NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Position: Project Manager

Location: Ghana ?? Accra

Time frame: Full Time, Starting January 25, 2009

Organization: Grameen Technology Center. The Grameen Technology Center, an initiative of the Grameen Foundation, focuses on technology that makes microfinance operations more efficient, creates income??generating opportunities for the rural poor and provides rural communities access to information and knowledge.

The Information and Communication Technologies Innovation (ICT Innovation) Program of the Grameen Technology Center works with a range of partners to develop, test and deploy sustainable and scalable solutions using widely available mobile phones. It is also exploring the potential of new technologies toextend the reach of information and knowledge to improve lives and livelihoods and examining the ways mobile phones can increase the quality and quantity of healthcare services.

The ICT Innovation Program of the Grameen Technology Center is working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to increase the quality and quantity of healthcare services provided to women and children in Ghana through the identification and pilot testing of scalable mobile phone based applications. This project will develop and pilot test mobile phone based health applications in the Dangbe West district of Ghana. One application will use mobile phones to feed detailed community??level health information into the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS), saving nurse time and increasing the level of detail available at the district level.

Other applications will be identified through Ethnographic Research and a Needs Assessment Survey and prioritized in partnership with key players from the Ghanaian Health System and Community Health System.

The project manager will be directly responsible for the on??the??ground implementation of the project in Ghana. You will provide strategic and operational leadership of our efforts by working closely with arange of partners, managing local resources, guiding several types of research, tracking and reporting results and recommending overall strategy. In this high profile position you will develop applications with the objective of improving health outcomes, measure their impact and ultimately scale them to other countries.

Specific Responsibilities Include:
• Define pilot applications that have the potential to scale with measurable impact
• Guide needs assessment research and survey Ghanaian health sector
• Evaluate technology currently in place within healthcare system
• Gain deep understanding of complementary initiatives, global trends in application usage and learning from related experiences and incorporate into implementation strategy
• Develop recommendations for applications to implement
• Prepare market requirement and product requirement documents
• Identify and engage partners to develop and deploy applications

Implement with excellence
• Prepare ambitious but achievable detailed project plans covering small?? and medium??scale pilots as well as plans for nationwide scaling
• Actively manage implementation ???? problem solve and remove barriers as they arise
• Provide technical subject matter expertise and work closely with partners to ensure effective technical implementation
• Liaison with local health ministry officials to develop long??term buy??in
• Develop efficient training plan and craft effective sensitization, education and demand reinforcement programs (marketing)

Track and report results
• Clearly define success metrics for each pilot and phase of implementation
• Establish transparent and easily accessible reporting framework to measure and communicate progress on a real??time basis (including budget)
• Prepare timely and comprehensive analyses of pilots, suggest approaches to strengthen applications/business models and draw conclusions about scaling potential and approach
• Prepare summary updates and reports as needed
• Develop and manage detailed monitoring and evaluation plan. Utilize quantitative analysis to
assess pilot program success

Manage local resources and vendors/suppliers
• Hire and train strong team
• Actively engage team in all aspects of work
• Prepare RFPs for vendors/suppliers and evaluate responses (including selection)

Guide research
• Work closely with social scientist and local research firm (as required) to coordinate
ethnographic research and needs assessment research
• Drive local efforts to build needs assessment findings into iterative process of developing and testing new applications
• Coordinate efforts of Principal Investigator and local research firm to conduct social impact
assessment baseline and follow??up research
• Disseminate findings (as appropriate)

Long??term Scaling
• Determine mechanism to scale successful applications nationwide and to other countries
• Effectively communicate results of pilot program to key stakeholders
• Identify opportunities for wide scaling and develop implementation plans.

Ideal Candidate
• Outstanding project management skills
• Experienced and savvy project manager with a proven track record of achievement under a
range of challenging situations (ideally in multiple countries)
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex projects (operational and tactical) – with proven ability to work effectively with diverse partners

Strong business leadership abilities
• Strong, innovative and creative problem solver and strategic thinker
• Excellent analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
• An entrepreneurial spirit ???? with the ability to think strategically and act tactically
• Comfort with unstructured problems and ability to manage complexities under pressure
• Ability to promote knowledge transfer through strong mentoring and team building skills
• Enthusiasm and passion for our work in Ghana
• Enthusiasm for learning from different cultures – eager to build cultural realities into products and project plans
• Equally comfortable presenting to a room of business executives and discussing needs with
villagers sitting on the dirt floor of a rural home
• Passionate about the work of the Grameen Foundation and the importance of technology in poverty alleviation
• Previous experience in Ghana (and local language skills) preferred but not required
• Experience and knowledge in the field of public health in developing countries

Proven Experience
• Solid understanding of information and communication technology – preferably with practicalexperience in developing countries
• Knowledge of health systems, issues, and services in developing countries is a plus – as is experience in software product development

Qualifications
• Advanced degree in public health, international development, economics, public policy, engineering, business (MBA) or related field
• At least 5 years of project management or similar experience – ideally with a consulting firm, health services company or technology company
• Preference for people with public health experience
• Preference for people with information and communication technology experience
• Business experience in Ghana preferred
• Fluency in oral and written English is required
Compensation
• Competitive salary
• Unparalleled opportunity to build creative business models with the potential for global
replication and poverty alleviation

Physical and Environmental Conditions:
• This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. This position may
occasionally require physical effort to lift and transport boxes weighing no more than 50
pounds.
• Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety
precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms, residences, or
commercial vehicles; e.g., use of safe work place practices with office equipment, and/or
avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.

Additional Comment
• The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all
responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified
individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Contact
• Send e??mail to applab@grameenfoundation.org. Include in the Subject Line: Ghana Position
• Include resume and brief cover letter explaining why you’re interested and what you will bring to the position
• Preference given to those applicants responding by January 6th
• No phone calls please