Project Director

Job Summary

inSupply Health is seeking an experienced Project Director to provide strategic and operational leadership for a prospective donor-funded, multi-country project expected to commence on 1 January 2027.

The project will focus on improving access to quality-assured maternal and newborn health (MNH) products through country-led interventions addressing systemic barriers across policy and guidelines, forecasting and quantification, financing, procurement, regulation, supply and distribution.

The Project Director will translate the approved project strategy into measurable results across participating countries, providing overall oversight of implementation, government ownership, consortium and partner coordination, financial and operational stewardship, donor compliance, risk management, quality, learning and sustainability. The role will also serve as a senior representative of inSupply Health, engaging with donors, governments, consortium partners, technical teams, communities and other strategic stakeholders.

Important: Appointment to this position is contingent upon the project being awarded and the position being confirmed in the final project staffing plan. Further details about the project and donor will be shared with candidates who reach the final stages of the selection process.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Project Governance

• Provide overall strategic leadership and direction for the project.
• Translate project objectives and contractual commitments into clear priorities, implementation approaches and measurable results.
• Establish effective governance, accountability, decision-making and performance management mechanisms.
• Provide strategic oversight across participating countries while ensuring interventions are adapted to country contexts and priorities.
• Champion equity, innovation, sustainability, local ownership and value for money.

Country Implementation & Project Delivery

• Provide strategic oversight of project start-up, country planning and implementation.
• Ensure country teams translate project strategy into realistic, prioritised and measurable implementation plans.
• Oversee delivery of agreed milestones, outputs and outcomes within approved timelines, resources and quality standards.
• Ensure effective coordination across country, technical, operational and functional teams.
• Lead timely corrective and adaptive action where implementation deviates from approved plans or expected results.

Government, Consortium & Strategic Partnerships

• Serve as the senior project representative with donors, governments, consortium partners and other strategic stakeholders.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with government ministries, procurement agencies, regulatory bodies, financing institutions and other national stakeholders.
• Promote government leadership, ownership and sustainability.
• Lead effective coordination across consortium partners, ensuring clear roles, accountabilities and delivery expectations.
• Represent inSupply Health in relevant national, regional and international forums.

Financial & Resource Stewardship

• Provide overall accountability for effective stewardship of project resources.
• Ensure resources are strategically allocated across countries, interventions and activities to maximise results and value for money.
• Review financial performance, forecasts, expenditure and material variances and ensure timely corrective action.
• Work closely with Finance and Operations leadership to ensure effective financial controls, forecasting, budget management and donor reporting.
• Ensure personnel, consultants and other project resources are appropriately planned and deployed.

People Leadership & Project Capability

• Lead multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams, fostering a collaborative, inclusive and accountable environment.
• Establish clear performance expectations, decision rights and accountability across the project leadership structure.
• Guide, coach and support Project Managers, technical leads and other project leaders.
• Ensure the project has the skills, capacity and leadership capability required to deliver its objectives.
• Promote staff engagement, wellbeing, safeguarding, inclusion and organisational values.

Quality, Compliance, Risk & Safeguarding

• Provide oversight of compliance with donor agreements, contractual obligations, applicable laws and organisational policies.
• Oversee strategic, financial, operational, implementation, safeguarding and reputational risks.
• Ensure high and critical risks have clear owners, mitigation measures and escalation pathways.
• Ensure material compliance issues, audit findings and management actions are addressed within agreed timelines.
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, ethical conduct and safeguarding.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Evidence

• Provide strategic oversight of monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting systems.
• Ensure reliable data and evidence inform strategic decisions, adaptive management and resource allocation.
• Monitor progress towards improvements in MNH product access, including on-shelf availability of selected tracer products.
• Lead cross-country learning and knowledge exchange.
• Promote documentation and dissemination of evidence, innovations and good practices to support replication and scale-up.

Sustainability, Scale & Project Development

• Provide strategic leadership for project sustainability, institutionalisation, scale-up and transition.
• Strengthen local systems, government ownership and institutional capacity to sustain results beyond the project period.
• Identify opportunities to leverage complementary investments, partnerships and financing.
• Provide senior-level input into proposals, concept notes, project extensions, partnerships and resource mobilisation opportunities.

Project Reporting, Communication & Close-Out

• Ensure accurate, timely and high-quality donor, technical, financial and management reports.
• Communicate project performance, achievements, financial status, risks, challenges and opportunities to senior management, donors and stakeholders.
• Lead periodic project performance reviews and ensure agreed actions are followed through.
• Provide strategic oversight of project close-out and transition planning.
• Ensure final evaluations, reports, knowledge products, stakeholder handovers and sustainability or transition plans are completed to the required standards.

Qualifications & Experience

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Public Health, Development Studies, International Development, Supply Chain, Economics or a related field.
• A Master's degree in a relevant discipline is mandatory.

Professional Qualifications

• Membership in a relevant professional body, such as PMI or an equivalent recognised professional association.
• Professional certification in Project or Programme Management, such as PMP, PRINCE2 or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification, is highly desirable.
• Additional certification in Monitoring & Evaluation, Results-Based Management, Risk Management, Agile Project Management or another relevant discipline is an advantage.

Professional Experience

• At least 12 years of progressively responsible experience in global health, international development, health systems strengthening, health supply chains or a related field, including substantial senior project or programme leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing strategic leadership for complex, multi-country, donor-funded projects, with accountability for strategy, implementation, budgets, teams, partnerships, compliance and results.
• Experience working with government institutions and public-sector health systems, preferably across multiple countries and operating contexts.
• Strong understanding of health systems and supply-chain ecosystems, including systemic barriers related to access, financing, procurement, policy, data, regulation or service delivery.
• Proven experience leading multi-partner or consortium-based projects.
• Demonstrated experience engaging and influencing donors, government institutions, implementing partners and senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams.
• Experience overseeing workplans, budgets, forecasts, risks, contractual deliverables and performance frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience in monitoring, evaluation, learning, evidence generation and adaptive project management.
• Experience in maternal and newborn health, health products, pharmaceutical or medical supply chains, procurement, market shaping or related areas is highly desirable.

Key Competencies

We are looking for a leader who demonstrates:

• Strategic & Systems Thinking
• Multi-Country & Consortium Leadership
• Government & Stakeholder Engagement
• Results & Adaptive Management
• People & Resource Leadership
• Risk, Integrity & Accountability