USAID Project Management Specialist (MNCH/FP)

Description

• Solicitation No. 120/18 opened to all Mission employees and external candidates who meet the stated qualifications
• Closing Date for Receipt of Offers: October 10, 2018
• Position Title: USAID Project Management Specialist (MNCH/FP)
• Market Value: FSN 12 (in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Mozambique). Final compensation will be negotiated within the market value. Salary range is US$ US$65,020-US$91,024
• Period of Performance: One year. The contract will be renewed as long as there is a need for this position, funds are available, and subject to satisfactory performance
• Place of performance: Maputo, Mozambique
• Security Level Required: Security Certification
• The USAID Project Management Specialist (MNCH/FP Team Lead) is a health expert who serves as the Mission’s senior technical expert and advisor on reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH), providing expert technical advice, leadership, and strategic direction for USAID/Mozambique under the framework of USAID’s global priority of Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths (PCMD). S/he serves as the Health Office’s primary technical expert on quality improvement in RMNCH and will work across the Health Office to ensure strong integration within USAID-supported programs
• The USAID Project Management Specialist (MNCH/FP Team Lead) serves as a key representative of the Health Office to the Government of Mozambique and Ministry of Health and other development partners, through Technical Working Groups and other relevant fora, while also serving as Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) and/or Activity Manager of multiple activities in the health portfolio
• The Specialist leads a team of approximately two technical staff and one Program Assistant engaged in initiating, managing, and evaluating programs/projects/activities in the areas of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, and related areas, personally and by providing direct supervision and assistance to all Division staff members. S/he reports directly to the PCMD Division Chief

Duties

Strategic and Technical Leadership: 35% of the time

• Provide analysis, expert advice, and recommendations to senior Mission management and staff regarding the formulation of Mission strategy for assistance in RMNCH and on the management and implementation of related activities in the Mission’s portfolio; identify short and long-range achievable, sustainable strategies and participate, as required, in the development of Mission strategic plans, results analysis, resource requests, and other strategic planning and reporting documentation
• Serve as the authority and principal technical resource on RMNCH for the Mission. Provide expert technical advice, leadership, and strategic direction on Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths (PCMD) on behalf of USAID/Mozambique in policy dialogue and planning undertaken in collaboration with Mozambican authorities and partners, other USG agencies, and development partners; represent USAID/Mozambique at meetings, seminars, and conferences on RMNCH
• Maintain close contact, provide technical advice, and engage in policy dialogue as appropriate with staff and senior representatives of the Ministry of Health, the civil society community, relevant private sector entities, international organizations, and foreign donors active in providing assistance, as well as with USAID implementing partners and other U.S. Government agencies; participate in relevant technical working groups, serving in leadership roles as appropriate
• Facilitate coordination of USAID RMNCH activities across the office’s four Divisions, as well as with those of other development partners and the GRM
• Continuously gather information about, and keep current on, developments pertaining to RMNCH in Mozambique and globally, reporting such developments as required to Mission management and staff. Ensure that all activities are consistent with internationally accepted best practices and relevant to Mozambique. Keep abreast of innovations within the field of RMNCH and promote the introduction of key innovations that have the potential to accelerate progress towards USAID/Mozambique and GRM goals
• Prepare, present and disseminate materials, briefings, reports, etc. on USAID-supported RMNCH programs, USAID strategies and priorities, and technical topics on a regular basis. Present briefings from USAID-supported programs and/or operational research findings in national, regional, and international conferences and meetings
• Liaise with technical advisors at USAID/Washington to ensure alignment of Mission activities with USAID global priorities and strategies

Supervision and Staff Management: 30% of the time

• Supervise and manage two cooperating country national (CCN) technical staff (FSN-11) and one CCN Program Management Assistant (FSN-8) as team lead of MNCH/FP team
• Provide general guidance to MNCH/FP team staff on overall office responsibilities and monitor and evaluate the performance
• Provide mentoring and coaching to MNCH/FP Team in order to strengthen and develop their potential as technical leaders and project managers
• Support professional development by identifying strengths and weaknesses and providing feedback, and designing training programs to address these needs

Program Management: 35% of the time

• Serve as activity manager and Contracting/Agreement Officer Representative of bilateral and USAID/Washington-funded activities in the health portfolio
• Identify and resolve program issues, and ensure that activities are carried out in accordance with all applicable Mission and Agency directives and requirements
• Ensure technical quality of all project activities, and coordinate technical inputs from Health Office technical advisors, and ensure alignment of a project with Health Office and Ministry of Health strategic priorities
• Oversee the quality of USAID-supported clinical interventions. Collaborate closely with implementing partners to ensure continuous quality improvement and ongoing refinement of activities to support evolving needs and challenges within the health sector
• Monitor implementing partner performance and work with MCHN/FP Team members to analyze data, develop plans for addressing weak performance, and learn from areas of strong performance. Oversee the review and documentation of implementing partner performance through regular site visits, routine reports, and assessments/evaluations; ensure that issues are identified in a timely manner and that recommended follow-up actions are carried out

Program Planning and Development

• Participate in the Mission’s annual planning process. Provide technical leadership in the development of the Health Implementation Plan
• Lead and participate in the planning and design of new Health Office projects and activities related to RMNCH
• Provide strategic guidance to Health Office and Mission management to ensure the development of high-impact, feasible approaches which are responsive to GRM and USG priorities. Regularly review global evidence and MOH and USAID program results, and actively incorporate findings into the planning and development of new programs
• Serve as a day-to-day liaison with the GRM as well as international organizations, and foreign donors engaged in providing assistance for RMNCH. Ensure that all Mission RMNCH activities support Mozambican national policies and plans and are coordinated with relevant national and local authorities and that they are coordinated with, complementary to, and supportive of similar assistance activities of other development partners
• Maintain strong relationships with other development partners and donors, as well as private sector entities, both in Mozambique and internationally. Actively identify areas of potential coordination, collaboration, and leveraging of resources in support of the Mission’s RMNCH objectives
• Provide technical expertise as part of the annual work planning process for all activities related to RMNCH. Engage closely with implementing partners and the Ministry of Health to ensure that work plans are technically sound and reflect USAID RMNCH priorities and strategies
• Ensure active coordination and integration of RMNCH activities with other relevant Health Office and Mission activities. Maintain a strong working knowledge of health systems strengthening, nutrition, and other relevant activities; identify areas for collaboration, coordination, and integration in order to maximize the effectiveness of USAID support

Program Monitoring and Evaluation

• Provide technical oversight and expertise in the development of performance indicators for USAID/Mozambique RMNCH activities. Track program activities and results against established performance and impact indicators
• Regularly conduct site visits to USAID-supported RMNCH programs to ensure sound implementation of planned activities and to provide technical assistance to implementing partners and the Ministry of Health
• Collaborate with other Mission staff to ensure strong documentation of USAID-supported RMNCH activities, in support of PCMD goals. Support implementing partner and Health Office staff to disseminate learning within relevant fora both locally and globally
• Oversee the review and documentation of implementing partner performance through regular site visits, routine reports, assessments/evaluations, and participation in technical working groups and other fora to monitor activities; Ensure that issues are identified in a timely manner and that recommended follow-up actions are carried out
• Participate in the Mission’s annual reporting process. Provide technical leadership in reviewing progress through the Performance Plan and Report

Area of Consideration

• To meet basic eligibility requirements, the applicant must be a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country. Applicants must submit a complete application as outlined in Section IV. The selected applicant is required to undergo and successfully pass a medical and security clearance. This position is open to all Mission employees and  external candidates who meet the stated qualifications
• Physical Demands: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands
• Point of Contact: Mission-Maputo-HR@usaid.gov

  Evaluation and Selection Factors

• Candidates will be evaluated based on relevant education, prior work experience knowledge, language, skills and abilities demonstrated in their applications, tests, and interviews.  This is a local position and compensation will be in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan

Requisites

• A minimum of US equivalent Master’s degree in medicine is required
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the health sector is required of which at least five years managing national/provincial level health programs, with a focus on RMNCH
• Level IV fluency (speaking/reading/writing) in English and Portuguese are required. (Language proficiency will be tested)
• The job holder is required to have expert specialist knowledge of RMNCH issues and interventions and detailed knowledge about other health areas, including quality improvement and health systems strengthening. This should include expert knowledge about GRM policies, regulations, program priorities and key planning documents related to RMNCH, as well as global objectives, strategies, and ongoing technological developments. Detailed knowledge of evaluation methodology is also required. Detailed knowledge of team management techniques to plan, organize, and direct multidisciplinary teams and activities are required
• Job holder must have a detailed and broad knowledge of the health sector in Mozambique, including host-country institutions, strategies policies, objectives, development perspectives, political structure, and environment, particularly as related to RMNCH. The job holder must have a detailed and broad knowledge of the environment for health care delivery at the national, regional, district and community level and the knowledge of routine healthcare information systems available in the country
• Job holder must have detailed knowledge of the structure and function of development partners supporting RMNCH in Mozambique, as well as an understanding of the work and current projects of other collaborating and donor agencies
• Strong oral and written communications skills are required to develop and maintain effective, sustainable working relationships for the achievement of results with diverse national and international working partners in a cross-cultural setting; ability to clearly communicate new program and technical concepts to technical and non-technical counterparts are required. Strong leadership and coordination skills are required to lead a results-driven team, motivate individuals and influence professional working groups
• Ability to readily analyze, understand, and discuss new program design, management, and implementation approaches as well as to identify priority actions, generate and complete work plans within short time frames is required. This includes the development of evaluation designs, use of reliable and valid instruments, and methods for data collection, analysis, and reports
• Ability to exercise considerable ingenuity and tact in applying guidelines to unique and different settings is required as well as demonstrated attention to details, excellent organizational skills, and personal initiative in the management of multiple tasks within tight time deadlines
• Considerable innovation will be required to influence other collaborative organizations engaged in health and development programs to adopt appropriate strategies for their program activities. Strong user level of word processing, spreadsheets and databases is required as well as strong quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills and their application to the interpretation of program monitoring and evaluation data
• Developed presentation/public speaking skills are required; job holder must be able to prepare, present and disseminate materials, briefings, reports, etc. on USAID-supported RMNCH programs, USAID strategies and priorities, and technical topics

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Please note that USAID and the U.S. Government NEVER require payment of any money in connection with a job application
• The U.S.  mission is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status