The Associate Director, Quality of Care oversees the Quality of Care (QOC) team, which is responsible for enhancing health systems strengthening and abortion quality improvement programs, strengthening pathways to care, including self-care, and facilitating the development of network quality standards and clinical recommendations for the Ipas Network. QOC is part of the Technical Exchange Collective (TEX), a global team of SRH experts that works to foster technical innovation, learning, and exchange across the Ipas Network and among partners to advance reproductive justice and abortion access and rights globally. The Associate Director, QOC is a member of the TEX leadership team, which works to create greater country program impact by supporting the use of technical strategies and tailored interventions designed to meet the needs and preferences of priority stakeholders and in alignment with Ipas’s Sustainable Abortion Ecosystem and strategic framework.
The Associate Director, Quality of Care is a subject matter expert on clinical and programmatic quality of care in the full continuum of abortion and contraceptive care, with an emphasis on broadening pathways to care and addressing the needs and wants of care seekers. They set the direction for ongoing technical exchange and learning in priority technical areas in collaboration with the QOC team members and other teams within TEX. They supervise and mentor high-level technical staff and focus the team on creating greater program impact. They oversee the team’s response to network requests in a timely manner while managing global scopes and priorities They provide technical leadership and integrate emerging clinical and programmatic issues into Ipas strategic approaches and fundraising efforts, and maintain high-level strategic partnerships externally.
Hiring range for a US-based candidate is $152,000 to $162,000.00. Compensation for this position will be determined by the prevailing market rate in the employee's country* and the applicable statutory laws, in addition to Ipas's own pay philosophy and other factors, such as the employee's experience level and expertise.
*This position may work remotely from any of the following US states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, NC, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA. Additionally, the position may work remotely from any of the following countries outside of the US: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya/Alliance locations, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, and Zambia.
Strategic and Technical Leadership
- Leads the technical strategy for Quality of Care (QOC) to drive impact at the network level.
- Sets and maintains network-wide quality standards for QOC, guiding the team in developing tools and resources to support country teams in meeting these standards.
- Oversees the development of evidence-based standards for technical and clinical excellence, including Ipas clinical guidance (e.g., www.ipas.org/clinicalupdates).
- Provides strategic technical expertise and advocacy on national and international committees and boards, representing Ipas at professional forums.
- Oversees strategies for clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, and pathway strengthening, and presents related updates to the Ipas Board of Directors as needed.
- Coordinates with global clinical colleagues to ensure integration of emerging medical trends and evidence-based practices across the organization.
- Works closely with the TEX leadership team to ensure technical scopes are integrated, coordinated, and aligned for maximum network-wide impact.
Team Leadership & Operations
- Accountable for the recruitment, hiring, supervision, and professional development of the QOC team.
- Provides mentorship and peer-review for clinical staff to strengthen evidence-based practice in program implementation.
- Identifies, prioritizes, and assigns technical support across the team, ensuring alignment with QOC quality standards.
- Oversees team performance to ensure efficient, timely, and budget-compliant delivery of team goals.
- Manages team-level financial planning and ensures appropriate staffing levels.
Learning, Knowledge Sharing & External Engagement
- Oversees coordination of learning and knowledge-sharing activities related to QOC, such as communities of practice, webinars, and trainings.
- Ensures documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, trends, and best practices across regions and with key stakeholders, including Ipas leadership, the Board, donors, and external audiences.
- Leads the documentation and publication of Ipas’s programmatic outcomes and research related to QOC.
- Oversees support for global recruitment and onboarding of in-country technical staff.
- Builds strategic partnerships externally—especially with medical professionals and advocates—to amplify impact and advance Ipas’s mission.
Minimum Requirements
- 12+ years of relevant work experience with increasing responsibilities in management of teams
- Clinical degree (e.g., OB/GYN, Family Physician, Advanced Practice Provider, Midwifery, Nursing)
- Experience supervising, coaching and motivating high-level technical staff in a multi-disciplinary team, with focus on encouraging continued growth, shared leadership, and peer support.
- Demonstrated strengths in strategic organizational leadership
- Experience working with public and private health systems in low resource settings
- Experience working on self-care/non-facility-based care and community engagement strategies
- Knowledge and experience in international development and reproductive health and rights
- Ability to represent Ipas externally, including communications and negotiations with partners
- Demonstrated cross-cultural communication skills essential (across technical disciplines and societal norms)
- Demonstrated fundraising experience and donor relationship management
- Ability to express ideas in highly technical writing and clinical research simply
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Ability to travel 20%
Preferred
- Research and clinical training experience (Family Planning Fellowship or equivalent)
- Experience working with Ministries of Health; health professional organizations and international stakeholders
- Demonstrated experience in the achievement of goals in global and matrixed organizational structures
- MPH or other relevant degree
- Strong advocacy and public speaking skills
- Fluency in one or more languages commonly spoken in Ipas program countries other than English
Competencies
Visionary Implementation- You are able to inspire a shared vision for team. You have successfully helped your staff learn, grow, and thrive in their work. You are known as a visionary whose feet are on the ground. You think big with others and have what it takes to see it through.
Critical Guidance and Conflict Management
Has the skills to face conflict and provide critical guidance with empathy and facts. Can deliver difficult feedback with care. Encourages team members to share their concerns directly and helps develop the skills to make it a productive and valued experience. Understands the benefits of conflict and supports colleagues to embrace different perspectives, learn from others, to understand themselves and co-create new ideas. .
Humble- You realize what you don’t know is a lot more than what you know, and you don’t care who gets credit for real progress. You relish the challenge of driving change through persuasion and influence, not delegation.
Self-Awareness. Demonstrates a high degree of self-awareness and capacity to notice and address the overt or subtle impact of how personal socialization and workstyle affects others. Understands power dynamics and continuously seeks to dismantle patterns of neocolonialism with grace and compassion. Welcomes feedback and provides it with skill.
Simplify- You quickly distill complexity to essential and simple concepts and approaches.
Ipas se compromete firmemente a proporcionar un entorno de trabajo que esté libre de todas las formas de acoso, discriminación e inequidad. Contratamos, empleamos, capacitamos, promovemos y compensamos a nuestro personal sin distinción de raza, edad, sexo, religión, nacionalidad, color, religión, ascendencia, ciudadanía, casta, origen étnico, identidad regional, identidad tribal, estado civil, condición de veterano, servicio militar, discapacidad, información genética, identidad de género, expresión de género, condición de transgénero, orientación sexual o cualquier otra característica personal protegida por la ley o detallada en la política de Ipas. Ipas reconoce que estas características personales pueden ser distintas en diferentes contextos.