Senior Health Systems Strengthening Advisor

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

GHFP-II’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency’s immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual working planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.

Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency’s ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.

BACKGROUND:

The Government of Botswana’s (GOB) response to the HIV epidemic has been very successful on many fronts and the US Government (USG) has been a critical partner. The program comprises both public and private sector elements including NGOs, but is heavily dependent upon the public sector delivery system. The situation has given rise to concerns regarding long-term sustainability including rising costs of the HIV/AIDS program, limited availability of domestic resources and declining levels of donor support. Botswana has been identified by the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) as a transition country, and the USG role has now shifted from supporting delivery of HIV/AIDS services to strengthening health systems and building capacity of NGOs and civil society organizations that will be able to sustain service delivery in the long-term. Key in the strengthening of the Health System is supporting the development of robust and flexible options for financing delivery of health care.

PEPFAR is the largest international health initiative ever undertaken by any country to combat a single disease. The first strategic principle of the original five-year Global HIV and AIDS Strategy was to respond with urgency to the global HIV and AIDS crisis. The re-authorization of PEPFAR took the second 5 years of the response into a phase that now focuses on local ownership and sustainability. This focus is reflected in the Botswana/PEPFAR Team’s desire to intensify its health systems strengthening (HSS) efforts by setting up a HSS Team to oversee this effort.

USAID is part of the USG President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) inter-agency team in Botswana, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the Peace Corps. The Botswana PEPFAR program is organized around the four pillar programs of the USG-GOB Partnership Framework and the Botswana National Strategic Framework II for HIV/AIDS: Prevention; Systems Strengthening; Treatment, Care and Support; and Strategic Information. The Botswana interagency PEPFAR Team implements a sustainable, evidence-based, results-oriented program, leveraging the particular technical expertise of each agency.

USAID manages a large part of the Systems Strengthening portfolio, which currently includes: 1) support to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to strengthen supply chain management, human resources for health, quality improvement, and health financing; 2) support to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to strengthen monitoring systems and policy implementation; 3) support to NACA to strengthen monitoring systems; 4) support to the Gender Affairs Department (Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs) to strengthen GBV district referral and monitoring systems; and, 5) support to civil society organizations to improve organizational development and their ability to deliver HIV-related services in their communities including: orphans and vulnerable children; TB prevention and treatment; HIV counseling and testing; positive health, dignity and prevention for people living with AIDS; prevention, care and treatment for sex workers and other key populations; and prevention and treatment for GBV. The USAID Botswana PEPFAR program supports these activities at the national, district and community levels. USAID has recently been given a much larger responsibility for the HSS element of the PEPFAR portfolio in Botswana, and is in turn strengthening its staffing footprint to support this shift.

INTRODUCTION:

The Senior Health Systems Strengthening Advisor (Senior Advisor) will be a member of the HSS Team that consists of a Public Private Partnership Specialist, a Supply Chain Specialist and a Health Systems Finance Advisor and will receive day to day guidance from the Health Office Director. The Senior Advisor will oversee a very important component of the overall PEPFAR Program, and its success is necessary for all the other components to succeed. The Senior Advisor will focus on health and social welfare system strengthening at the central level as well as at the district level to ensure sustainability of PEPFAR and post-PEPFAR activities. The Senior Advisor will fill a key technical role, and serve as a mentor and guide to the PEPFAR inter-agency Technical Working Group (TWG). S/he will serve as an activity manager and will provide technical expertise for USAID activities with the MOH that focus on human resources for health (HRH) and quality assurance/quality improvement (QA/QI), as well as on monitoring systems related to health, HIV/AIDS, OVC, gender and GBV. In coordination with other PEPFAR team members, the Senior Advisor will work primarily with MOH policy makers at the central level as well as with the District Health Management Teams that are delivering health services at the district level to ensure sustainability of PEPFAR activities. The Senior Advisor’s responsibilities will include the full range of planning, implementing, monitoring, and overseeing systems strengthening HIV/AIDS activities related to the PEPFAR program. These responsibilities include regular contact and collaboration at managerial and policy levels in a complex and rapidly evolving country context, with counterparts in the MOH, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs/Gender Affairs Department and the NACA, CSOs and private companies, donor and international organizations, and other USG entities working in furtherance of HIV and AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and impact mitigation goals in Botswana.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The primary responsibilities of the Senior Advisor include:

1.Strategic Planning and Program Design:

• Serving as a lead coordinator and technical expert in strategic planning and design of the HSS activities.
• Supporting the management and implementation of the plans, policies, and other multisectoral initiatives involving human resource reforms, including program design and institutional development.
• Working with PEPFAR implementing partners (IP) programs on the alignment with GOB priorities.
• Staying informed and up-to-date on technical and management issues affecting the design, implementation and evaluation of PEPFAR human capacity development and performance improvementprograms, including keeping team members current on USAID and OGAC policies and procedures.
• In an effort to address the organizational, technical and human dimensions of sustainability and the HRH needs in Botswana, providing technical advice on USG-supported human capacity development and performance improvement programs.

2.Technical Advisor and Activity Management:

• Serving as the technical advisor in HSS to the USAID and PEPFAR Teams, PEPFAR implementing partners, GOB counterparts, and the broader USG program.
• Providing technical guidance and advice in collaborating with related Technical Working Groups (TWG) in Botswana, USAID/Washington and OGAC.
• Serving as the in-country activity manager for USAID systems strengthening activities in Botswana, particularly those related to human capacity development, performance improvement and QA/QI. In this context, the Advisor is responsible for all aspects of project management for her/his assigned activities, including technical and financial advice and recommendations to contractors and consultants, reviewing reports, and providing guidance on annual work plans. As appropriate, providing guidance and advice for other HSS program activities within the USAID portfolio for successful implementation.
• Reviewing and analyzing the appropriateness of proposed agreement modifications and submitting recommendations to the respective AOR for follow-up action.
• Liaising with counterparts and with partners on all aspects of financial expenditures, and financial reporting requirements and recommending actions to the respective AOR.
• In coordination with the respective AOR, undertaking regular site visits of HSS implementing partners and maintaining regular communication with implementing partners to recommend feasible, results-oriented, gender-sensitive work plans and that sound management and financial plans are in place; that activity implementation is proceeding in accordance with the approved work plans.
• Assisting implementing partners to troubleshoot implementation problems, and bring any major management or politically sensitive issues to the attention of the AOR, USAID Health Office Director and other PEPFAR Botswana senior staff as appropriate.
• In close collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor: analyzing data and providing feedback on performance to implementing partners; determining when activity evaluations are necessary; aggregating results; and assessing the implications of these data for the causal relationships between activities and the relevant results.

3.Health Systems Strengthening Team Advice:

• Preparing detailed analyses and estimates of annual PEPFAR HSS funding needs; monitoring obligations, commitments, expenditures, and results against targets; analyzing the results of the annual Expenditure Analysis exercise to evaluate program performance and effectiveness.
• Coordinating responses by the USAID HSS Team to the USAID Health Officer and PEPFAR Coordinator requests for project information.
• Supporting the development of the HSS sections in the annual Country Operating Plan, the Semi and Annual Progress Reports, Congressional Presentations, portfolio reviews, Performance Monitoring Plans, and other key documents. Specific tasks include tracking changes, and editing and verifying partners’ submissions for completeness and consistency with PEPFAR guidance.
• Disseminating information on HSS activities and results to GOB ministries, USAID, State Department and other colleagues in Botswana.
• Reviewing program documentation for compliance with USG requirements, audit inspection standards, and compliance with international standards.
• Coordinating the documentation of USAID activities with input from other HSS and USAID team members, as well as from PEPFAR colleagues and implementing partners to ensure timely submission to the PEPFAR Coordinator, USAID/SA, USAID/W, and OGAC with adequate time for OGAC Technical Working Group review and clearance.

Training and Professional Development:

• Keeping abreast of literature and latest developments in health systems strengthening.
• Deepening knowledge of health systems strengthening, project and financial management.
• Participating in interagency and intra-agency working groups as appropriate to SOW.
• Participating in professional continuing education and skills training within the purview of GHFP-II.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in public health, human capacity development, public administration, social sciences, education or related field.
• Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in systems strengthening, project management, and financial management, especially in the context of HIV/AIDS issues and programs, with at least three (3) years’ experience in an international or resource challenged setting with preference for in country experience in Botswana.
• Experience in program design, strategic planning, program management and implementation, especially within a developing country text preferred.
• Experience working with USAID or USAID funded health programs is preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy, required to establish and maintain a wide range of senior level and working level contacts with HIV/AIDS programs in government, non-governmental, and private-sector circles.
• Ability to work effectively within team and interagency environments.
• Strong project management and analytical skills are required to strategize, develop and implement effective USAID supported HIV and AIDS programs; and strong financial management and administrative skills used to track the performance of implementing partners.
• The ability to interpret regulatory directives and related guidance.
• The ability to organize and present information and to draft clear, concise documents.
• Capability in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and related logistics software for management, forecasting, etc.
• Excellent written and oral English language communications skills.
• Ability to obtain medical clearance to live and work in Botswana.
• US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency required.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Salary will be based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs.

How to apply:

All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP’s online recruitment system athttps://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application.All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on June 16, 2014.

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