Principal Investigator/Country Director – CDC, Strengthening MOH Capacity at Pact, Mbabane, Eswatini

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview

Pact seeks an experienced Principal Investigator/Country Director (PI/CD) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Strengthening the organizational capacity of the Ministry of Health to deliver a sustainable and resilient response to HIV/TB and related public health threats in the Kingdom of Eswatini under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This project aims to enhance the Eswatini Ministry of Health’s (MOH) capacity to strengthen internal systems, structures, and processes for a sustainable and resilient HIV/TB response. It focuses on improving leadership and governance, financial resource mobilization and management, and workforce planning and performance. This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities

The PI/CD is accountable for providing technical leadership and overseeing the overall management and operations of the project. This role focuses on ensuring high-quality implementation, achieving project goals, and aligning with CDC’s development objectives. S/he will lead coordination among stakeholders, including CDC, the Government of Eswatini, local organizations, and partners, while managing the project team and sub-partners for effective planning and execution. Key responsibilities include compliance with CDC regulations, budget oversight, strategic planning, and ensuring adaptive, results-oriented programming. S/he will also serve as the primary liaison with CDC, providing leadership to ensure programmatic, financial, and reporting standards are met.

The specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate includes:

Lead and Champion Project Accountability: Drive the overall technical and administrative leadership of the project, ensuring unwavering alignment with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) strategic vision for HIV/TB governance and accountability, while achieving ambitious goals of sustained viral suppression and a significant reduction in new infections by 2030.
Direct Comprehensive Project Management: Take full accountability for all aspects of project management and implementation, maintaining strict adherence to CDC/PEPFAR standards, Pact’s policies, procedures, and donor regulations to ensure program integrity and success.
Ensure Evidence-Based Interventions: Oversee the design and execution of project interventions to guarantee they are evidence-based, technically sound, and result-oriented, achieving measurable outcomes and fulfilling all reporting obligations.
Lead Strategic Coordination Efforts: Assume a pivotal leadership role in fostering collaboration and alignment among CDC, the Government of Eswatini, and other stakeholders, including donor-funded projects, to enhance the project’s impact and sustainability.
Manage Integrated Activity Implementation: Directly manage the coordination of activities across all project partners, ensuring seamless integration and collaboration to achieve desired outcomes.
Ensure Compliance and Best Practices: Serve as the primary liaison with Pact’s Washington, DC, team to enforce compliance with USG rules and regulations, alongside Pact’s policies and best practices, safeguarding the integrity of the project.
Guide Project Planning and Reporting: Spearhead project planning initiatives, including the development of detailed work plans and budgets, while ensuring high standards in monitoring and approving periodic budgets and reports.
Optimize Resource Utilization: Take stewardship of the project budget, collaborating closely with the Business Official to guarantee the effective and efficient use of donor and Pact resources to meet expected results.
Oversee Subaward Management: Provide strategic management and comprehensive oversight of the project’s subaward portfolio and consultancy agreements, ensuring alignment with project goals and compliance standards.
Establish Reporting Frameworks: Lead project staff in developing and implementing robust reporting and tracking systems, ensuring timely and efficient collection of key information from sub-partners.
Monitor Outcomes and Projections: Ensure rigorous oversight of the project’s progress towards defined goals, outcomes, benchmarks, and reporting requirements, while making accurate projections to meet programmatic and financial targets.
Promote Thought Leadership: Represent Pact and the project at key conferences, working groups, and meetings, actively contributing to thought leadership in HIV, TB, and global health security.
Act as Country Representative: Serve as Pact’s Country Representative in Eswatini, ensuring compliance with local labor laws and all statutory requirements for international NGO operations, thereby enhancing Pact’s reputation and operational effectiveness.
All other duties as assigned.

Basic Requirements

Minimum Requirements Education and Experience:

Master’s degree in public health or a relevant field and 11+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience, or bachelor’s and 13 years experience including 6 years of experience as Project Director or in a comparable senior leadership and prime managerial position on international donor projects.
Experience in serving as a key liaison for technical support projects between PEPFAR/USG programs and the host country government

Additional Qualifications:

Demonstrable experience in technical capacity building with government ministries, Department of Health is preferred.
Experience working on and leading teams for US government contracts and/or cooperative agreements.
Demonstrated leadership skills.
Familiarity with PEPFAR-funded programming and reporting requirements.
Demonstrated track record of successfully building and effectively managing a diverse team of employees and partners.
Demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, and work with and between different stakeholders.
Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with government and community stakeholders.
Demonstrated skills in problem solving and consensus building.

Preferred Qualifications

The candidate must be demonstrably proficient (oral, writing and reading) in English. Proficiency in Siswati a plus.
Ability to travel within Eswatini and occasionally internationally.
Knowledge of the political, social, and economic context of Eswatini.
Broad understanding of public health, health systems, and health policy and practice in Eswatini, particularly as relates to HIV/TB and related public health threats.
Experience working with community-based organizations and/or vulnerable groups in Southern Africa, preferably Eswatini.

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Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.
At Pact, we recognize your impact, offer you opportunities and support your total well-being. Our comprehensive benefit offerings may include healthcare, retirement (8.8% to 13% based on service tenure) and savings plans, paid time off, disability and life insurance programs, learning and development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections .
With the continuing impacts of COVID-19 around the world, we are taking action to protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate. Pact seeks an environment free from COVID-19 and prefers all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Attestation of vaccination status will be required for employment with Pact. Unvaccinated employees may be subject to additional health and safety requirements to include any federal, state and/or client restrictions.