This exciting opportunity will suit someone who has Supply Chain experience and who can manage a team of supply chain professionals.  The role holder will work closely with the Executive Director, SRHR, Programme Directors and the SRHR team to bring expertise in driving continuous improvement to the operational agenda ensuring scaling and sustainability for operational excellence within SRHR, sharing learnings across the organisation.

Main purpose of the role: Transform the way SRHR supplies are developed, financed, and delivered at scale in the poorest countries, shaping the wider SRHR sector and accelerating achievement of SRHR goals for contraceptive access, prevention of unsafe abortion and elimination of new HIV infections.

• This is a new, senior leadership role within CIFF and the SRHR sector team, leading our strategic approach to supply-side solutions for SRHR.
• This role leads CIFF’s SRHR team on supply-chain management processes, sustainable financing for commodities, and matrix oversight of manufacturing partnerships and an innovative product development portfolio. It has line-management of Directors, Managers and Analysts.
• Its primary purpose is to achieve major and continuous performance improvements across supply-side interventions, focused on setting clear cost metrics as part of the OKR framework to achieve target costs, cost-optimisation and cost-efficiency, and uninterrupted supply for all who need these transformative tools and choices.
• Responsibilities include setting strategic direction, overseeing and growing a dynamic portfolio, and working with other SRHR Directors to maximise synergies across the wider portfolio – especially health systems strengthening to scale self-managed care, and large-scale platforms for equitable access. In this role you will ensure deep team collaboration and co-creation with Africa and India-based colleagues

We are seeking an experienced senior global leader who is equally comfortable working on micro and macro issues and challenges on supply-side solutions for health outcomes in low and middle-income countries. The role combines advanced technical knowledge and experience of influencing complex systems, with a nimble problem-solving mindset, and is highly motivated using performance management techniques to maximize results.  The role holder will be required to represent the organization in high level negotiations, fostering mutually beneficial deals and partnerships that drive social impact.

Requirements

Strategy & planning

•  Lead CIFF strategic thinking on supply-side solutions for SRHR – this would include defining the theory of change, executable plans, OKRs, architecture, and partnerships, across both public and private sectors, drawing on deep knowledge and external input as required to build confidence in our management approach.  Ensuring there is a simple and transparent monitoring in place to enable the programs to be vigorously measured against.

• Lead through influence – working cross-functionally to mentor and advise Directors, Managers and Analysts, including from teams beyond SRHR, and partners, on how CIFF can influence supply chain management process, what our performance metrics should be, and the intersection between supply chain, financing, and target cost optimization for CIFF and partners. Taking into consideration contextual limitations and future plans for scaling and sustainability that address cost and fiscal space relevant to the decision makers,

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Set direction on investment pipeline and proposal development, delivering a transformative, risk-adjusted portfolio linked to relevant programme KPIs and tactics.
• Ensure high quality execution on existing partnerships and investments, leveraging these to support future pipeline. Direct portfolio management responsibilities are likely to involve a combination of product-specific partnerships (manufacturers, distributors, and market coordination bodies) and system-level partnerships (regulatory bodies, funding platforms, procurement and coordination agencies such as UNFPA-Supplies, USAID procurement, and RHSC).
• Apply active management techniques, including oversight of dashboards relevant for CIFF’s interests in supply-side solutions, in collaboration with EME, which enables routine performance monitoring, insight generation, and timely corrective measures.
• Apply your expertise to ensure that all programmes adopt a commercial, sustainable, and innovative approach for long-term solutions to supply-side challenges, offering practical guidance and constructive challenge across the portfolio.
• Lead the team’s assessment of risk as it related to supply-side solutions, upholding, and applying relevant due diligence and risk management practices, offering constructive challenge across the portfolio and at every stage. Develop innovative strategies to risk mitigation that influence the wider field and ensure the interests and reputation of the Foundation are protected.
• Working in partnership with the Evidence, Measurement & Evaluation team, identify new ways to enhance learning across the SRHR community on the role and performance of interventions to improve supply-side performance that leads to the widespread adoption of best practices.
• Ensure there is outstanding collaboration across CIFF, specifically the CEDO/OD team and with partners, overseeing regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes, identify course correction actions where programmes are underperforming their potential, and ensure solutions are implemented effectively and that key grantees have the capacity to manage costs and execute effectively.
• Drive the continuous improvement of the programme portfolio, troubleshooting, finding solutions to problems and overcoming barriers, improving programmes and ensuring that course correction or scaling and sustainability plans are executed efficiently, effectively and at pace.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Ensure we have a fit-for-purpose partner engagement strategy for supply-side interventions – including representing CIFF with manufacturers, on funders tables, global and issue-specific forums, other architecture, including Board-level roles.
• Advise, coach, and guide the management and governance structures of key partners.
• Advance CIFF’s role and reputation as a leader in SRHR supply-side interventions and CIFF’s wider efforts to transform public and private sector performance.
• Lead CIFF’s institutional relationship with key Government, donor and private-sector partners involved in supply-side solutions, liaising with executive-level counterparts across our key partners.

Stakeholder and partner management

• Oversee rigorous research and evaluation of potential partners, using agreed corporate protocols and techniques, to assess their suitability and credentials for collaborating on CIFF initiatives.
• Apply CIFF’s agreed account management disciplines and approaches in all dealings with programme partners and stakeholders, to ensure productive and professional relationships are maintained in a coordinated and strategic manner.
• Working alongside senior colleagues, help to develop strategic partnerships to support adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes.
• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas.

Membership and leadership of the team

• Partner with the ED, People to recruit and reward execution-oriented staff, as well as design and embed the ongoing training to ensure that all programme managers have the necessary execution skills.
• Act as a valued mentor to colleagues whose advice is valued and proactively sought out by senior leaders, whilst ensuring regular reporting to their ED, CIO, CEO and PIC on the above and being accessible to the CEO, CIO, PIC and trustees and able to deputise for the ED as needed.
• Be a role model to less experienced team members, inspiring them and demonstrating CIFF’s leadership behaviours and providing mentorship to aid their growth.
• Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instils a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning.
• We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.

Requirements of the role holder

Skills & Experience

• Executive level experience leading strategies that deliver supply-side solutions in low and middle-income countries, relevant for regulated diagnostic and pharmaceutical choices.
• Recognised subject-matter expertise in a relevant area – this would likely be a combination of financing, supply chain management processes, or product innovation, with a track record of delivering systemic change.
• Senior management experience, with a track record of successfully leading diverse teams of senior technical experts.
• A track-record of applying target unit cost, cost optimization, financial modelling, costing tools, analytics, and metrics.
• A strong understanding of process monitoring, verification, and evaluation, as well as a belief in the importance of evidence-based decision making.
• A strong appreciation of regulatory aspects of supply chain management processes, related to diagnostic and pharmaceutical choices.
• Ability to analyse an organisation’s strength of management, vision, and adaptive capacity. Ability to recruit, guide, influence and/or advise management teams to effectively implement programmes.
• Established networks relevant to supply-side solutions in low and middle-income countries – this would likely include manufacturers, regulatory bodies, procurement agencies, financing platforms, distributors, across public, not-for-profit, and private sectors.
• Effectively promotes and presents CIFF’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience, using a range of presentation tools.
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose.
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset.
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written skills across all aspects of their role.
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner.
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience.

Benefits

CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, which means employees work some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following.

• Annual leave – 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service to a maximum of 30 days.
• Bonus – CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme.
• Training allowance.
• Wellbeing allowance.
• Life insurance.
• Medical insurance.

Please submit your application on or before 8 March 2024. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.