Technical Strategy Lead MTaPS Asia Region

The primary accountabilities of the Technical Strategy Lead MTaPS are to support the Project Director to achieve project expected results through the use and scale up of technical best practices and innovative technical solutions as outlined in the project proposal and annual work plan. The candidate is expected to leverage and ensure strong technical support and best practices to projects and build technical capacity as needed, foster cross-fertilization of technical approaches across projects, countries, and regions, facilitate the integration of project tools and innovations into MSH global technical capacity and tools for use by other projects, ensure quality technical short-term technical assistance to projects and review all technical documents.

Support to Country Program Director (40%)

• Support the Country Program Director (CPD) to anticipate and deliver what is required to achieve health impact within the parameters of the Program, in agreement with the client, and employ best practices.
• Provide the best possible technical support and strategy to Program activities drawing on resources within MTaPS program and MSH, and when appropriate, from external sources.
• Support the CPD to identify, assess, prioritize, mitigate, and monitor risks surrounding program technical/results delivery including ensuring that the identified risks are incorporated into the program/country Risk Register.
• Support the CPD in the regular review of the program’s PMP as well as appropriate data quality assurance, including at the sub recipient and other partner, when needed
• Responsible for technical quality assurance within his/her portfolio/country, including facilitating the review of technical reports to ensure the quality of delivered products
• Ensure best technical practices are incorporated in his/her portfolio/country activities
• Support CPDs to guarantee technical excellence in country by using Saviom and implements technical activities according to the Saviom allocation.
• Ensure timeliness, appropriateness, responsiveness, and quality of technical support and solutions within his/her portfolio/country
• Support and mentor Country Program Director and other technical staff in program country office to identify and capture best practices and innovations.
• Participate in monthly (minimum) technical discussions with program staff.
• Review program annual and quarterly reports and all technical documents.
• Participate in annual program review and annual work planning.
• Travel to program-supported countries for a technical supervision visit at least annually and meet with donor to review technical quality of the program interventions.
• In conjunction with the Portfolio Manager and other TSLs assist the Project Technical Director in work plan, staffing strategy, talent management, and Performance Monitoring Plan development and review.
• Support the Deputy Technical Director (DTD) to establish a system for quality assurance of technical work, STTA, and technical documents prepared by the program.
• Review and contribute to program reports, documentation and results management.
• Contribute to technical briefs, program knowledge management and learning.
• Work with Program Technical Director and Deputy Technical Director to ensure that program is responsive technically to findings of external and internal evaluations.

Lead Strategy and Technical Capacity (30%)

• Partner with Program Technical Director and Deputy Technical Director to develop the annual STTA plan for each country in portfolio. Leverage resources of diverse technical experts to support the program as needed.
• Partner with the Deputy Technical Director to identify and meet training or mentoring needs of program technical staff.
• Promote and support country-wide efforts and technical synergies between project(s) across technical areas.
• Coordinate technical inputs to work plan development and implementation by reaching out to other technical experts, (e.g. Objective and Health Area Leads) for inputs as required.
• Partner with program technical staff to strengthen and document program innovation in technical areas.
• Partner with the Program Technical Director, Deputy Technical Director, Portfolio Managers, Country Program Directors, other TSLs and the Pharmaceutical System Strengthening Technical Advisory Group to ensure external visibility of program achievements, best practice, innovation, etc.

Synergy and cross-fertilization (20%)

• Facilitate experience sharing and knowledge transfer among the countries in the portfolio
• Serve across multiple countries to ensure synergy, adherence to technical standards and knowledge exchange.
• Collaborate and coordinate with other TSL’s to ensure all needed resources and knowledge are effectively provided across countries.
• Promote and support MSH goal of leveraging and mobilizing global talent.
• Support DPD to perform systematic analysis of gaps in knowledge, evidence and tools available for innovative solutions; with the support of program partners and designs and supports operation research activities to address them.
• Lead the process for ensuring optimum technical quality of the program, including adoption of new practices.
• Ensure the Program Technical Director and Deputy Technical Director are up to date with technical knowledge and practices whose adoption could improve existing project performance.
• Facilitate the integration of technical advice across expertise areas and across MSH.
• Ensure practices and impact are, respectively, documented and measured to inform other projects.

Alignment of global technical strategies (10%)

• Monitor and build capacity to ensure highest level of technical quality and adherence to corporate strategies.
• Keep abreast of MSH global technical priorities and of strategies, frameworks, approaches and tools in technical areas of relevance to the project supported.
• Ensure close linkages with TSLs of other MSH projects and ensure alignment in other practice areas and within technical areas.
• Participate in new business strategy, positioning, and proposal development as needed.
• Solicit periodic feedback from technical counterparts; maintain effective and continuous engagement with stakeholders.

Education

A postgraduate degree in a health-related field, however, physician, nurse, or pharmacist qualification preferred

Experience

A minimum of 8 years of related experience with demonstrated success in pharmaceutical systems strengthening technical areas required; 10 years preferred.

Knowledge and Skills

• Recognized knowledge, expertise, and technical achievement in various public health and leadership, management, and governance areas as well as in capacity building.
• Significant relevant experience, including demonstrated expertise, in at least three technical areas of pharmaceutical systems strengthening, such as forecasting and quantification, procurement and supply management systems, health and pharmaceutical management information systems (HMIS and PMIS), pharmaceutical services, pharmacovigilance, regulatory system strengthening, governance and organizational systems for pharmaceutical management, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection prevention and control.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, evolving, large-scale operations, tasks, and teams and working with multiple sectors and stakeholders to achieve programmatic and technical results. Proven strategic planner and team leader with strong technical knowledge, conceptual and analytical ability, good judgment, and adaptive, flexible capacity.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building competencies coupled with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent understanding and knowledge of working in developing countries, including implementation challenges and expertise in innovative program development.
• Excellent understanding and knowledge working with USAID or other donors desirable.
• Experience working and living in LMICS preferred.
• Energetic, forward thinking, creative individual with intellectual depth and high ethical standards.
• Fluency in English required.
• Fluency in French and/or Portuguese desirable.

Competencies

Technical competencies in public health, pharmaceutical systems strengthening and leadership, management and governance Learning, Innovation Management, Strategic Agility, Drive for Results, Organizational Savvy and Agility, Interpersonal Savvy, Peer Relationships, Managing Vision and Purpose, Teamwork, problem-solving, strategic thinking.

Up to 20% of travel to local and international destinations.