Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (MNCH) and Nutrition Advisor, DOS LEAP Global - Burkina Faso

ZemiTek•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is intended to improve the impact and responsiveness of the Department of State’s health program and will support life-saving assistance related to nutrition and maternal and child health outcomes; in full alignment with the new Presidential Executive Order (EO) directives. The Advisor will serve as a Maternal Neonatal and Child Health, and Nutrition (MNCH-Nutrition) advisor and provide technical oversight and direction to programs conducted by Implementing Partners (IPs) under the U.S. Government. The Advisor will work collaboratively with other staff in the Department of State, other offices in the Embassy on occasion, the Ministry of Health, and other development partners to support a coordinated, strategic approach to high-impact health development programming. The Advisor will spend a significant amount of time in the field providing hands-on support to technical directorates, Regional Referral Hospitals, district health teams, and local organizations. The MNCH and Nutrition Advisor’s work will be a combination of remote work and work within the Ministry of Health (MOH) central divisions responsible for malaria, family health, nutrition, and quality improvement. They will be sitting at the directorate of family health. The Advisor will receive day-to-day direction from the Department of State Senior project management specialist, who will serve as the onsite Manager/Supervisor. The Advisor will report to the U.S. Department of State (DoS) on a bi-weekly and monthly basis.

Requirements

Degree in Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Nutrition, or other relevant Social Sciences discipline.
Other relevant training or certification, if applicable, to augment university and graduate degrees and work experience.
At least six (6) years of progressively responsible, professional experience in public health programming, preferably with the USG, and/or other multi-lateral or bi-lateral organizations.
Increasingly responsible experience in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health MNCH/ N initiatives in low- and middle-income countries and/or in generalized epidemics.
Demonstrated knowledge in developing, implementing and assessing institutional processes and systems particularly in local organizations.
Demonstrated experience in public health program design and effective implementation in low- and middle-income countries/generalized epidemic settings
Demonstrated knowledge of Burkina Faso’s development and health program dynamics, particularly the social, economic and cultural determinants and implications.
Demonstrated understanding of state-of-the-art public health initiatives and the current priorities at national and global level.
Demonstrated ability to apply policy directives to activity design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Experience in analyzing epidemiological data and translating data into practice.
Ability to communicate information in an objective, transparent, accurate, and concise oral and written forms and to represent USG programs and priorities to a wide range of outside parties including senior Burkina Faso officials.
Ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats; and, the ability to travel to in security safe regions and districts within Burkina Faso.
Ability to independently conceive, plan, organize, manage, and evaluate important, diverse and complex work projects.
Excellent analytical, technical and project management skills to review and provide substantive feedback on concept papers, proposals, program descriptions/scopes of work, performance reports, and other technical and programmatic documents.
Ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures.
Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to work effectively with people at all levels, from senior officials to support staff, in a culturally diverse environment, accepting divergent points of view and help find consensus to achieve team goals.
Ability to exercise diplomacy, judgment and sensitivity in conflict situations that may arise in working with interagency teams, ministries, districts, civil society officials, implementing partners and other donors.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with implementing partners, private sector partners, other donor partners, and both central and district level Government of Burkina Faso counterparts.
Demonstrated ability in mentoring and building technical and institutional capacity of local organizations including faith-based and non-governmental organizations, community based and civil society organizations, government bodies and departments at central and district level.
Excellent computer skills including in Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing, including the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly.
Level IV fluency in both oral and written English and French are required.

Responsibilities

Strategic Oversight and Program Planning
Provide overall technical guidance on life-saving health services, including providing expert guidance in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of MNCH and Nutrition
Assist with the development of DoS Global health integrated strategy FY26 planning, annual reporting, and other required reporting.
Assist with MoH strategy documents and policies including the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), integrated MNCH strategy, Global Financing Facility (GFF)’s investment case
Work closely with other DoS in country and regional staff and advisors to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration and leveraging of resources across the different program components.
Provide on-going technical assistance to the DoS-supported local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and that services are transparent, accessible to all, of high quality and responsive to client needs; that partners practice sound management and robust accounting; and that local partners support is in line with the sustainable vision of the MOH.
Provide technical leadership and advice to partners on integration of quality improvement (QI) approaches in program design, planning, implementation and monitoring.
Deliver technical and organizational development guidance to local organizations and the central Ministry of Health. This work includes systems support for MNCH and Nutrition, and driving quality improvement initiatives at both the facility and community levels.
Ensure quality services at facility and community level through monitoring compliance to national and international guidelines, approaches and tools and provision of supportive supervisions to IPs.
Review and provide technical input to annual work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, quarterly reports and other key documents of Department of State supported projects.
Assist with implementing partners' monthly meetings.
Contribute to briefers, taskers, data calls, ad hoc analysis, and responses to other information requests as instructed.
Support the implementation of the free health care program for pregnant women and children U5, health financing interventions and coordination bodies.
Carry out ad-hoc assignments as dictated by unforeseen operational requirements at the request and discretion of the Department of State.
In collaboration with the project management specialist health and sanitary, regularly analyze and interpret public health program data to generate key results and trends to assist the USG in maintaining a highly nimble, responsive health treatment program.
Possesses knowledge of Burkina Faso's health sector programs, national health information systems and related M&E frameworks to ensure alignment with Ministry of Health standards at sub national level.
Works closely with Health foreign assistance specialists to provide technical assistance aimed at enhancing M&E capacity, strengthening data quality assurance processes, and supporting evidence-driven program optimization initiatives at implementing partner and sub national level.
Conduct quarterly or ad hoc monitoring field site visits to USG supported programs to assess the quality of services, provide expert advice and guide implementing partners on newly emerging and highly efficacious approaches health program implementation.
Monitor and make recommendations to resolve implementation obstacles to ensure judicious use of USG funds and effective implementation of life-saving health programs.
Contribute to and participate in program reviews and evaluations to document and scaling up proven best practices.
Serve as a technical subject matter expert through active engagement with technical counterparts in Ministry of Health and other national stakeholders to advance DoS and USG strategic objectives related to health interventions.
Support DoS MNCH and Nutrition implementing partners' joint work planning and oversight.
Assist the Directorate for Family Health for the coordination of MNCH interventions with partners.
Engage with Ministry of Health (MOH) and other Transition Government of Burkina Faso leaders, other donors, and other stakeholders on MCH-N and community health programming and policy development.
Represent in meetings on the behalf of DoS Health team and provide reports/key takeaways of attended meetings, including but not limited to topic such as: Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (facility and community based), community health task force, , ensuring alignment with U.S. Government priorities.
As a contributing member of the expanded Department of State health team, respond flexibly and capably to a wide range of programmatic, technical and reporting requirements including responding to requests.