Remote Director Strategic Operations Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Director, Strategic Information/Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (SI/MEL), Health Programs is a strategic leader within FHI 360, responsible for the technical leadership and strategic direction of strategic information, monitoring, evaluation, analytics, data systems, and learning (SI/MEL) across the Health Programs (HP) portfolio within the Programs and Research Group (PRG). This role provides technical and operational oversight to a division comprised of multiple project SI/MEL teams, fosters innovation, and ensures the delivery of high-quality, timely, and actionable data aligned with organizational objectives and donor requirements. The Senior Director establishes and continually refines SI/MEL frameworks, approaches, tools, and activities; identifies specialized partnership needs; and engages qualified partners to ensure technical performance. Working across FHI 360 Health Programs projects and country portfolios, the Senior Director strengthens the integration of surveillance, MEL, data management, analytics, and digital health systems, in close collaboration with project SI/MEL leadership teams to ensure coherence, technical alignment, and mutual learning across initiatives. The Senior Director collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to gather and share evidence, lessons learned, and best practices to drive continuous improvement and organizational impact. They also provide business analytics to maintain and expand market share in the relevant domain and represent FHI 360 as a thought leader in strategic information, health informatics, and data-driven program improvement. Engagement with country and field teams is exercised primarily through project SI/MEL leadership; direct, hands-on support to field teams is expected on bilateral awards and is provided to global projects at the request of project leadership. Their decisions are guided by organizational strategy and have significant short- and long-term impacts on public health and development outcomes.
RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES
Complexity & Problem Solving:

• Navigates complex and technically demanding SI/MEL challenges inherent in project implementation, requiring innovative approaches and deep analytical skills.
• Offers strategic direction and innovative SI/MEL solutions for portfolio-specific challenges.
• Analyzes project performance against indicator targets, data quality assessments, and portfolio-level trends, and identifies areas for improvement.
• Recommends actionable solutions to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
• Fosters innovation and shares best practices to drive organizational impact.
• Contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.
• Resolves methodological and measurement problems that cross awards - conflicting indicator definitions, non-comparable denominators, data quality gaps, and evaluation design trade-offs - and sets the technical standard to be applied across the portfolio.
• Strengthens institutional data governance, interoperability, and integration of information systems, including DHIS2, EMRs, LMIS, and custom databases.
• Ensures project data systems meet donor reporting standards (e.g., DATIM, DIS, DHIS2, MER indicators) and support programmatic decision-making at all levels.

Discretion & Impact:

• Exercises discretion over SI/MEL technical and methodological matters with direct impact on project outcomes and organizational success.
• Makes decisions on resource allocation, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Influences portfolio performance and reputation.
• Decisions contribute to achieving organizational objectives and driving positive change.
• Impacts both short- and long-term public health outcomes.
• Sets and enforces portfolio-wide SI/MEL technical standards; erroneous methodological or reporting decisions may result in inaccurate performance reporting to donors, audit findings, or critical delays in schedules.
• Provides strategic insights that directly inform organizational strategy and programmatic priorities.

Collaboration & Interaction:

• Engages with internal and external stakeholders to gather and share evidence, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Fosters partnerships with project teams, donors, and implementing partners.
• Facilitates communication and knowledge exchange to enhance project outcomes.
• Communication style is characterized by transparency, collaboration, and teamwork.
• Works cross-functionally to achieve common goals and drive organizational impact.
• Establishes and maintains relationships across FHI 360, including with all Groups and Enterprise Support colleagues.
• Serves as senior technical advisor to project leadership, to the SI/MEL Directors and Advisors assigned to FHI 360's global health projects, and to headquarters management.
• Provides high-level technical guidance on surveillance and data use for epidemic control, global health security, and cross-cutting health programs (HIV, TB, RMNCH, malaria, AMR, etc.).
• Supports proposal development by providing SI/MEL technical input, writing relevant sections, and contributing to results frameworks; promotes knowledge management and learning by synthesizing lessons learned, disseminating best practices, and contributing to publications and conferences.
• Builds capacity of FHI 360 technical teams and local partners in data management, visualization, and use of evidence for decision-making.

Management & Supervision:

• Oversees SI/MEL implementation across the projects within their division.
• Provides leadership and guidance to project teams.
• Sets strategic direction, manages budgets, and ensures programmatic quality.
• Focuses on fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.
• Manages project staff and shapes the portfolio structure for optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
• Leads a team of seasoned technical experts, handling supervision, performance management, and professional development.
• Embraces other duties as assigned, contributing to the team's multifaceted and evolving responsibilities.
• Provides matrixed, dotted-line technical oversight of the SI/MEL Directors of FHI 360's global health projects, who continue to report administratively to their respective project leadership; sets technical performance expectations for these roles and contributes to their performance reviews in coordination with their line managers.
• Delineates portfolio- and project-level roles: project SI/MEL Directors remain accountable for award-specific deliverables - work plans, PMPs, indicator definitions, donor reporting, and project data systems - while this position is accountable for cross-portfolio technical standards, methodological quality assurance, staffing and capacity, and the harmonization and comparability of SI/MEL approaches across awards.
• Ensures that Health Programs projects are appropriately staffed and technically supported for SI/MEL: advises on SI/MEL staffing structures and levels of effort, participates in the recruitment and selection of senior SI/MEL positions, orients and onboards new SI/MEL staff, and mobilizes surge or specialist technical support when project needs exceed available capacity.
• Where the position is costed to a bilateral award, or where a global project requests this support, assumes direct responsibility for the SI/MEL activities of that project, including contributing to the finalization and submission of project work plans, performance monitoring plans (PMPs), and quarterly, annual, and other reports. This is not a standing expectation across the portfolio.

QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge & Skills:

• Comprehensive knowledge of project management principles.
• Expertise in program implementation methodologies.
• Proficient in organizational leadership practices.
• Demonstrates expertise in strategic planning, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven track record of driving innovation and achieving impactful outcomes within their division.
• Aims to meet or exceed revenue targets across all segments (USG, foundations/corporations, and other donors).
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic information, MEL, surveillance, and data analytics in large, complex public health or development programs.
• Strong technical command of quantitative and qualitative methods, data visualization, and the use of digital tools (DHIS2, Power BI, Tableau).
• Knowledge of global health and development programming, particularly in global health security, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and health systems strengthening.
• Excellent oral and written communication and analytical skills in English.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or its International Equivalent in Business Administration, International Development, Civil Society, Communication, Social Marketing, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Gender, Health, Nutrition, Research, Technology, Youth, or a related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in project management, overseeing complex projects and initiatives; or 12 years and a master's degree; or 9 years and a PhD; or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience to perform job responsibilities effectively.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in leadership and line management.
• Proven experience leading and managing complex, strategic portfolios of programs/projects on a national or international scale.
• Experience leading teams in complex settings, managing financial and human resources.
• Significant experience working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in a related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification or other recognized project management certification.
• Certifications relevant to research management or organizational leadership.
• We welcome candidates with other relevant certifications or their international equivalents.

TRAVEL
Approximately 25% travel may be required for this role, primarily to engage with stakeholders, oversee project implementation, and attend meetings and events related to portfolio activities.
TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Typical office environment. Constantly uses a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
TECHNOLOGY
Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.
DISCLAIMER
Note the compensation band on the job description is associated with those jobs assigned to the US salary structure and employees paid from US payroll. The compensation band for all national local employees aligns to the compensation structure based on the country location of the job. This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.
Date Created: 06-19-2024 (base template) | Date Revised: 2026-08-03
The expected US Based hiring salary range for this role is listed below. Candidates FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget. For internal candidates, salary placement will also follow FHI 360's current promotional increase guidelines. Final compensation will be determined in accordance with applicable law and FHI 360 policy.
Base salary is only one component of our offer. FHI 360 contributes 7% of monthly base pay to a money purchase pension plan account. Additionally, all US based staff working full-time, which is calculated at 40 hours/week, receive 18 days of paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced pro rata for employees working less than a full-time schedule.
US Based Hiring Salary Range: USD 155,000 - 180,000 annually
International hiring ranges will differ based on location
This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.
FHI 360 is an equal opportunity employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.
Our values and commitments to safeguarding:FHI 360 is committed to preventing any type of abuse, exploitation and harassment in our work environments and programs, including sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment. FHI 360 takes steps to safeguard the welfare of everyone who engages with our organization and programs and requires that all personnel, including staff members and volunteers, share this commitment and sign our code of conduct. All offers of employment will be subject to appropriate screening checks, including reference, criminal record and terrorism finance checks. FHI 360 also participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), facilitated by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. In line with the MDS, we will request information from job applicants' previous employers about any substantiated findings of sexual abu