Health System Strengthening Advisor & Technical Coordinator At PACT Nigeria

Pact West Africa (Nigeria) is a Country Office of Pact, an international non-governmental and non-profit organization with its headquarters in Washington, DC.  We envision a world where everyone owns their own future.  To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant.

Health System Strengthening Advisor & Technical Coordinator

Background

Pact is recruiting for a temporary hire to support the State Accountability and Quality Improvement Project (SAQIP), a maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented in Gombe State. SAQIP primary outcomes are to:

• Improve governance, capacity and performance of the public health system;
• Improve accountability and community participation in the public health system and;
• Increase utilization of public MNCH services.

To achieve this, SAQIP works with the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, including local government area (LGA) health teams, primary health centres, ward development committees and members of mother’s groups who are rural poor women of child bearing age within the eleven LGA’s in the state.

PACT is seeking for a temporary hire to fill the position of Health System strengthening Advisor for a period of 6 months

Position summary

Provides overall technical leadership in quality improvement and MNCH programming with a special focus on Health Systems Strengthening as a member of the central technical team.  Coordinates technical work and advances program quality with attention to assessed gaps in any of the six health system strengthening building block areas as needed.  Specifically supports health system strengthening as it applies to MNCH and its linkages with other sectors of the health system. He/She will Supervise the Service Improvement Officers (SIOs) directly.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, technical assistance and capacity building in health systems strengthening (HSS) and quality improvement of State and Ward level health systems that deliver MNCH services.
• Support program team members to advance policies, strategies, and activities aimed at increasing demand for, access to, and uptake of health services. 
• Strengthen integration and quality of service delivery with community based services for vulnerable populations with a focus on quality improvement activities.
• Support the use of evidence based best practice in service delivery by acting as the lead in identifying and training on state of the art practice in MNCH. 
• Develop, refine, and roll-out HSS tools and approaches for the project, ensuring compliance and alignment with best evidence based practice and national policies. 
• Monitor implementation and quality of technical health activities in all components of the project and develop action plans to address identified gaps.
• Inform and improve health indicators at program and portfolio levels in order to strengthen the capturing and communication of health outcomes and impact. 
• Provide technical leadership on implementation of clinical mentorship, WHO safer birth checklist and Drug Revolving Fund Scheme. 
• Provide coordination of work-plan implementation
• Coordinates project reports and reviews concepts and abstracts
• Provide technical leadership for the implementation of the Drug Revolving Fund support to the Primary Health Care Agency.
• Provide technical leadership on the operationalization of community based Possible Severe Bacterial Infection (PSBI) intervention in Gombe state.
• Support the successful implementation of SAQIP sustainability plans through active engagement of the stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of a Master’s Degree in public health or related program, or social sciences
• At least eight years demonstrated experience in at least three of the following areas: health policy development and operationalization; quality improvement at health care facilities in Nigeria, capacity building among local organizations and/or host country government at various levels; health workforce and professional leadership development; program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
• Relevant computer software skills (including, at a minimum, the standard applications in MS Office), preference for a person with familiarity with mobile technology and an interest in technological innovations in public health practice.
• Ability to work independently, previous supervisory experience, and manage a high-volume work flow.
• A good working experience in Government health sector in Gombe state or with SAQIP is an added advantage.

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their resume/CV on their suitability to: [email protected] The deadline for submission is close of business on Tuesday  19th February 2019, however applications will be considered on a rolling basis. All CV’s/resume/applications MUST be in either word format or PDF. Applicants MUST indicate the position applied for on the SUBJECT of the mail. Note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.