Jobs at:
Maternal and Child Survival Program

Vacancy title:
Child Health Advisor

Deadline of this Job:
5.00pm October 14th 2016

Duty Station:
Kampala, Uganda

Job details:
The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) is USAID's global maternal, neonatal and child health integrated technical support program. MCSP engages governments, policy makers, private sector leaders, health care providers, civil society, faith-based organisations and communities in adopting and accelerating proven approaches to address the major causes of maternal, newborn and child mortality and improve the quality of health services from household to hospital.

To facilitate scale up and adoption of best practices from previous interventions, USAID has requested MCSP to implement an 18 months long integrated Maternal Newborn and Child health (MNCH) project in Uganda starting November 2016. The project will be implemented in five districts of Eastern region of Uganda managed by John Snow Inc. (JSI) on behalf of the global MCSP program.

MCSP in Uganda would like to fill the following positions:

Child Health Advisor (Mbale or Kampala)

Reporting to the Team Lead, with support from the COP and the MCSP Senior Child Health Advisor based in Washington, DC, the Child Health Advisor will lead implementation of key child health interventions that lead to sustainable improvements in child health indicators in selected districts in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The Child Health Advisor will be responsible for providing technical oversight and program management of child health W0rk plan activities, working in close collaboration with the Team Lead, COP and other senior technical staff.

In line with the Uganda Sharpened Plan for RMNCAH, the Child Health Advisor will work closely with the MOH and select districts in the Eastern Region to support implementation of a package of low cost, high impact, evidence based child health interventions that can be applied at different levels of the health system to contribute to further reductions in child mortality.

Overall responsibilities
The Child Health Advisor will provide technical leadership and overall management of all child health related activities in the MCSP MCNH work plan.

Specific responsibilities:
Technical support

• Contribute to the capacity building of HCWs and supervisor competencies, knowledge and skills in IMNCI through trainings, mentorship, meetings and workshops
• Strengthen supportive supervision for IMNCI at the district and sub-district level
• Develop strategies for improving and monitoring the forecasting, procurement and logistics/supply management of quality first line drugs for childhood illnesses and create and support initiatives that increase the availability of all child health essential commodities at all levels of implementation
• Work with district leadership and staff to ensure that program data is regularly used to inform planning and decision-making; serve as a champion for documentation and strategic dissemination of best practices and lessons learned
• Compile and analyze data for performance monitoring of the program technical area and utilize the data to take corrective actions
• Provide leadership for Quality Assurance and Quality improvement measures for IMNCI and other relevant child health activities

Leadership and coordination

• Provide technical leadership in advocating for the prevention and treatment of childhood illness in Uganda by participating in relevant working groups
• Coordinate and collaborate with other child survival efforts nationally and in the selected districts to strengthen the treatment for childhood pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria

Policy and regulation

• Advocate with the MoH and relevant partners for increasing access to essential childhood commodities at all levels

Qualifications

• Medical doctor, preferably with a Master’s degree in public health
• Minimum ten years of public health technical and program management experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Uganda health system, and ability to build and sustain strong relationships with key national and global partners in child health-including representatives from MoH, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector
• Strong knowledge of child health issues and the evidence behind successful approaches to diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia control along with a proven track record in working to improve child health; experience working with IMNCI and iCCM an advantage
• Successful experience forging results-oriented partnerships and alliances and building and maintaining effective multi-stakeholder partnerships
• High degree of analytical skill, political acumen and the ability to facilitate change, influence decision-makers and communicate key advocacy messages effectively and convincingly to a diverse audience at local, national and international levels
• Ability to develop, implement and monitor project activities, including documenting project learning
• Previous experience working with USAID or other donors and multilateral agencies
• Demonstrated leadership, team building and problem solving skills
• Excellent technical writing and oral presentation skills, including ability to communicate complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily understandable manner V
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications, data management and analysis software packages such as MS Excel, MS Access, SPSS, STATA, Epi info
• Ability and willingness to travel within the Eastern Region at least 50% of the time

Job application procedure
These positions will be hired by JSI. Please send CV and cover letter to MCSPUgandaHR@jsi.com with the words “MNCH FAM, MNCH Child Health Advisor and MNCH ME&L Officer as the e-mail subject according to your application. JSI offers competitive salary and benefits. Only short listed candidates will be notified. The closing time is 5:00pm October 14, 2016.

JSI is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer committed to workplace diversity. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, disability, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual preference, genetic information, political affiliation, or protected veteran status in any employment decisions. M/F/V/D