Opportunity in Abuja, Nigeria
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted through ZemiTek partnered with CAMRIS International, to recruit and hire a qualified individual for the following position:
Title: Acting Health Systems and Strategic Information Team Lead for Nigeria (Consultant)
United States Agency for International Development/Bureau of Africa/ Nigeria Mission
With more than 30 years’ experience providing information technology (IT) and management consulting services worldwide, Rosa Caldas, formed ZemiTek in 2007. Based in the Washington, DC metro area, ZemiTek delivers solutions to the federal government by supporting agencies such as USAID, US Patent and Trademark Office, US Department of Justice, US Department of Agriculture, and Department of Homeland Security, among others; and internationally to their missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
CAMRIS International is among the top 20 USAID contractors for the third year in a row. CAMRIS realizes innovative solutions to health and development challenges through high-quality, cost-effective programs and research management services. With experience working in more than 80 countries, CAMRIS combines proven systems with today’s most effective, evidence-based best practices to improve the lives of people around the world.
BACKGROUND:
Within USAID/Nigeria, the HPN Office leads the Mission’s primary health care improvement activities which aim to increase access to high quality health care services that will reduce morbidity and mortality among women and children in priority states in Nigeria. The Office’s Health Systems and Strategic Information Team consists of five health professionals—a Team Leader, a Commodities and Logistics Manager, a Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, a Healthcare Finance Manager, and a Social Behavior Change Communication Manager. In July 2018, the incumbent Team Leader departed post and the position has been vacant since that time. Given the critical nature of this position at this time for Mission programming, we are looking to bring in a consultant to serve as Acting Team Lead to move important project activities forward and lead the team of health professionals.
The HSSI Team Lead is required to provide leadership, guidance, and overall direction on the planning, implementation and monitoring of strategic information (SI) in the HPN Office’s portfolio. The Team Lead shall serve as the SI expert for all HPN Office activities in Nigeria and represent USAID at meetings with the government and donors, and at the USG interagency level.
The Advisor shall lead the HSSI Team, which will include at least four foreign service national (FSN) staff. This will require regular contact, coordination, and collaboration with different Government of Nigeria (GON) agencies including the Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Population Council, development partners, civil society, the private sector and other implementing partners.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The HSSI Team Lead, individually and through subordinate staff members, shall perform the following duties:
Strategic and Technical Leadership (50%)
* Provide technical direction, strategic planning and oversight of the implementation of HPN Health Systems and Strategic Information activities at the strategic objective and project level, and ensure that planned development results are achieved in a highly efficient, effective and timely manner, consistent with USAID regulations, policies and development principles. The Team Lead shall manage and oversee services and deliverables provided by contractors and grantees, in accordance with USAID program management regulations and procedures, and practices.
* Provide day-to-day oversight of activities related to health information systems and strategic information implemented by the HPN Office.
* Lead and provide technical input into the development of public health evaluations, operational research, program assessments, and national surveys (such as the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, Nigeria Verbal Autopsy and Social Autopsy (VASA), Service Provision Assessment, Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) and the national Malaria Indicator Survey, and the Nigerian Population and Housing Census).
* Maintain familiarity with current literature and best practices in HSS and strategic information relevant to health in Nigeria, especially in regard to health finance, performance monitoring; program level data gathering/validation; trend monitoring and reporting; implementation of public health evaluations and special studies; health management information systems, national surveillance systems and population based surveys.
* Advise the HPN Office Director and Mission management on the status of HPN performance. As a senior-level professional, coordinate with relevant stakeholders, provide program oversight, and exercise independent technical and professional judgment in organizing, planning and supervising program implementation, including routine site visits. Manage relationships and assignments independently with minimal supervision and limited guidance.
* Provide strategic and technical leadership and guidance, direction or assistance to the following organizations as described below.
Program/Project Management (25%)
* Provide review and approval of work plans, project budgets, performance monitoring plans, quarterly and annual reports, and other key documents for managed activities.
* Provide guidance on new program initiatives, drafts program documents to secure funding and implement activities, and manages the relationships between USAID and USAID implementing partners.
* Provide technical assistance in capacity building, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation to key USAID governmental and nongovernmental partners, to ensure that they develop measurable plans and objectives for implementation of innovative and effective HPN projects.
* Provide oversight to ensure that programs achieve sound programmatic and financial management, achieve anticipated results, are linked to and enhance attainment of strategic objectives, are aligned with GON priorities and are implemented within the framework of the USG foreign assistance policies. Work closely with other U.S. Mission and Agency staff to ensure effective coordination and alignment of USG programs.
* Conduct regular site visits to monitor activity progress and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations.
Collaboration and Communication (25%)
* Work with GON institutions, development partners, and other key stakeholders to support the strengthening of key government health systems at the national, district and community level. This includes representing USAID on technical working group meetings on related issues.
* Proactively develop effective partnerships with senior and technical representatives from the GON, foreign embassies providing development assistance, international donor organizations, multilateral organizations, local and international NGOs, private international organizations, senior USG officials and USAID and CDC technical staff.
DELIVERABLES AND ACTIVITIES:
The Acting HSSI Team Lead will:
* Provide leadership, technical assistance, and capacity building to the HSSI Team with an objective of increasing the internal team capacity, which may include training new staff members in USAID policies and procedures.
* Support Project Management Specialists’ activities in work plan development, budget and pipeline reviews, quarterly programmatic reviews, and project monitoring/site visits.
* Provide support to the start-up and management of the newly awarded research and evaluation activities.
* Provide support to the development of concept notes, Project Appraisal Document (PAD) amendments, program descriptions, and other required procurement actions for new HSSI-focused projects.
* Provide support to the development of portfolio reviews, operational plans, and other required reports.
Deliverable / Milestone
Timelines & Deadlines (estimated)
1 Project Appraisal Document (PAD) amendments, activity descriptions, and other required procurement documents for two new project designs.
April – June 2019
2 Technical review and feedback back on FY19 Q2 programmatic and financial reports from Breakthrough Action, Breakthrough Research, GHSC-PSM, and Health Policy Plus projects
May 2019
3 Support timely and quality planning and preparation for start-up of two new evaluation activities and commencement of key activities by the implementing partner
April – June 2019
4 Preparation of materials (activity sheets, analyses, recommendations) for semi-annual Mission Portfolio Review
April 2019
5 Review of, feedback and recommendations on preliminary reports for two program evaluations scheduled to commence in March 2019
April – May 2019
7 A final report of actions conducted, recommendations, and results achieved.
July 2019
* Master’s Degree in international development, public health or related field with additional training in health systems strengthening, strategic information, M&E, epidemiology/biostatistics, quality assurance or survey methodology.
* Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience designing and implementing health systems strengthening, health monitoring and evaluation, and health strategic information programs in developing countries, preferably in the areas of maternal and child health, nutrition, family planning and/or malaria.
* Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of state of the art approaches to health systems strengthening as well as monitoring and evaluation methodologies employed to measure and analyze results from health interventions, strong ability to report on findings in clear, succinct, standardized formats.
* Demonstrated experience providing effective oversight of health systems strengthening program activities and budgets.
* Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, ability to work in a multi-cultural team environment, and ability to take on leadership roles within a technical area or team.
* Demonstrated experience working closely and collaboratively with senior managerial and technical host-country counterparts, donors, government decision makers at central and decentralized levels, and other stakeholders in a developing country.
More Information
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