Program Director - Health

Rupani Development Initiatives

Job description

1. Organisational and programme context Rupani Development Initiatives is strengthening its health portfolio in Pakistan through an integrated approach that connects prevention, community engagement, diagnostics, treatment, referral, mental health, workforce development and institutional partnerships. The portfolio is intended to improve access, quality and continuity of care, particularly for communities that face geographic, economic or social barriers. 2. Purpose of the position The Program Director - Health will provide strategic, programmatic and managerial leadership for RDI's health portfolio in Pakistan. The Director will be accountable for portfolio strategy, programme design, partnership performance, institutional coordination, operational oversight, quality systems, results, financial stewardship and resource mobilisation. The position will serve as RDI's principal health programme leader in Pakistan and as the coordinating point between RDI leadership, the jointly managed hospital in Gilgit, technical and academic partners, government and regulatory stakeholders, donors, communities and implementing teams. The Director is not expected to substitute for a Medical Director or licensed clinical leads; rather, the role will ensure that clinical governance is properly constituted, resourced, monitored and integrated into organisational decision-making. 3. Strategic objectives of the role 1. Develop and lead a coherent RDI Health Strategy for Pakistan, with clear priorities, target populations, service pathways, results and financing requirements. 2. Establish an effective joint-management model for the Gilgit hospital with Al-Shifa, including governance, delegated authorities, operating plans, performance standards and accountability mechanisms. 3. Guide the phased development and quality operation of diagnostic and mental health services within an integrated continuum of care. 4. Build a capable health team, reliable systems and a culture of safety, ethics, learning, equity and performance. 5. Mobilise technical and financial resources to sustain and responsibly expand the health portfolio. 4. Scope of responsibilities 4.1 Portfolio strategy and integrated programme leadership 6. Strategy and architecture. Lead the formulation and periodic review of RDI's integrated health strategy, annual portfolio plan and budget for Pakistan. 7. Integrated care model. Define how community-based, preventive, diagnostic, mental health, eye-care, referral, training and facility-based interventions connect into a practical continuum of care. The exact service package will be approved by RDI and relevant partners based on need, feasibility and regulatory requirements. 8. Programme design. Translate strategy into fundable concepts, implementation plans, service models, staffing structures, standard operating procedures, partnership agreements and results frameworks. 9. Equity and access. Ensure that gender, disability, age, poverty, remoteness and cultural context are reflected in service design, outreach, pricing, referral and beneficiary feedback mechanisms. 10. Portfolio coherence. Prevent fragmentation or duplication across partner-led activities and ensure that all health initiatives contribute to agreed institutional outcomes. 4.2 Management of the hospital 11. Governance. Develop and maintain a framework, covering governance bodies, decision rights, management reporting, clinical authority, financial controls, procurement, human resources, asset stewardship, branding, risk and dispute resolution. 12. Operational planning. Coordinate annual and multi-year operating plans, service expansion, staffing, equipment, maintenance, supply chain, outreach, referral pathways and financial sustainability for the hospital. 13. Performance oversight. Establish a balanced hospital dashboard covering service quality, patient safety, utilization, access, patient e experience, workforce, finance and partnership commitments. 14. Clinical leadership interface. Ensure that a qualified Medical Director and clinical leads have formal authority over clinical policies, credentialing, treatment standards, infection prevention, medication safety, morbidity and incident review, and professional practice. 15. Community accountability. Establish patient feedback, grievance, informed-consent, safeguarding and community-engagement systems suited to the Gilgit-Baltistan context. 4.3 Diagnostic unit and mental health facility 16. Service planning. Lead needs assessment, business planning, phased commissioning and operational readiness for the diagnostic unit and mental health facility. 17. Quality and compliance. Ensure that services meet applicable licensing, staffing, equipment calibration, biosafety, data protection, referral, emergency and quality-assurance requirements. 18. Mental health model. Promote an ethical, rights-based and culturally appropriate model that combines awareness, early identification, counselling, clinical referral, crisis protocols, confidentiality and follow-up care. 19. Diagnostic integration. Establish reliable testing pathways, turnaround standards, result communication, referral linkages, quality controls and equipment-maintenance arrangements. 20. Access and sustainability. Develop feasible outreach, pricing, cross-subsidy, insurance or sponsorship options while protecting access for vulnerable households. 4.4 Programs and plans development 21. Program oversight. Development of an approved curricula, annual cohort plans, faculty and placement arrangements, budgets, quality standards and reporting commitments. 22. Market relevance. Align training disciplines and enrolment with workforce gaps in Gilgit-Baltistan and other priority areas, hospital staffing needs and realistic employment pathways. 23. Learner outcomes. Track recruitment, gender and inclusion, attendance, completion, certification, clinical placement, employment and retention. 24. Training quality. Ensure appropriate accreditation or recognition, qualified instructors, supervised practical learning, trainee safeguarding and continuous curriculum improvement. 4.5 Partnership with Institution for trainings 25. Joint programming. Develop a practical partnership workplan covering agreed areas such as technical assistance, faculty engagement, student placements, outreach, research, continuing professional development or service innovation. 26. Institutional linkage. Connect relevant healthcare institutions with expertise with the Gilgit hospital, RDI programme teams and allied health training initiatives without creating parallel structures. 27. Knowledge and evidence. Facilitate ethically approved operational research, case documentation and learning that improve programme quality and strengthen RDI's contribution to health knowledge. 4.6 Quality, clinical governance, safeguarding and compliance 28. Establish a portfolio-wide quality-management framework with clinical and non-clinical policies, audit schedules, incident reporting, corrective action and continuous improvement. 29. Ensure compliance with applicable federal and provincial laws, health-care commission requirements, professional registration, facility licensing, pharmacy and laboratory rules, occupational health, data privacy and donor conditions. 30. Maintain clear separation between managerial oversight and licensed clinical decision-making, while ensuring that significant quality and safety risks are escalated to RDI leadership and the relevant governance body. 31. Embed safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, child protection, anti-harassment, non-discrimination, informed consent, confidentiality and whistleblowing across facilities, training and community programmes. 32. Oversee emergency preparedness, business continuity and risk registers for the health portfolio. 4.7 Monitoring, evaluation, learning and data 33. Develop a results framework and practical dashboard linking inputs, service quality, utilisation, outcomes, equity, learner results, partnership performance and financial sustainability. 34. Ensure timely, accurate and disaggregated data while protecting patient and trainee confidentiality and restricting access to sensitive records. 35. Use routine data, audits, beneficiary feedback and periodic evaluations for management decisions and programme redesign. 36. Produce high-quality reports, case studies and management briefs for RDI leadership, boards, partners and donors. 4.8 Financial management, sustainability and resource mobilisation 37. Prepare and manage consolidated annual budgets, forecasts and costed expansion plans in collaboration with finance and partner institutions. 38. Ensure prudent use of funds, segregation of duties, value-for-money procurement, asset controls and timely resolution of audit findings. 39. Develop service-line business cases and sustainability options that balance mission, quality and affordability. 40. Build a health funding pipeline and lead or support proposals, donor cultivation, corporate partnerships and blended philanthropic or earned-income approaches consistent with RDI's mandate. 4.9 People leadership and stakeholder engagement 41. Lead, coach and hold accountable the RDI health programme team; define roles, performance objectives, professional-development plans and succession needs. 42. Coordinate matrixed contributions from operations, finance, HR, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, communications, resource development and legal or compliance functions. 43. Maintain constructive relationships with government, regulators, health institutions, universities, professional bodies, donors, community leaders and civil society. 44. Represent RDI in appropriate health forums and communicate with credibility, discretion and respect for partner roles. 6. Decision authority and accountability Within approved strategies, budgets, policies and partnership agreements, the Program Director will have delegated authority to coordinate programme design and delivery, recommend staffing and procurement decisions, convene partner reviews, approve routine programme actions, and escalate material exceptions. Formal financial, contractual, HR and clinical authorities will remain subject to RDI's delegation-of-authority framework and applicable partner agreements. Clinical accountability: The Program Director may coordinate and monitor clinical services but will not independently issue clinical protocols, credential practitioners or make individual patient-care decisions unless appropriately licensed, appointed and authorised to do so. 7. Key working relationships 45. Internal. Global CEO RDI; RDI leadership; hospital management; health programme staff; finance, HR, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, communications, legal/compliance and resource-development teams. 46. External stakeholders. Relevant federal and provincial authorities; Gilgit-Baltistan health authorities; regulators; professional councils; donors; universities; referral institutions; community representatives and civil-society partners. 8. Required qualifications and experience Essential 47. A postgraduate degree in public health, health services or hospital management, medicine, nursing, allied health, health economics, health policy or another directly relevant field. 48. At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in health programmes, hospital or health-system management, including at least five years in a senior leadership role. 49. Demonstrated experience managing complex institutional partnerships, preferably involving hospitals, academic institutions, government and development partners. 50. Strong record in programme strategy, annual planning, budgeting, team leadership, quality improvement, results management and risk oversight. 51. Practical understanding of clinical governance, patient safety, diagnostics, mental health services, referral systems and health-workforce development. 52. Experience developing proposals, budgets and partnerships for programme growth or sustainability. 53. Excellent written and spoken English and Urdu, with strong report-writing, negotiation and presentation skills. 54. Ability and willingness to travel frequently to Gilgit-Baltistan and other programme locations. Desirable 55. A recognised clinical qualification. Where the appointee will undertake clinical practice, current registration with the relevant professional body will be mandatory. 56. Experience in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, rural or hard-to-reach settings, or with culturally diverse communities. 57. Experience commissioning or expanding a hospital, diagnostic service, mental health facility or allied health training institution. 58. Knowledge of health-facility accreditation, provincial health-care commission standards, data-protection requirements and donor compliance. 59. Competence in one or more languages spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan would be an advantage. 9. Leadership competencies 60. Strategic integration. Sees the whole health system and connects facilities, communities, training, evidence and finance into one portfolio. 61. Partnership stewardship. Builds trust, clarifies roles, manages tension constructively and protects shared accountability. 62. Quality and ethical judgement. Places patient safety, dignity, confidentiality and professional standards above short-term convenience. 63. Execution discipline. Converts strategy into owners, milestones, budgets, dashboards and follow-through. 64. People leadership. Sets high expectations while coaching teams, encouraging learning and respecting diverse expertise. 65. Financial and commercial acumen. Understands costs, service economics, affordability and sustainable financing without compromising mission. 66. Communication and influence. Communicates complex issues clearly to clinicians, boards, partners, communities and funders. 67. Resilience and adaptability. Works effectively amid geographic constraints, institutional complexity and evolving programme conditions. 10. Indicative performance measures The final performance agreement will be approved annually and include baselines, targets, data sources and shared accountabilities. Indicative measures include: 68. Approval and execution of the integrated health strategy, annual workplan and budget. 69. Delivery of partner commitments and effectiveness of joint-governance arrangements. 70. Hospital and service performance across access, utilisation, quality, safety, patient experience, workforce and finance. 71. Readiness and performance of diagnostic and mental health services against approved standards. 72. Allied health enrolment, completion, certification, placement and employment outcomes, disaggregated by gender and relevant inclusion factors. 73. Timeliness and quality of reporting, data integrity, audit closure, incident follow-up and regulatory compliance. 74. Team performance, retention, capability development and cross-functional collaboration. 75. Value and maturity of the health funding pipeline and resources mobilised. 11. Duty station, travel and working arrangements The position will be based in Pakistan. The final duty station and detailed working arrangements will be confirmed by RDI before appointment. The role may require availability outside normal working hours for urgent operational, safety or partner matters. 12. Values, safeguarding and equal opportunity The Program Director must demonstrate integrity, respect, inclusion, accountability and commitment to the dignity of patients, learners, staff and communities. Appointment will be subject to RDI's recruitment checks and applicable safeguarding, conflict-of-interest, confidentiality and code-of-conduct requirements. RDI is committed to merit-based recruitment and encourages qualified women and candidates with experience serving remote and underserved communities to apply. 13. Appointment terms Contract duration, probation, compensation, benefits and other terms will be determined in accordance with RDI's approved HR policies and the final recruitment package.

Required skills

Health Strategy & Programme Development, Hospital / Health-System Management, Strategic Planning & Annual Work Planning, Programme Design & Implementation, Budgeting & Financial Management, Resource Mobilisation & Fundraising, Proposal & Grant Development, Partnership & Stakeholder Management, Team Leadership & People Management, Quality Improvement & Quality Management, Risk Management & Compliance, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL), Results Management & Performance Dashboards, Clinical Governance & Patient Safety, Diagnostic Services Management, Mental Health Programme Management, Referral Systems & Continuum of Care, Health Workforce Development Community Engagement & Accountability, Safeguarding & Ethical Standards, Data Management, Privacy & Confidentiality, Operational Planning & Service Expansion, Procurement & Supply Chain Oversight, Financial Sustainability & Service Economics

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