious strategy to address the high rates of infectious diseases (HIV/TB and malaria among others), NCDs, mental health disorders, maternal mortality and under-five morbidity and mortality. In Kono District, Wellbody Clinic and Koidu Government Hospital (KGH) together with an ambitious plan of expansion to Community health centres serve as the hubs for PIH’s comprehensive approach to these complex public health crises. In Freetown, PIH is working proactively in MDR TB at Lakka Teaching hospital and Mental health within Kissy teaching government hospital.

PIH currently provides comprehensive, community-based HIV and TB treatment; primary health care at public clinics that have BEmONC and CEmONC level care, prenatal, delivery, and postnatal services for pregnant women and new mothers; and pediatrics, neonatal and malnutrition services for under five care. We have also expanded both within Kono and nationals, internal medicine, infectious diseases, and non-communicable disease services in collaboration with the MOHS. Mental health programs have been developed at a central level but also in a district model that works at the facility and community through CHWs. Emergency medicine and Surgical services are strong programs that PIH is supporting to develop KGH as the model of secondary/tertiary care in the districts of Sierra Leone.

Health care provider training, referral systems strengthening, and monitoring and evaluation efforts are crucial components to ensure we meet our goal of long-term, systemic improvements for patients in Kono District, Freetown facilities and at a central level with MoHS. PIH Sierra Leone also supports social support in Port Loko and Kono Districts, as well as at the national level. Clinical services in both Districts are complimented by our social protection programs, which aim to increase the socioeconomic mobility of patients with their relatives and other vulnerable populations.

Position Overview

The Senior Director of Operations is the senior-most operations professional at PIH Sierra Leone, and is critical to ensuring all of the operations support functions that allow PIH to succeed are in place and functioning smoothly on a day-to-day basis and into the future. The Senior Director will oversee three sub-teams (Supply Chain, Infrastructure, and General Operations), ensuring these teams have clear priorities, are well coordinated to achieve goals, have the skills and resources needed to perform their jobs, and are responsive to the needs of other departments. The Supply Chain team is responsible for customs clearance, procurement, and warehousing. The Infrastructure team is responsible for facilities maintenance and managing construction and renovation projects. The General Operations team is responsible for administration, fleet, biomed maintenance, IT, security, and environmental services.

The Senior Director will lead PIH Sierra Leone’s operations during a period of growth and increased complexity as the organization plans for and then opens a new Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE), which will more than double the size of Koidu Government Hospital’s campus. At the same time, the Senior Director will ensure strong operational support for healthcare delivery at public facilities in Kono District and Freetown, as well as a more recent World Bank-funded expansion of PIH support in five additional districts. The Senior Director will be a member of PIH Sierra Leone’s Senior Management Team and Executive Management Team, representing operational needs and contributing to organizational decisions and strategy, and will also liaise with government officials as needed. The Senior Director of Operations should be a strategic thinker, patient-oriented, data driven, organized, and excited to grow and build the capacity of the Sierra Leone operations team. This position is based in Koidu with travel to Freetown and other districts as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design operational support systems and staffing structures to accommodate our current organizational size and budget, as well as plans for future growth.
• Maintain organizational stability through a balance between responsiveness to acute organizational needs and design and implementation of new systems and processes for long-term improvement.
• Assess staff capacity and technical know-how across operations functions and create and implement plans to address gaps.
• In collaboration with other senior management team members, create an implementable operations strategy that complements short, medium, and long term organizational priorities.
• In partnership with department leads, create and implement annual and multi-year goals, budgets, staffing plans, and work plans to achieve the operations strategy.
• Identify, communicate, and respond to areas of financial, legal, security, and patient/staff/community safety risk, including emergency preparedness.
• Oversee and facilitate communication between the Operations department and other departments, including Finance, HR, and Clinical.
• Ensure each operations team has clear and efficient policies and standard operating procedures that all team members are trained on, as well as processes to onboard new staff.
• Liaise with clinical and organizational leadership to design, prioritize, and execute capital and large infrastructure projects.
• Take a hands-on approach to strengthening systems that are particularly vulnerable during times of growth and change, including dependencies on IT technology, the tracking and maintenance of assets, responding to an increasing volume of procurement requests, and the use of new electronic systems.
• Ensure that when planning for new programs and grants, operations needs are appropriately accounted for. Contribute to budget development as needed.
• Provide strategic guidance on PIH SL’s engagement with local stakeholders in Kono District and beyond. Work across departments with the Director of Government Relations to ensure PIH SL’s work is amplified locally, and that we remain responsive to the needs of local stakeholders.
• Collaborate with operations leads across PIH’s other country sites. Share best practices and learn from the best practices of others.
• Regularly monitor data and processes and conduct regular internal audits to understand how the operations functions are performing and where there are areas for improvement. Oversee the implementation of process improvements in response.
• Manage operations budgets and approve expenses. Delegate the management of budgets to team leads as needed.
• Provide weekly management support for operations team leads. Complete annual performance reviews for all direct reports and support staff in achieving their professional goals.
• Ensure all people managers on the operations team are well-equipped to support high performance of team members.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partners In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures

Qualifications/Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of administration or operations experience, including at least five years managerial experience, with demonstrated increasing responsibility. Experience in leading a team through change and/or experience in hospital operations preferred.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and ability to learn new electronic systems quickly.
• Demonstrated experience using data to drive improvements and decisions.
• Strong ability to set goals and strategy and lead a diverse team focused on many priorities while empowering team leaders. Experience and interest in capacity building and supporting staff with professional development opportunities.
• Experience managing budgets and finances and establishing/overseeing strong systems that adhere to compliance requirements.
• Ability to think creatively to find solutions and innovative ways for PIH SL to improve the delivery of care on behalf of those we serve.
• Comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and the need to remain flexible while juggling competing demands in a fast-paced and challenging work environment.
• Exemplary interpersonal and communication skills; ability to collaborate effectively with culturally diverse staff across departments and countries and communicate clearly.
• Strong organizational skills and analytical thinking skills.
• Proven ability to exercise good judgment, demonstrate political astuteness and tact.
• Interest in social justice and global health.

Partners In Health is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Social Justice

We are a global health and social justice organization that responds to the moral imperative to provide high-quality health care globally to those who need it most. We strive to ease suffering by placing patients at the center of all care, bringing the benefits of modern medicine to all.