The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental institution that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices. We are seeking an individual to fill the position described. If you know of a qualified candidate or are interested in applying for this position, please apply at: http://www.popcouncil.org/employment/index.asp
 

 
REPORTING TO:  Programmatic Vice President and International Support Director (co-supervisors)
            
SALARY: Depends on qualifications and experience

ASSIGNMENT LENGTH: Two years, renewable by mutual consent and availability of funding

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Population Council is seeking a professional to serve as country director for its office in Nigeria. Successful candidates will have experience in key management and leadership roles in international development and broad knowledge of global health, including family planning and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, gender and youth studies.
 
The Country Director is responsible for achieving the strategic direction of the Council’s work in Nigeria. S/he leads external relations with government, donors, and national and international NGOs to identify research needs, promote utilization of research results and fundraise. The Country Director provides technical support to research initiatives to gather and utilize high quality evidence for programme and policy change. The Country Director supervises and ensures project goals and milestones are met in accordance with project budgets and work plans. S/he provides on-going budget oversight and management of all projects and grantees in coordination with headquarters financial team. The Country Director has the responsibility to monitor that the financial and administrative management of the office complies with local laws, budgetary allocations, donor requirements, and Council policies and procedures. S/he provides guidance, supervision, capacity building, and leadership to Council staff and consultants in Nigeria, and oversees recruitment and hiring, and performance management.
 
The Country Director also serves as a Principal Investigator for select research studies. The Council has a diverse portfolio of research in Nigeria, with activities that represent all three of the Council's program areas. The Council is contributing to the country’s evidence base on HIV by testing the feasibility of community compacts as an HIV prevention strategy; operational research on programming HIV prevention for adolescents, HIV and family planning integration; and various community-based strategy to HIV prevention and care and support; and behavioral research on male circumcision,. The Council is also working with national and international partners to estimate the size and distribution of most-at-risk populations, measuring HIV prevalence and incidence among these populations, identifying and describing their key characteristics, and strengthening the capacity to conduct research on key populations.
 
The Council is recognized as a leader in the country’s efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and has been pivotal in the development of national policy and programmatic responses to this problem. The Nigerian office is focusing on improving the social and economic assets of adolescent girls by conducting research on girls’ protection strategies and providing support to local partners to implement "safe spaces" programs. Having made significant contributions to family planning and reproductive health policy during the past two decades, the Council remains involved in Nigeria’s national debates on family planning.

The successful candidate will initially take over the portfolio of studies from the recent country director; these are predominantly in the HIV and AIDS program area, while the future portfolio will depend on the country strategy, the interest and expertise of the country director, and funding.
 
RESPONSIBILITIES

Country Office Leadership and Management

• Establish a country strategy to articulate needs and priorities of the country within the context of the Council’s three programmatic areas of HIV and AIDS, Reproductive Health, and Poverty, Gender and Youth.
• In collaboration with New York, develop and implement effective office systems and procedures within the context of Council policy.  Directly manage the Finance and Administrative team that support program activities on the execution of local and international policies and procedures.
• Develop the program plan and budget, and provide ongoing budget oversight and management.
•  Provide guidance, supervision and leadership to Council staff and consultants, including recruiting and hiring, and performance management.

Technical/Research

• Carry out operational and behavioral research by developing or contributing to the development to protocols and study procedures and instruments,  collaborating with partner organizations, overseeing study implemtnation and monitoring progress, and analyzing data.
•  Prepare reports and manuscripts for peer reviewed journals on research projects.
•  Ensure quality, ethics, program relevance and country needs in the design and implementation of programmatic research and other activities in Nigeria.
•  Provide high-quality, local technical assistance services by building the capacity of Nigerian staff and consultants
•  Maintain and develop collaborative efforts with Council staff in Africa, other regions, and New York and Washington DC.

Business Development

•  Raise funds for program activities of the Population Council in Nigeria, including proposal development and donor stewardship, with an emphasis on growing each of the Council’s core program areas.

Representation

•  Represent the Population Council in all of its activities in Nigeria. This includes interacting and developing relationships with all the major organizations, including donors, development partners, policy makers, collaborating agencies, NGOs and government and private sector institutions.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Doctoral degree in social science, medicine, public health, or related field with training relevant to reproductive health, family planning, HIV and AIDS, poverty, gender, and youth.
• Minimum of six years' relevant postdoctoral professional experience.
• Proven ability and interest to manage and administer a country-level program on HIV and AIDS; reproductive health; or poverty, gender, and youth. This qualification requires experience in recruiting, monitoring, evaluating, and supervising local staff; managing project resources; fundraising and donor reporting; as well as the ability to work well with all levels of national and international staff within a complex technical assistance organization.
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, analyze, publish, and disseminate research in developing countries.
• In-depth, substantive knowledge of HIV and AIDS; reproductive health; and poverty, gender, and youth issues, as well as an international reputation for excellence in developing such programs.
• Understanding of government systems and entities in Nigeria desirable and a demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Excellent English written and oral communication skills.
• Willingness to travel within the region and overseas on a regular basis.