Careers in Global Health

Summary:

AmeriCares Medical Outreach Program acts as a bridge between medical manufacturers and health care providers who serve resource-poor communities across the globe by donating medicines and medical products to qualified U.S. health care providers traveling overseas on charitable medical trips.  Donation recipients visit some of the poorest parts of the world where even basic medical care is often non-existent or inaccessible to the marginalized and underserved. In FY2011,
the Medical Outreach Program supported 1,071 overseas charitable medical trips to 79 countries and 46 charitable orthopedic surgeries in United States.
Donations in FY2011 totaled $50.5 million.

The Associate Director is responsible for leading the programmatic development and management of the day to day operations of AmeriCares Medical Outreach Program (MOP).  She/he will play a strategic role in further developing the scope and reach of the program and will actively identify opportunities to integrate the activities of participating medical teams into the on-going medical assistance and emergency response programs that AmeriCares manages in different countries and/or regions.

She/he will work to continuously improve and upgrade the systems and processes that the program uses for the purpose of improving efficiency and increasing
impact.  In collaboration with other directors of the Global Partnership Department, the Associate Director will actively participate in department wide initiatives and will lead specific projects as designated by the Vice President.

Responsibilities:

Overall Management

• Partnership management: responsible for the overall management of all partners (healthcare providers & corporations) assigned
  to MOP portfolio regarding:

i)    Donation requests (necessary paperwork, reporting and feedback).

ii)   Integrity of inventory via Inventory Management System (iBEM).

iii)  Partner management & communications (correspond/talk to healthcare providers & corporate partners, manage relationships and assist with requests).

iv)  Review and continuously improve and update the medical Outreach program guidelines, including all policies and procedures.

• Collaborate with Corporate Relations and the Gift-in-Kind Team on the evaluation, acceptance and assignment of product offers, ensuring that products assigned to the Program are distributed: 1) with regard to their expiration dating, 2) with regard to any special restrictions of the Donor, and 3) with the goal of distributing all products before they expire and require destruction.
• Work closely with IT and the Web Team on updates to and ongoing features of the Medical Outreach Program application and website, including the interactive map, blog and bulletin board. 
• Partner with Communications and Development to market and fundraise for both AmeriCares in general and the Medical Outreach Program in particular and to provide feature stories for AmeriCares print andweb communications
• Work with Donor Relations to ensure the proper processing of monetary donations to the Medical Outreach Program
• Serve as a core member of the cross-departmental Emergency Response Working Group, which plans for and responds to emergencies around the world
• Partner with the Vice President Global Partnerships Network and other GP Directors on department wide initiatives.
• Prepare annual plans, budget and reporting

New Partnership Development/Strategic Planning

• Develop and maintain in-depth understanding of MOP current partners and their corresponding beneficiary institutions in order to identify areas of potential growth and programmatic evolution.
• Develop and periodically update MOP program approach in a way that will allow for an expansion in the number of MOP participants and in the different initiatives managed by MOP.
• Develop new initiatives within the framework and mandate of MOP.  This should include creating a pilot implementation plan to guide the development of the new
  initiative in a way that adheres to AmeriCares policies and standards.
• Develop MOP plans that increase AmeriCares impact (e.g., adjusting frequency/timing of AmeriCares shipments, increasing MOP participants capabilities, and focusing on specific diseases or conditions)
• Collaborate with Global Programs leadership across departments to increase program effectiveness, allocate scarce resources, and develop program strategy.
• Increase awareness about the program within and outside the organization.

External Relations

• Work closely with the Medical Director tocoordinate participation of the Medical Advisors Team with the Medical OutreachProgram online community
• Accompany 1-2 donation-recipient groups a year on medical trips to evaluate their procedures and processes with the idea of increasing our support to their organization
• Attend 1-2 medical-team-related conferences a year to market and expand the Program

Staff Management/Development

• Provide leadership, day-to-day management, vision and inspiration to a team of two direct reports
• Manage all staffing needs, fulltime and volunteer hiring

CORE AMERICARES RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Foster AmeriCares values of respect, collaboration & teamwork, trust, passion and commitment, compassion, and excellence.
• Coach, support and develop department staff to increase individual and team effectiveness.
• Develop and manage implementation of plans to increase department operating performance, including SOPs and other efficiency initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree or equivalent.
• Work experience in a health related profession and/or knowledge of medicines and medical products preferred but not required.
• Marketing experience to expand awareness of the Program helpful
• Strong computer skills - Database management, MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Experience with hiring, training, managing and reviewing the performance and development of staff and volunteers
• Ability to travel as required
• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States

Personal Success Factors:

• Passion for our mission and the desire to work within the humanitarian aid/emergency response field
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task in a fast-paced environment that often requires immediate response to a number of competing requests
• Strong Customer Service orientation to respond positively and patiently to our donation recipients, many of whom speak English as a second language
• Ability to collect, measure, analyze and present data regarding the performance of the Program
• Strong track record of fact-based, proactive problem solving incorporating both demand and supply issues
• Strong organization skills; attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong communications skills; curiosity to understand MOP participants interests and commitment
• Team orientation; balanced focus on personal accountability and team goals
  
  
  

Summary:

The Partnership Director provides vision, strategic direction and leadership for AmeriCares Global Medical Assistance (GMA) Partnership Program in the United States.  

The Director manages a staff of three direct reports and oversees AmeriCares support to a network of Free Clinics in most of the States in the U.S..  These clinics provide free medical care to the uninsured or the underinsured.  AmeriCares support currently consists of donations of medicines and medical supplies, provision of key clinically-oriented, web-based resources and guides, and support for chronic disease management in free clinics.  In addition, the Director and the team will work in close collaboration with our Emergency and Post-Emergency Response departments (when called upon) to coordinate AmeriCares response and relief efforts in affected regions. 

The Director ensures that AmeriCares standards are being met by clearly communicating expectations, conducting regular monitoring, and managing the relationships to motivate high partner performance. He/she also ensures that AmeriCares is supporting its partners in the most effective, efficient, and appropriate manner, given its resources.  The Director oversees contact with partner clinics and is AmeriCares focal point for disseminating information about AmeriCares specific partnership activities in the United States to key internal and external constituents, including Donors.

The Director will work with selected partner clinics and state/national associations to identify opportunities for developing and supporting the implementation of projects designed to build local capacities within the context of AmeriCares Strategic Plan and its global health programmatic framework.  The U.S. program currently houses a large program designed to build AmeriCares and free clinics capacities to strengthen and expand the U.S. partnership.

Responsibilities:

Partnership Management

• Develop and maintain a shared understanding of needs and expectations of each recipient, including nature, volume, and impact of product donations, capacities and capabilities and expressed needs.
• Guide and oversee the collection and maintenance of information required for AmeriCares to manage medical donation partnership, including logistics, inventory control capabilities and constraints, recipient healthcare capability, and patient population and formulary.
• Collaborate with other departments within AmeriCares to ensure effectiveness of our support to the partnership and AmeriCares ability to deliver the highest quality service and advocate for the recipients:

 - Work with the Emergency and Post Emergency Response Teams to aid recipients in disaster relief operations on an as-needed basis;

 - Coordinate with Resource Integration to acquire regular allotment of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies;

 - Maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Resource Integration team and provide regular updates/reports of partner needs to facilitate shipment building;

New Partnership Development/Strategic Planning

• Develop and maintain in-depth understanding of local and national health issues through independent research as well as dialogue with partner in order to inform partner activity as well as decisions regarding areas of growth.
•  Regularly assess areas for expansion including the need/potential to develop new partnerships in order to serve communities in need.
• Develop and continuously update AmeriCares program strategies and priorities in the U.S. as it relates to Partnership management and expansion taking into consideration AmeriCares existing resources and requirements for further growth.  The U.S. Country Plan should outline AmeriCares yearly partner activities including donation targets, special initiatives as well as highlight potential areas for targeted program activities such as recipient capacity building or disease specific support potential.  Additionally, country plans should include proposals for areas which could be targeted for greater expansion either via existing partnership or through the development of new partnerships;
• Developing new partnerships following AmeriCares approval process thereby advocating on behalf of a new partner.  This should include creating a pilot implementation plan to guide the development of a new partnership , ensuring adherence to AmeriCares standards, matching their needs, defining a mutually agreed upon trial period, and sponsoring the partner through the approval process.
• Work with each recipient partner to develop opportunities for targeted initiatives, programs or projects designed to build the capacity of the partner in order to deliver quality and effective health care to their target population.
• Develop and maintain local relationships with key influencers, i.e. state and county health officials, other government agencies, national and local NGO networks, to improve the effectiveness of AmeriCares programs, remove obstacles, trouble shoot, and explore new opportunities.
• Collaborate with Global Programs leadership across departments to increase program effectiveness, allocate scarce resources, and develop program strategy.

Proactively contribute to AmeriCares resource acquisition efforts:

• Compile quantitative and qualitative reporting from partners on AmeriCares product donations (e.g., partner stories/testimonials, patient care and pharmacy photos, distribution reports) to support internal/external communications efforts as well as reports to donors.
• Make presentations to donors as requested
• Arrange for AmeriCares donor access to recipient activities, including targeted donor trips.
• Work closely with development staff to assist in proposal writing.

Staff Management/Development

• Provide leadership, day-to-day management, vision and inspiration to a team of three direct reports.
• Coordinate and oversee administrative and relationship management activities of Direct report and ensure compliance with relevant standards.
• Develop and manage implementation of plans to increase department operating performance, including SOPs and other efficiency initiatives.
• Coach, support and develop department staff to increase individual and team effectiveness.
• Foster AmeriCares values of respect, collaboration & teamwork, trust, passion and commitment, compassion, and excellence.

DELIVERABLES

-        Improved partner/recipient performance consistent with AmeriCares standards.

-        Creation of opportunities to utilize AmeriCares resources, both inventory and donor relationships, to have a significant impact on healthcare quality.

-        Comprehensive partner, state and national plans which guide AmeriCares activities in region of responsibility.

-        Targeted initiatives, projects and/or programs designed to build local capacities and expand services to target populations. 

-        Effective response to emergencies in close collaboration with AmeriCares Emergency Response Team.

-        Quantitative and qualitative reporting about AmeriCares partnerships in order to define impact of donations and support resource acquisition efforts.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Public Administration, social studies or other related field;
• Background in nursing, pharmacy or other medical studies ideal, but not required;
•  At least 5 years of related work experience including a minimum of 2 years of demonstrated progressive responsibility in:
• Health, medical relief, healthcare, emergency response and/or managing pharmaceuticals,
• Program development/strategic planning /program management/administration or operations management
• Diversity of experience in different organizational capacities and culture contexts
• History of building partnerships—working effectively and respectfully with government, state and county governments, local and international NGOs, and the private sector in complex environments;
• Strong track record of fact-based, proactive problem solving incorporating both demand and supply issues;
• Successful  staff management & development experience with the ability to successfully motivate a team to accomplish the goals of the department and organization;
• Ability to leverage information technology and tools to optimize systems
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong communications skills; curiosity to understand partners’ interests, commitment , energy to advocate for partner with internal and external constituents
• Team orientation; balanced focus on personal accountability and team goals
• Strong organization skills; attention to detail;
• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States