Project Director – DRC Digital Health Worker Registration System

Global Communities champions community-led solutions to complex challenges at the intersection of global health, humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, and financial inclusion. Together with our subsidiary IntraHealth International, we bring local and global insights together to save lives, expand opportunity, and build resilient health systems. We are the developer and global steward of iHRIS, the only free, open-source Human Resource Information System, used in more than 30 countries to manage over two million health worker records.

Global Communities is seeking a full-time Project Director, based in Kinshasa, DRC, to lead a new project to establish a government-owned, sustainable iHRIS to improve health workforce planning, management, equity, and payment integrity in the DRC. The project will support the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare (MoH), the Agence Nationale d’Ingénierie Clinique (ANICNS), and other government stakeholders to design, implement, and institutionalize iHRIS in two provinces, interoperable with the national health worker payment system, as a model for scaling nationwide.

The Project Director will oversee all elements of the project, including providing strategic leadership and vision, guiding technical direction, ensuring financial and operational oversight, managing and mentoring the in-country team, and navigating a complex, multi-stakeholder political environment. Success requires strong political acumen, deep experience in health systems strengthening in the DRC, and the ability to build consensus across ministries, donors, and provincial authorities.

Responsibilities

The Project Director is responsible for overall program implementation, strategic vision, and outcome achievement. The Project Director provides an integrated vision for the project and leads a team of senior staff and consultants to ensure the quality, timeliness, and efficiency of all products and activities. Specific responsibilities include the following:

Strategic Leadership & Program Direction

• Provide overall project leadership, strategic vision, and day-to-day direction, overseeing all technical, operational, and administrative elements of the project.
• Lead the co-design and co-creation process with government and other stakeholders to define system requirements, governance arrangements, and an iHRIS roadmap aligned with the MoH strategies.
• Apply adaptive, people-centered management and scaling approaches to build the conditions for sustainability and scale from day one.
• Supervise, mentor, and manage the in-country team, including the Software Development Engineer, Capacity Strengthening Officer, and Finance & Administration Manager, and coordinate global technical support.

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management

• Serve as the senior in-country representative for the project, building and sustaining strong relationships with the MoH, ANICNS, Ministère de la Fonction Publique, Ministries of Budget and Finance, provincial health authorities, the Central Bank, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee effective stakeholder engagement and change management, navigating a politically complex environment to build consensus, secure political backing, and drive sustained adoption of iHRIS.
• Convene and maintain a cross-government coordination structure and support the establishment of governance arrangements, MoUs, and accountability mechanisms across national and provincial levels.
• Coordinate with other key stakeholders, including donors, multi-lateral organizations, and other implementing partners.

Technical Oversight

• Support the review of human resources for health (HRH) and human resources management (HRM) policies and the implementation of consistent, transparent, and gender-equitable HRM practices across different levels of the health system.
• Build local capacity to use HRH data for decision-making and embed data use into routine HR practices, including workforce planning, deployment, supervision, gender analysis, equity, retention, and payment oversight.
• Oversee high-quality, evidence-based implementation across all project outcomes— assessment and co-creation, government accountability for iHRIS use, software development and payments interoperability, provincial implementation, and transition to scale.
• Ensure activities are aligned with national guidelines, WHO guidance, and donor requirements.

Operational & Financial Management

• Lead regular workplan, budget, and implementation reviews to ensure cost-effective and timely achievement of milestones, deliverables, and targets.
• Provide effective oversight of project operations, procurement, and partner management to ensure compliance and strong performance.
• Ensure sound financial management, documentation, and internal controls consistent with donor requirements and Global Communities policies.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Sustainability

• Support sustainability planning, including domestic financing, government ownership, hosting, and a structured transition of iHRIS operations to government stakeholders.
• Lead the project learning agenda, overseeing timely technical and financial reporting and ensuring accurate documentation of progress, achievements, and challenges.
• Capture lessons learned and translate evidence into actionable strategies, knowledge products, and recommendations to inform national scale-up and dissemination.

Minimum qualifications

• Master’s degree or above in public health, health systems, human resources, international development, or a related field.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience including a demonstrated track record of leading projects of similar size, scope, and complexity, with strong strategic visioning and leadership capabilities.
• Expertise in health workforce management, human resources for health planning and data use.
• Experience in health systems strengthening in the DRC.
• Strong political acumen and demonstrated experience navigating complex systems, building consensus, and engaging government and donor stakeholders in the DRC.
• Skills in people-centered, adaptive management and supervision, with the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and drive results under deadlines.
• Fluency in French and English. Must have strong working proficiency in English (written and oral).

Preferred qualifications

• Experience implementing or managing health workforce information systems (e.g., iHRIS) or digital health / health information systems.
• Familiarity with health worker information systems, digital public infrastructure, and interoperability.
• Experience integrating gender equity into health workforce programming.
• Established relationships with the DRC government stakeholders.