HelenKellerInternationa lJ OB AN NOUNCEMENT Chief Program & Innovation Officer. (New York City or Washington, DC). Co-founded in 1915 by Helen Keller, Helen Keller International is dedicated to saving and. improving the sight and lives of the world's vulnerable. We combat the causes and consequences. of blindness, poor health and malnutrition with more than 120 programs in 20 African and Asian. countries, as well as in the United States. Renowned for our reliability, efficiency and high level of. technical expertise, Helen Keller International promotes the development of large-scale,. sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing issues in public health.. Background. HKI is headquartered in New York City with regional offices in Africa and Asia Pacific, and. an affiliate in Europe. With an annual operating budget of $82 million, HKI's programs are. supported by a diverse array of donors, including the governments of the United States,. Canada and the UK, and numerous foundations and corporate partners.. HKI is a global leader in developing and promoting evidence-based approaches to prevent and. treat blindness, malnutrition and neglected tropical diseases. We build programs based on. scientific knowledge and local situational analyses, and rely on ongoing program monitoring. and evaluation, as well as operations research, to maximize our impact and develop new. scientific and programmatic knowledge. We place high value on documentation and sharing. our work particularly through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific fora.. Partnerships are central to HKI and the organization works with hundreds of program partners. around the world - including local communities, international and local NGOs and civil society. groups, academia, multilateral and bilateral partners, and the private sector - to help achieve. maximum impact in our global efforts to prevent blindness, improve health and reduce. malnutrition. Partnering with local governments and communities, and developing the capacity. of health systems, civil society, and training and research institutions not only amplifies our. impact, it also helps to ensure the programs are sustained for the long term.. HKI's nutrition programs are based on Essential Nutrition Actions, an overarching framework of. proven, cost-effective interventions to reduce maternal and child undernutrition. HKI is. renowned for expertise in micronutrients (particularly national vitamin A supplementation,. industrial-scale food fortification and biofortification), infant and young child feeding, community-. based approaches for managing acute malnutrition, and agricultural-based solutions to. undernutrition, with a more recent focus on adolescent nutrition and obesity/overweight.. HKI's eye health programs are known and respected for applying a public health approach to. improve access to quality services for the poor. Our portfolio ranges from support to. governments to improve cataract surgical rates to our ChildSight(r) program in the US and. Vietnam addressing school-based refractive errors (and now expanding to serve other. vulnerable populations including homeless families and veterans, LGBTQ youth and refugees in. the US). We are now testing approaches to address the emerging problems of diabetic. retinopathy (DR) and retinopathy of prematurity (RoP) in the Asia Pacific region.. Most of HKI's neglected tropical disease (NTD) programs focus on utilizing a shared platform. to control five diseases. Two of these are blinding (trachoma and onchocerciasis), two are. known to have negative nutritional impacts (intestinal worms and schistosomiasis) and the. fifth contributes to morbidity and disability (lymphatic filariaisis). HKI focuses on elimination. via mass drug administration, and morbidity management and disability prevention.. HKI is seeking a Chief Program & Innovation Officer to lead this vibrant portfolio, ensuring. superior program quality and promoting idea generation and innovation to enhance. achievement of our mission.. Functional Relationships. Reporting to the President & CEO, the Chief Program & Innovation Officer (CPIO) serves on. the Executive Management Team (EMT) for the global organization and is the primary liaison. to the Program Committee of the Board of Trustees. The CPIO directly supervises a Senior. Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Officer, as well as a senior program team of three. technical vice presidents each of whom is charged with leading one of HKI's three program. pillars. HKI is a highly matrixed organization: as a result, additional senior leaders such as. the Regional Vice Presidents will have a dotted line to the CPIO.. HKI's programs require close relations with governments, partner NGOs, private industry,. donors, UN agencies, universities and research partners. The CPIO plays a key role in. nurturing and overseeing many of these cooperative relationships and representing HKI to. donors and the international community.. As noted, HKI has a matrixed reporting structure that respects both the line management and. authority within geographical hierarchies; and the accountability and oversight duties of subject. matter experts and multi-country program managers at the regional and global management. level. Strong communication skills and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both. hierarchically and laterally, are essential to thrive within this structure.. Scope of the Position. As one of HKI's global leaders, the CPIO acts as an advisor to the President and CEO and. collaborates with members of the EMT on strategic global development initiatives, and. organization-wide planning and decision making. S/he works within global management. structures designed to establish both a clear hierarchy, and effective collaboration to ensure. healthy and robust information flow and knowledge sharing in our multi-dimensional. organization.. As HKI's top program position, the CPIO will drive innovation and position HKI as a thought. leader and implementing partner for our focused technical areas while weaving the pillars. together to ensure an integrated approach, and the identification of cross-cutting themes and. synergies. In partnership with the CEO, the CPIO will forge and articulate HKI's programmatic. vision, strategy and external positioning among all internal stakeholders in order to. communicate it effectively with all donors and external stakeholders.. The CPIO will nurture, oversee and expand HKI's rich mix of partnerships and initiatives and will. be ultimately responsible for the quality of HKI's technical programs and operational research.. S/he will provide and/or ensure high-level leadership and representation of HKI in policy fora. and relevant conferences and meetings both within the regions where we work and. internationally. In addition, the position will be instrumental in efforts to mobilize resources -. both restricted and unrestricted - and to this end will nurture existing donor relationships,. proactively identify new opportunities and drive excellence and innovation in program design. and delivery.. The position may be based in either HKI's New York City or Washington, DC office, with. considerable international travel, and monthly travel to either NY or DC.. Specific Responsibilities. Strategic Planning and Vision. Contribute vision and expert input into organization-wide strategic and annual planning and. decision making.. Promote technological and program design innovations to continually enhance program. impact; and introduce group tools and processes that encourage creative thinking.. Identify and nurture strategic opportunities and potential partnerships to maintain and. expand HKI's leadership in nutrition, NTD and eye health programs and its focus on. operational research.. Identify and analyze trends and their programmatic consequences (eg increasing. childhood overweight, rising urbanization, climate change, etc.) and search for emerging. opportunities that correlate with the mission and expertise of HKI.. Build on HKI's legacy of forging a rigorous approach to measuring and sharing our impact. and programmatic outcomes for both internal and external audiences by leading the. development of both program monitoring and evaluation, and strategic metrics: inspire. ownership of data and promote its use at all levels, including ongoing learning and reflection. to inform future action.. Lead the development of program relevant policies, standards and guidelines.. Lead proactive collaboration of technical staff across regions and across departments.. As primary liaison to the Board Program Committee, work with Chair to prepare agendas.. Present and/or arrange for presentations by other program experts to the Board of Trustees.. Management and Quality Assurance. Provide leadership and oversight of all programs.. Lead a team of senior staff across technical disciplines to align the annual goals with HKI's. strategic plan for program activities.. Lead a constant cycle of reflection and learning based on evidence generated by HKI and. the global health community.. Provide guidance and oversight to highly-skilled program and cross-disciplinary teams to. ensure:. o Technically sound and innovative design, high quality implementation and. evaluation of all programs;. o Optimal impact, sustainability, scalability and cost-effectiveness of all programs;. o Compliance with HKI standards, policies and procedures, and processes;. o Compliance with donor requirements, including timely and accurate reporting of. results;. o Presentation of HKI's work and results in peer reviewed or industry journals, and. at key international meetings; and. o The gathering of regular highlights and success stories from programs for internal. and external communications.. Collaborate in the development and implementation of initiatives to enhance efficiency, risk. management, communications and consistency of program operations worldwide.. Plan and convene and/or attend and present at periodic internal meetings and events. to promote staff development, disseminate best practices, launch new initiatives,. foster innovation, etc.. Interview, hire and develop employees; plan, assign and direct work; manage. performance of direct reports and support them to effectively manage their own teams.. Business Development. Proactively nurture existing donor relationships and actively scope and identify new. partnerships and collaborative opportunities that may lead to new concepts, and. differentiation of HKI's offerings to drive new business development and/or enhance the. quality, depth and reach of HKI's work.. Ensure the highest quality technical components and innovative program design in all. proposal development.. Representation, Research, Advocacy and Policy. Leverage public health and development expertise to ensure HKI maintains a position of. technical excellence and prominence.. Identify operational research needs and opportunities for partnerships and funding to. address these, and publication of results.. Lead or support partnerships for research in HKI program areas with organizations under. the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), such as the. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Potato Center (CIP). and HarvestPlus; relevant universities and academic programs; and other scientific and. academic institutions as appropriate.. Engage with and/or guide engagement with key global and regional bodies and fora to. maintain visibility and leadership of HKI and to foster a supportive policy, planning and. funding climate, including the regional offices of bi- and multilateral donor groups such as. FAO, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, WFP, WHO and the World Bank; International Agency for. Prevention of Blindness (IAPB); Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network; International. Coalition for Trachoma Control; ESPEN; ASEAN, WAHO; NEPAD; ECOWAS; ESCA-HC,. and African Union; the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement; among others.. Qualifications. Seeking a recognized public health professional with a proven track record of leadership and. multifaceted expertise, and a weight of experience as demonstrated by the following:. Experience. Minimum of 15 years progressively responsible management positions in public health, plus. an advanced degree in a relevant field of study, or equivalent combination of education and. experience.. Direct field experience in public health programming, including significant experience living. and working in Africa and/or Asia, preferably in nutrition, NTDs and/or eye health.. Deep understanding of working with relevant institutions and partners in global public health. - candidates are expected to bring their own network of relevant partners.. Proven track record leading successful public health business development and proposal. efforts that have secured substantial funding from government, non-government and private. donors.. Strong background in the management of complex programming and operations.. Key Competencies and Attributes. Demonstrated strategic mindset with the ability to resourcefully adapt, plan and innovate.. A deep systems-thinker with strength and experience in knowledge management and. knowledge sharing.. Strong scientific and research skills (as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and. presentations at international conferences).. Ability to manage a thought-leadership and external networking agenda.. Entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.. A committed life-long learner who will support all knowledge-sharing and learning initiatives. within HKI.. Tech savvy in advocating for and using cutting-edge practices and technology in. programming and operations.. Strong financial management acumen.. Current knowledge of the funding landscape in areas aligned with HKI's mission;. Demonstrated writing ability and superb communication skills to make effective, persuasive. speeches and presentations on controversial or complex topics to top management, public. groups, and/or boards of directors.. High level of fluency in French, speaking and writing, a strong plus.. Willingness and ability to undertake international and field travel to the developing world. (approximately 30%).. Willingness and ability to work on a routine basis at either the DC or NYC office.. Social Intelligence and Management Acumen. In regard to internal HKI stakeholder relationships, the ability to embrace and thrive in a. matrix structure through building respectful relationships of trust and collaboration;. In regard to the teams and staff that you directly supervise, the ability to foster a creative,. professional, "open door" management culture; to empower senior staff, managers and staff. members to fulfill their potential; and to encourage staff to challenge assumptions;. In regard to leadership on the EMT, the ability to go above and beyond to support the work. and roles of your senior colleagues;. In regard to the Board of Directors, the ability to support the CEO and the EMT in ensuring. excellence in communications, engagement and partnership;. In regard to external donors and partners, the ability forge innovative and productive. relationships across sectors, industries and borders based on mutual credibility and trust. and to successfully negotiate policy changes, memoranda of understanding, partner. commitments, etc.;. To Apply. Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to HKI.Recruitment@hki.org. noting the job title in the subject line.