Project Director – CDC Capacity Building for Global, Regional, and National Immunization Programs (Global)

Corus International•Washington, DC

About The Position

IMA World Health, a member of Corus International, is seeking a Project Director to lead an anticipated five-year CDC-funded project, Capacity Building for Global, Regional, and National Immunization Programs. The project aims to strengthen immunization programs in priority countries so they can prevent, control, and eliminate or eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases, reduce related illness and death, and respond to emerging global health threats. Work includes strengthening immunization services and disease surveillance, improving outbreak preparedness and response, reaching high-risk un- or under-immunized groups, supporting sustainable evidence-based decisions through National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups, and improving program evaluation. The Project Director will lead the project’s technical approach and serve as its primary liaison with CDC, country governments, and other implementing partners. The role is accountable for achieving project goals and strategy, meeting contractual requirements on time and within budget, directing staff and implementation, and ensuring quality programming. The director will ensure technical, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and financial systems support timely, accurate reporting and cost-effective implementation. The role also ensures compliance with Corus policies and CDC rules and regulations, including sub-awardee compliance and implementation quality. The successful candidate will bring an understanding of global health systems and strategies for preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats, including programming in conflict and fragile settings. The role requires strong leadership, personnel and project management, strategic planning, communication, and relationship-building skills, as well as experience coordinating public health systems and resources in fragile settings. The Project Director will periodically visit project sites and report to Corus headquarters; remote work may be possible depending on circumstances. The position reports to the Program Director, Global Health Security and Immunization.

Requirements

Advanced graduate degree in public health, medicine or nursing, international development, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience implementing and managing international donor- or CDC-funded health projects.
Knowledge of and experience with CDC rules and regulations.
Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining relationships with government agencies, international donors, and private-sector stakeholders.
Experience collaborating and coordinating with local and national host government agencies and aligning activities and results with national strategies.
Leadership, technical, management, and evaluation expertise for complex programs in resource-constrained countries.
Prior experience as Project Director or Chief of Party for CDC-funded projects of similar scope and size.
Strong staff supervision skills and ability to coordinate with partners from diverse backgrounds and lead multidisciplinary teams.
Experience building the capacity of national nongovernmental partner organizations and government systems to strengthen national ownership for future funding.
Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills, including the ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public- and private-sector partners.
Fluency in English and professional proficiency in English writing.
Ability to travel to project sites as needed.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree or MD/MPH.
Substantial knowledge and experience with immunization systems and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance.
Technical expertise using new approaches to build capacity in national immunization and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance programs.
Knowledge of the USG global health security framework and its immunization-related implications and priorities, especially in fragile contexts.
Familiarity with CDC policies and strategies.
Working fluency or better in another language, especially French, Spanish, or Arabic.
Experience in fragile contexts.

Responsibilities

Provide overall management, strategic direction, and technical leadership to achieve project results within budget and timeframe.
Serve as principal liaison to CDC and country governments, coordinating with stakeholders and maintaining relationships with partner organizations at national and subnational levels on administrative, financial, and programmatic matters.
Coordinate with CDC, other donors, implementing partners, and stakeholders to harmonize activities with relevant public health mechanisms, private-sector engagement, and USG activities globally.
Ensure results-oriented technical components, high-quality deliverables, and timely reports.
Oversee implementing partners and advise on technical issues.
Lead technical, program, finance, and operations teams to meet program tasks, deliverables, and responsibilities; hire, supervise, and mentor project staff.
Oversee project deliverables, including preparation and timely submission of programmatic and financial reports, and ensure cross-cutting issues are integrated into implementation.
Direct preparation of annual work plans, activity updates, and other project communications and reporting materials.
Represent the project in technical, policy, and programmatic forums at country, national, and international levels.
Identify lessons learned and best practices for external dissemination.
Ensure compliance with CDC rules and regulations in coordination with the headquarters grants and contracts team.
Ensure compliance with Corus policies and procedures, including sub-awardee compliance and monitoring program implementation quality.
Periodically visit project sites as needed.