Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.
We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.
Opportunity: R4D seeks a strategic and technically strong Senior Program Director to lead the Market Shaping Practice and its portfolio of projects, partners, and people. The Market Shaping Practice (MSP) is dedicated to transforming access to and improving the appropriate use of essential and life-saving products in a holistic and sustainable manner. We develop, iterate on, and support the catalytic implementation of long-lasting solutions at the global and country levels to address challenges identified by country partners and backed by rigorous analyses. We’ve applied our expertise to achieve more than a billion dollars in savings in countries and supported improved access to high-quality products in health (spanning the HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, maternal, newborn, and child health markets) as well as in nutrition and education.
MSP projects include:
- Transforming markets for maternal, newborn, and child health medicines and devices
- Identifying underlying market challenges and opportunities to address severe acute malnutrition
- Co-creating advocacy and market shaping roadmaps to scale up multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for improved maternal nutrition and reduced risks of adverse birth outcomes.
- Institutionalizing market shaping capacity in Ethiopia through a novel systemic approach identifying and addressing market inefficiencies and working to promote improved access to essential health and nutrition products
- Increasing access to pneumonia treatments in high-burden countries by addressing the underlying causes of the lack of effective access to amox DT
The Senior Program Director will be a recognized leader in the field of market access in a variety of products and countries, and expected to build a pipeline of impactful work within the practice. The Senior Program Director will report to one of R4D’s Managing Directors and will collaborate with other members of the R4D leadership team. The location of the position is flexible. R4D welcomes applicants from all countries.
Responsibilities
Provide strategic thought leadership, technical direction and effective management of the current MSP portfolio of projects, as well as new areas of impact
- Lead a large portfolio of multiple projects aimed at transforming access to lifesaving health, nutrition and education commodities, which spans 9 different focus countries across West and East Africa, Central and South Asia.
- Lead the strategic design and execution of market shaping approaches for introduction or scale up of lifesaving products, including developing frameworks to analyze bottlenecks to uptake, and crafting strategies to transform access, such as through ensuring supply security; improving affordable pricing; structuring innovative financing options; maximizing efficiency in product development, manufacturing and procurement practices
- Oversee the development of analytic deliverables, effectively managing the inputs of project team members and consultants, ensuring high quality and technical accuracy. Draw new and insightful conclusions from analysis, translating these into actionable government, donor, and partner-facing documents
- Conceptualize new strategic areas of impact, including in collaboration with other practice areas at R4D, and successfully lead mobilizing funding for new opportunities.
Lead internal and external partner engagement
- Effectively represent MSP’s portfolio of work and approach externally, communicating our impact clearly and compellingly and pushing the thought leadership in the market shaping field
- Actively cultivate new relationships and effectively manage key ongoing partnership with a wide range of stakeholders around the world, across country leaders, technical experts, procurement agencies, wholesalers, manufacturers, donors, financiers, etc.
- Conceptualize knowledge management and communication strategies to promote the dissemination and uptake of our work and oversee the implementation thereof.
- Provide excellent people management, by providing support, direction, input, coaching, and mentoring to global team of 30+ staff, consultants and Fellows; oversee the hiring of new staff, consultants and Fellows
- Contribute to the continued evolution of a positive and collaborative team culture that affirms diversity, equity and inclusion.
Oversee MSP finance and operations
- Oversee portfolio-wide budgeting and financial reporting, including decision making on resource allocations and investments in growth in close collaboration with MSP Operations and program staff, ensuring compliance, optimized use and necessary shifts with donors are achieved.
- Provide strategic leadership on the execution and continuous improvement of MSP operations, knowledge management initiatives, communications, as well as recruitment and onboarding, including ensuring compliance with R4D policies and procedures.
Contribute to R4D-wide organizational strategy, partner outreach and staff development
- Regularly participate in joint decision-making for cross-team program creation, execution and learning as well as in internal organizational initiatives related to strategy, DEI and other areas
- Serve on R4D’s Program Leadership Group, Management Team, and ad hoc strategic leadership meetings and other relevant timebound committees that are created.
- Contribute actively to Employee Resource Groups, as relevant
Qualifications:
- Successful candidates are likely to have the following qualifications:
- Advanced degree in public health, business/management, public policy/administration, or other related fields
- Minimum 15 years of relevant experience with a Master’s, at least 8 of which includes supervision responsibilities. Preference is given to candidates with experience leading market analysis, developing product introduction / scale-up strategies, and/or expanding access to healthcare
- Familiarity with global health and nutrition strongly desired
- Demonstrated track record of leading, conceptualizing, operationalizing, and executing on complex programs and projects on-time and with cost-effective use of resources
- Structured thinker with excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills
- Significant experience leading the development of high-quality deliverables, including presentations and written reports
- Extremely strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated success in cultivating and managing relationships across diverse groups around the world, including manufacturers, technical experts, regulators, policymakers, procurement agencies, financiers and philanthropic donors
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to deliver compelling presentations with both technical and non-technical audiences
- Ability to set priorities, handle competing time/resource demands, solve problems and work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment as part of a team
- Highly collaborative and approachable leadership style
- Experience managing teams and enthusiastic about supporting team members’ professional growth
- High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
- Full professional fluency in English, including excellent written and verbal communication skills, report writing and presentation skills. Additional language abilities also valuable.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally, per project need