Senior Technical Advisor for Malaria

Overview:

The Senior Technical Advisor will provide technical and program oversight and direction in the area of malaria case management and malaria in pregnancy (MIP) for a USG-funded Malaria program, ZAPIM. This program aims to provide comprehensive support for, and collaborative partnership with, the Zimbabwe National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and to support the NMCP’s established strategy and goals. The project will operate over a five-year period. Responsibilities include providing leadership and technical guidance in the development and implementation of malaria case management and MIP activities under the leadership of the Technical Director and in coordination with other Jhpiego Technical Advisors. They will also support utilizing and contributing to cross-cutting approaches, such as performance improvement and annual phasing in of activities. This position will ensure the technical and methodological soundness of activities and, in collaboration with the project team and partners, support the design of service delivery strategies, based on sound and current scientific evidence. In addition, this position is responsible for identifying potential new business opportunities for Jhpiego to expand our work in malaria and beyond in Zimbabwe. The Senior Technical Advisor will serve as the Jhpiego lead representative in country.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of program activities that address service delivery gaps in CM and malaria in pregnancy at the national, facility and community level including linkages between community and facility
• Promote WHO’s recommendations on intermittent prevention of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) uptake and guideline
• Support malaria elimination efforts
• Support NMCP, NRHP and District Health Management Teams to include male involvement in MIP to improve IPTp uptake, LLIN use and case management for pregnant women
• Assist in sustaining and improving existing databases that monitor achievements in training as well as tracking of training in malaria
• Provide leadership in creating demand for antenatal care services and MIP services to achieve WHO recommendations of three or more doses of IPTp through community approaches targeting pregnant women
• Ensure use of reviewed evidence-based clinical training materials, job aids, and curricula, supportive supervisory systems and other training materials for implementation of MIP in line with the needs of USAID and the Government of Zimbabwe, including pre and post training tests and assisting with implementation of train the trainer sessions, mentoring/capacity building at the individual and organizational level
• Support the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and National RH Program to revitalize and coordinate MIP technical working groups at national and district levels. Actively participate in MIP technical advisory group meetings, and represent Jhpiego in professional forums by participating and presenting in pertinent meetings and conferences
• Work with health care providers, local authorities, community members and program team members to Identify clinical training needs and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs
• Formulate and test sustainable solutions to service delivery gaps, utilizing cross-cutting approaches such as performance and quality improvement and in-service training/pre-service education
• Advocate with national, regional, district and community-level health institutions to raise awareness about their role in improving health outcomes in malaria
• Mobilize national level clinical/technical expertise to resolve clinical issues that affect local public policy or program design
• Analyze potential malaria strategies within the context of the program and explain these, as necessary, to policymakers, funding agencies, and/or program staff
• Guide DHMTs, professional associations, other district stakeholders in the use of evidenced-based standards for competency in malaria CM and MIP
• Conduct regular reporting to the Technical Director, and program and technical staff, of successes, challenges and lessons learned in implementation related to areas of technical expertise
• Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for MIP
• Lead in development and submission of abstracts, papers and presentations to journals and conferences
• As a member of the Jhpiego malaria team, participate in regular meetings including quarterly malaria meetings
• Conduct regular meetings with Baltimore-based Jhpiego staff on project performance, financial progress and new business opportunities

Management:

• Participate in annual work planning and preparation of donor reports
• Contribute to maintaining excellent relationships with USAID and in-country stakeholders and develop rapid responses to USAID/DC and Mission requests
• As part of the technical team, assist in setting program priorities and directions on MIP, and responding to requests for support from local counterparts.
• Work with M&E staff to design, implement a plan to track data/results and assist in overseeing data collection and analysis, as well as recommendations to strengthen program implementation Contribute to development of the project strategic plan, work plan, and program monitoring, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, USAID and other stakeholders
• Ensure timely implementation of all program inputs related to MIP, including planning and implementing assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across program sites, in close coordination and collaboration with USAID, relevant ministries of health
• Monitor availability of supplies/resources as part of a quality improvement approach and assist facilities in creating action plans to address gaps
• Coordinate and monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of short-term consultants as required
• Liaison closely with prime and other key stakeholders
• Identify of new business opportunities for Jhpiego and support the proposal writing process and identification of key staff
• Supervise Malaria Technical Advisor

Required Qualifications:

• A clinical degree (doctor or nursing), or Master’s in Public Health or equivalent, with experience in Reproductive Health/Maternal Health preferred
• Zimbabwe nationals strongly encouraged to apply
• At least 5 years’ experience working in malaria or malaria in pregnancy programs, maternal and reproductive health programs, and/or infectious disease control programs;
• Experience training health workers on clinical aspects related to CM, MIP, maternal health, infectious diseases and/or family planning/reproductive health
• Experience building capacity at individual and organizational levels
• Skill in at least two or more of the following technical areas: strengthening service delivery programs, training, pre-service education, performance and quality improvement, monitoring and evaluation
• Experience with a mix of practical technical skills in malaria necessary for strengthening malaria service delivery at the regional, national, clinical and/or community-level
• The ability to liaise with senior MOH officials and dignitaries, executives of NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, the for-profit business community, and senior members of the donor community;
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of Zimbabwean healthcare system, particularly the public health system, experience living and working in Zimbabwe preferred
• Strong skills in word processing and Excel spread sheets
• Familiarity with USAID or other USG administrative, management and reporting procedures and systems
• Ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in national programs and technical staff in the areas
• Excellent written, presentation, communication and organizational skills in English
• Ability to travel up to 30% time