Vacancy Announcement

Job title:

Associate Director of Operations, Koidu Government Hospital and Maternal

Work Location:

Kono

Department:

Operations

Reports to:

Director of Operations

Line Management

No

Requisition #

4180

Duration of Contract

Twelve (12) Months with possibility of extension

Application Status

External Advert

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.

Our Work In Sierra Leone:

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 the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health center and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

The Associate Director of Operations is responsible for working collaboratively across departments to ensure operational excellence at Koidu Government Hospital (KGH), including the soon-to-be-established Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE). The position is dynamic in nature and requires broad WASH, fleet, supply chain, maintenance, financial, and project management knowledge. This knowledge is to be applied to a continuous cycle of process optimization, development, and implementation to support an increase in patient volume over time, while maintaining high quality services. This role is accountable for achieving operational targets at the hospital by ensuring that departments work together efficiently and effectively, that systems and processes are working optimally, that emergencies are handled in a coordinated fashion, and that the operational needs of each department, including but not limited to infrastructure, clinical, nursing, lab, and information systems, are met. The Operations Director will directly oversee the security and ambulance services teams as well as operations generalist staff, as well as work hand in hand with facilities maintenance, biomed maintenance, supply chain, and environmental services teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assess hospital operations on a daily basis by conducting rounds and meeting regularly with PIH and MOH hospital personnel and program and department managers/directors; identify pain points and convene stakeholders to identify solutions; manage the implementation of solutions.
• In collaboration with department leads, create monthly, annual, and multi-year goals and work plans to continually improve hospital operations; set key tasks and persons responsible, monitor timeline of activities, and remove roadblocks.
• Advise and contribute to annual and multi-year budgeting exercises for the hospital, as well as funding proposals as needed.
• Ensure teams for which direct oversight is provided have clear standard operations procedures (SOPs) and performance metrics; monitor successful implementation of SOPs and achievement of metrics, and implement process improvements as needed.
• Work closely with other technical teams (environmental services, biomed, infrastructure, supply chain) to ensure hospital-based activities are well-coordinated and effective and work with these department leads to address any gaps.
• Make clear and timely decisions regarding the operations of the hospital that are informed by technical teams.
• Ensure policies for all operations activities required for the smooth operations of the hospital and safety of patients and staff are in place and staff are trained.
• Partner with the Human Resources Department to establish onboarding processes for different cadres of new staff.
• In the event of an emergency at the hospital requiring operations activities, act as point person for communication about the emergency to relevant stakeholders and establish and manage a working group to address the emergency until resolution.
• Proactively escalate roadblocks and communicate risks and suggestions for their resolution to Hospital and PIH-Sierra Leone leadership.
• Liaise with government entities as needed to optimize hospital operations and foster strong partnership, including creating and nurturing strong relationships with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance to ensure operationalization of the MCOE Memorandum of Understanding.
• Work closely with the local and international supply chain team to develop an annual procurement plan for the consolidated needs of the hospital, including technical specifications, and ensure adherence to deadlines and deliverables. Follow up to ensure operations and clinical teams are receiving the items needed to perform day to day work.
• Support the departments at the hospital in launching new projects and programs by coordinating operations support.
• Work closely with the MCOE team to ensure the successful opening and ongoing operations of the MCOE.
• Conduct weekly check-ins with direct reports and provide coaching, professional development, and performance reviews; assist direct reports in scoping work and defining priorities.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and training to operations staff.

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 emploment, 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 8 years of operations, program management, or similar experience
• Post graduate degree in business administration or any operations management related field
• Demonstrated success managing the day to day operations of a healthcare facility required; additional experience opening a new healthcare facility preferred
• Prior experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa (or comparable setting), including working with Ministries of Health and Sanitation
• Demonstrated ability to manage “horizontally” and implement process improvements outside of one’s own department
• Comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and need to juggle competing demands in a fast-paced and challenging work environment
• Strong quantitative skills with expertise in Excel and Enterprise Resource Planning systems or similar software
• Ability to initiate, plan, organize, and lead projects and process improvements
• Exemplary interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate effectively with culturally diverse staff across departments and countries
• Strong organizational skills and operational and business analytics thinking
• Proven ability to exercise good judgment, demonstrate political astuteness, and tact
• Ability to work independently and effectively in high-pressure, fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to work with humility and achieve results

• Passion for PIH’s mission and demonstrated commitment to social justice and human rights

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

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.

Method of application

Interested candidates are required to apply by email to [email protected] In your application, please ensure to include names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three (3) referees not later than 12:00pm GMT (Midnight) on Friday 15th June 2024