Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 10 Jun 2015
Reference No.:AID-15-14
Position/SalaryRange: Project Management Specialist (Integrated Case Community Management); FSN-11
Additional benefits include allowances for Housing, Transportation,***Meals, Family, and Miscellaneous; 13th and 14th month bonuses;******annual and sick leave and medical coverage***
Open To:All DRC citizens
Location:USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo
Kinshasa, DRC
Opening: May 20, 2015
Closing: June 10, 2015
Work Hours: Full-Time; 40 hours/week
USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an equal opportunity employer, seeks applicants for the above position.
Completion of aMaster’s degree in Public Health, social science, international development or related fields and a fluency in French and English (Level IV) both in oral and written communication is a requirement for this position.
Basic Function of Position:
Under the supervision of the Malaria Team Leader or his or her designee, the employee is the key public health advisor responsible for ensuring quality implementation and monitoring of all integrated community case management of childhood illnesses (ICCM) activities across all USAID health programs and provides comprehensive technical, administrative and management advice and assistance to USG, host country, and cooperating partners in support of health activities supported by USAID in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Responsibilities include program and activity development, integration of ICCM into existing and/or new programs, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and close collaboration with USAID partners to ensure implementation is carried out in accordance with program strategic objectives and internationally recognized evidence-based best practices in ICCM. Partners include other USG agencies, host government ministries, International Organizations (IO) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) involved in community-based case management of health service delivery in country. Job holder is the ICCM public health advisor to the host country Ministry of Health, implementing partners, Global Fund Partners, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the implementation of malaria and maternal and child health activities.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
1.Program Management
Job holder is responsible for all aspect of USAID/DRC ICCM programs and activities: planning, organizing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring for results. Serves as a consultant to host government and other in-country partners in matters related to national activities aimed at using the ICCM platform to implement health activities. The incumbent sits in the Malaria Team and serves as a member of both the malaria and the maternal and child health teams within the USAID Health Office.
In carrying out these responsibilities, job holder:
1) Takes an active role in developing specific agency program goals and objectives for ICCM initiatives. Incumbent prepares directives, memoranda, policy statements and proposals to introduce new initiatives and to recommend effective operations consistent with strategic objectives of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), USAID’s work to ending preventable child and maternal deaths (EPCMD), and USAID’s health program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
2) Works closely with senior and mid-level host government ministry officials, Global Fund partners, international and non-governmental organizations to: a) coordinate the strengthening and expansion on the national plan for integrated community case management of childhood illnesses; b) provide technical assistance to ensure that ICCM activities are based on the latest relevant science and that scientific knowledge is translated into guidelines, practices and program change; and c) influence other collaborative organizations engaged in community-based health provision programs to adopt appropriate strategies for their program activities.
3) Monitors, provides guidance to and oversees results of activities funded through grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and other mechanisms to accomplish ICCM program strategic objectives. Job holder monitors implementation activities and collaborates with each partner organization on a regular basis to ensure program results are achieved and all ICCM-related study protocols meet human subject requirements and pass through ethical review with the appropriate Agency authority. This involves regular site visits and meetings with representatives of each organization to review progress. Coordination of such activities involves close working relationships with senior to mid-level public health officials in the Ministry of Health (MOH), UN, NGO and civil society organizations, and other bilateral organizations to make sure that ICCM programs and activities are carried out correctly and in a timely manner.
Job holder presents findings and recommendations for appropriate remedial action to correct identified program deficiencies to malaria and maternal and child health leadership.
4) Ensures that USG-supported activities conform to international and national guidelines and agency technical strategies concerning all aspects of ICCM. Job holder supports host government and USG in efforts to enhance linkages and collaboration between ICCM and other relevant technical areas, e.g. malaria, family planning, etc. This includes partnering with agency and inter-agency colleagues in other health programs to ensure that collaborative service delivery networks include ICCM as a platform.
5) Provides latest information either through written materials or briefings to implementing partner staff on data collection methodologies and monitors process and progress in collecting data. Job holder makes sure that appropriate ICCM objectives are achieved by helping to develop systems for the collection, analysis, and reporting of ICCM program activities data. Job holder assists the Strategic Information (SI) section in monitoring data collected at ICCM sites.
6) Prepares regular and frequent oral and written reports to the chief of party/country director, inter-agency PMI committees and other interested parties on the progress of specific ICCM program activities. Independently summarizes, and writes up findings of research and other ICCM program findings to be used for reports, proposals, publications and presentations at national and international meetings. Job holder provides advice and recommendations to chief of section and/or supervisor and other agency officials in interpreting data on health objectives and indicators related to community case management.
7) Carries out management responsibilities for cooperative agreements, grants and contracts associated with ICCM services. Job holder provides technical direction for proposals that result in a grant, contract and/or cooperative agreement for ICCM programs. This ensures consistency with USAID and host country policies and regulations.
8) Job holder oversees the public health technical aspects in development of the Scope of Work, Funding Opportunity Announcement, Request for Application, or Annual Program Statement and reviews applications, supplemental awards, and requests for extensions for activities under his/her purview. Once grant/cooperative agreement/contract is in place, participates with implementing partners in the development of work plans for implementation of activities, oversees performance of cooperating partners/contractors, carries out technical reviews, reviews progress, identifies potential issues and informs supervisor, recommending actions for amelioration.
2.Administrative Management
Incumbent is responsible for providing oversight and monitoring the budgets allocated to treatment implementing/cooperative agreement partners within the job holder's portfolio. This includes reviewing budget requests for appropriateness, monitoring use of funds for adherence to proposed activities; quarterly pipeline reviews/budget status reports, following up on irregular findings, providing advice for realignments of budgets, accruals.
Job holder maintains files and records in the treatment data collection specific to the activities/programs for which incumbent is responsible. Working closely with the Strategic Information (SI) team, job holder is responsible for data integrity. Other program files include reports, meeting summaries and minutes, copies of all grants/cooperative agreements/contracts, research determinations, panels, and awards. Whenever possible these records will be filed electronically.
Job holder prepares and occasionally presents briefings for Congressional and Executive delegations, industry leaders and other high-level visitors; participates in making arrangements for visits and serve as spokesperson as required. S/he serves as control officer for site visits for agency and inter-agency senior-level officials.
3.Interagency Coordination
As an expert on matters pertaining to community case management programs, job holder represents USG at technical, policy and strategic planning meetings, including meetings with collaborators and donor agencies. Briefs senior agency officials, PMI and U.S. Mission country team and interested officials of other USG agencies as appropriate on the results of such meetings and prepares written reports for submission to other interested parties.
Job holder participates as an agency representative at inter-agency administrative and strategic planning meetings where recommendations for countrywide financial commitment targets for malaria and maternal and child health programs are developed. Job holder serves as the agency representative on inter-agency technical working groups (TWGs) for purposes of: a) assessing existing in-country assets and activities aimed at ICCM services and developing approaches to strengthen such activities with minimal overlap and unnecessary duplication; b) developing appropriate assessment tools to collect data related to ICCM services and referrals; and c) ensure effective coordination of work plan development, implementation strategies, and evaluation plans for all ICCM activities by USAID implementing partners.
Incumbent will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the agency
Required Qualifications at the Full Performance Level:
Education:
A Master’s degree in Public Health, social science, international development or related fields.
Prior Work Experience:
At least five years of experience in the development, implementation and evaluation of malaria, family planning, and maternal and child health programs, preferably at the community level with other donor organizations, host government organizations or private sector institutions in the developing world, and preferably in the DRC or neighboring countries. Experience in community engagement is essential to this position. Prior work experience with other donor organizations or multilateral organizations, in areas of program management, implementation and administration is highly desirable.
Language Proficiency:
Level IV (fluent) in written and spoken English and French is required. Level III ability in one more Congolese Languages (e.g. Lingala, Swahili).
Knowledge:
Job holder must possess comprehensive knowledge of health programs, policies, regulations, precedents, protocols and ethical considerations applicable to the development and administration of health development programs in DRC. A detailed working knowledge of host government and international public health systems is required.
Job holder must have a good working knowledge of a range of U.S. Government public health programs and strategies. Good working knowledge of team management techniques and a detailed technical working knowledge of administrative, budgeting and fiscal management systems in support of funding mechanisms such as contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and purchase requisitions is required.
How to apply:
To Apply:
ONLY applicantswho meet the minimum educational and fluency in French and English requirements as stated in the solicitation document will be considered. Interested applicants who do not meet these requirements are encouraged NOT to apply since these applications will not be considered.
A complete application packageconsists of the following:
- Application for U.S. Federal Employment, DS-174 - Job Application Form. The form can be found in the US embassy website (http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/opportunities/jobs.html)
- A cover letter demonstrating how prior experience and/or training address the minimum qualifications and selection criteria,
- A current resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and
- Names and contact numbers of three professional references.
Ensure that all communications (including your Cover Letter) include the Announcement Reference Number (**AID-15-14**) and the Title of the Position(s) for which you areapplying (**Project Management Specialist-Integrated Case Community Management**).
Submit the complete application package via email, to usaidhrkinshasa@usaid.gov
Failure to comply with these instructions may result in your application being considered “non responsive” and eliminated from further consideration.
Point of Contact:
Sandra Kiyanga: skiyanga@usaid.gov
Only short-listed candidates will be acknowledged.
DEFINITION:
Foreign Service National (FSN): A host country national employed at a U.S. Mission abroad, who is not a U.S. citizen, nor a family member of a direct-hire Foreign, Civil, or uniformed service member under Chief of Mission authority.
Closing date for this position: June 10, 2015.
The U.S. Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also strives to ensure equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.