Senior Technical Director

FHI 360•US-REMOTE-DC, DC

2d•$160,000 - $190,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Technical Director holds overall technical direction and technical quality accountability for a program or project(s) across various global health pillars. They set the technical strategy and decides how technical resources are invested against that strategy; and holds final technical sign-off on what leaves FHI 360 under the project(s). The Senior Technical Director serves as a strategic global health leader within FHI 360, responsible for overseeing the implementation of multiple technical portfolios and initiatives. This role provides technical oversight to a division comprised of technical teams , fosters innovation, and ensures the delivery of high-quality outcomes aligned with organizational objectives. The Senior Technical Director collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to gather and share evidence, lessons learned, and best practices to drive continuous improvement and organizational impact. The Sr. Technical Director provides leadership, guidance, and technical quality, innovation, and knowledge management.

Requirements

Comprehensive knowledge of project management principles.
Expertise in program implementation methodologies.
Proficient in organizational leadership practices.
Demonstrates expertise in strategic planning, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
Proven track record of driving innovation and achieving impactful outcomes within their division.
Aims to meet or exceed revenue targets across all segments (USG, foundations/corporations, and other donors).
Master’s Degree or its international equivalent in Public Health, Medicine, Epidemiology, Health Systems.
Minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in project management, overseeing complex projects and initiatives; or 9 years and a PhD; Minimum 8 years of experience in leadership and line management.
Proven experience leading and managing complex, strategic portfolios of programs/projects on a national or international scale.
Experience leading teams in complex settings, managing financial and human resources.
Significant experience working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Nice To Haves

At least eight years of the required experience in senior technical leadership of infectious disease or health systems programming in low- and middle-income countries.
Demonstrated experience holding technical quality and technical direction across multiple concurrent awards or mechanisms, not within a single project.
Experience as the senior technical counterpart to a U.S. Government donor, including technical negotiation of scope and workplans.
Doctoral degree (DrPH, PhD, or MD with public health training) in a relevant field.
Clinical or epidemiological training.
Experience with U.S. Department of State-funded global health mechanisms.
French in addition to English given the country portfolio; Portuguese an asset.
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification or other recognized project management certification.
Certifications relevant to research management or organizational leadership.
Other relevant certifications or their international equivalents.

Responsibilities

Sets the technical strategy for the technical pillars and decides how technical resources, staff time and technical investment are allocated against it.
Holds final technical sign-off on workplans, technical deliverables and normative products before they reach the donor.
Arbitrates technical questions that cross technical areas or awards — indicator and case definitions, service package composition, data architecture
Ensures technical approaches are grounded in current normative guidance, and that FHI 360 technical positions are revised as that guidance changes.
Sets the technical standard for integration across disease areas and health systems functions and holds that standard in implementation rather than in proposal narrative.
Serves as FHI 360’s senior technical interlocutor with the U.S. Department of State, ministries of health, and other normative bodies, and technical counterparts among implementing partners.
Directs the technical response when the portfolio is called on at short notice — outbreak response, donor-requested surge, or a country program in difficulty.
Builds the technical evidence base from portfolio implementation, including peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation and contribution to normative guidance.
Provides senior technical leadership on new business in these technical areas, including technical strategy, technical design and technical review of proposals and country buy-ins.
Navigates complex challenges inherent in project implementation.
Offers strategic direction and innovative solutions for portfolio-specific challenges.
Analyzes project performance and identifies areas for improvement.
Recommends actionable solutions to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
Fosters innovation and shares best practices to drive organizational impact.
Contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.
Exercises discretion over project-related matters with direct impact on project outcomes and organizational success.
Makes decisions on resource allocation, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
Influences portfolio performance and reputation.
Decisions contribute to achieving organizational objectives and driving positive change.
Impacts both short- and long-term public health outcomes.
Engages with internal and external stakeholders to gather and share evidence, lessons learned, and best practices.
Fosters partnerships with project teams, donors, and implementing partners.
Facilitates communication and knowledge exchange to enhance project outcomes.
Communication style is characterized by transparency, collaboration, and teamwork.
Works cross-functionally to achieve common goals and drive organizational impact.
Establishes and maintains relationships across FHI 360, including with all Groups and Enterprise Support colleagues.
Works with the Project Director and department senior leadership to hold the division of responsibility between technical direction, which sits with this post, and award management, delivery and compliance, which sit with the Project Director.
Maintains the technical relationship with the donor’s technical staff directly, in coordination with the Project Director rather than through them.
Oversees project implementation within their division.
Provides leadership and guidance to project teams.
Sets strategic direction, manages budgets, and ensures programmatic quality.
Focuses on fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.
Manages project staff and shapes the portfolio structure for optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
Leads a team of seasoned technical experts, handling supervision, performance management, and professional development.
Line manages the technical area leads and is accountable for their performance, development, and deployment across mechanisms.
Embraces other duties as assigned, contributing to the team’s multifaceted and evolving responsibilities.