Description
1. Supervisory Controls The Health, Population & Nutrition Specialist (HPNS) is supervised by the SA?DE+ Team Leader and performs under general instructions and guidance from his/her supervisor. Once general responsibilities and assignments are agreed upon, the Specialist is required to exercise extensive technical and professional judgment in organizing, planning and supervising child survival and reproductive health implementation activities. This includes identifying the approaches to be taken, resolving problems and conflicts, and meeting deadlines. The incumbent is required to work with minimum supervision and in collaboration with other offices of USAID/Mozambique, other donors and Ministry of Health (MOH) professionals. The HPNS is responsible for keeping his/her supervisor appraised of implementation issues related to child survival and reproductive health, and actions to be taken to overcome difficulties and achieve meaningful and quantifiable results. Completed work is not expected to require substantive modification. The HPNS?s responsibilities require considerable situational assessment, interpretation, judgment, and timely decision making. S/he will engage mid- to high-level government officials in policy dialogue regarding matters pertaining to the Mission?s child survival and reproductive health portfolio, including Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI), infectious disease initiatives (polio, malaria), family planning, safe motherhood and integrated maternal and childhood disease control issues. The HPNS will be primarily responsible for identifying, analyzing, formulating and implementing child survival, infectious disease and family planning and reproductive health programs and activities. These could include designing, describing and quantifying expected results and performance indicators; providing guidance to implementing partners in making necessary adjustments to program and administrative plans; and preparation of precise, accurate, articulate, complete and professionally written technical documents and program descriptions. 2. Introduction Since the end of the civil war in 1992 and the signing of the peace accords in 1994, Mozambique has been struggling to reestablish its rural health care network destroyed during the war. It is also trying to establish an adequate management system for the health services; the health service is constrained by high levels of infectious diseases, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, and limited number of trained health personnel. USAID continues to be at the forefront in ensuring that services are available to the rural poor where more than 85% of Mozambicans reside. Since 1998, the USAID has been working to strengthen the ability of the Ministry of Health to deliver essential primary health care at fixed facilities, while U.S. PVOs complement MOH services with community outreach. USAID?s activities cover more than half of all districts in the country and provide services to an estimated 11.3 million people, including over 2.1 million women of child bearing age and 900,000 children under five years of age. Currently, over 60% of Mozambicans in these districts (compared to <25% in 1992) now have access to health services. However, quality remains a concern as staff in many rural facilities have only rudimentary education. There are only 70 secondary schools in the country and more than 65% of these are located in Maputo, the capital. The MOH employs approximately 18,000 persons at the elementary (52%), basic (29%), intermediate (13%), specialized-intermediate (2.5%), and superior (3.5%) levels. The elementary level requires no schooling, the basic level requires 3 years of schooling, intermediate level requires 6 years of schooling, and the superior level requires a university degree. Only a tiny fraction of the 18,000 MOH employees are in the non-clinical professional or administrative classifications. There are 81 hospital administratorsat the elementary level, 149 at the basic level, 158 at the intermediate level and 12 at the superior (with a bachelor?s degree) level; there are only 16 accountants in the MOH service. There are only 400 physicians in Mozambique, of whom 25% are specialists. Mozambique has one of the lowest ratios of doctors to patients in the world (1:35,000). Most physicians are recent graduates with little public health experience. For many years to come, Mozambique will continue to rely on foreign talent to help it operate its public health system. USAID is committed to training Mozambicans to be able to assume more leadership roles in the future through mentoring of junior level personnel. SAUDE+ has employed a senior level FSN-10 to be mentored by the HPNS for a period of two years, after which it is hoped that the FSN can assume a higher level of responsibility. The HPNS is directly responsible for achieving results associated with child survival and reproductive health under the health (SAUDE+) program. These are two major activities that were once separate. In 2000, however, the Mission made a conscious decision to integrate the implementation of these two programs to conform to the MOH structure. S/he provides technical support on child survival and reproductive health issues, as well as STDs and HIV/AIDS. S/he will also mentor some SAUDE+ staff as possible replacement in the near future. In this regard, the HPNS performs a wide range and variety of duties of substantial complexity, including consultative, advisory, and monitoring, management, information gathering, processing, and reporting of program performance and accomplishments. The incumbent provides vital liaison services with Mozambique's professional health community, including the entire spectrum of medical and paramedical personnel, and is responsible for staying abreast of technical developments in the areas of child survival, nutrition and reproductive health. The SA?DE+ portfolio will be approximately $108 million over a six-year period. The HPNS plays an integral role in the design of all activities related to child survival and reproductive health project documents and the design and management of new activities financed thereunder. The incumbent will manage certain implementation contracts and awards to non-government organizations working under the SAUDE+ program, as assigned by the Team Leader and Contracting Officer. In addition, s/he will be responsible for coordinating USAID/Washington-supported projects assigned by the Team Leader. The HPNS will be called upon to provide technical support as a technical backup for the design and implementation of the Health Sector Support Project or other SAUDE+ activities in the absence of other SAUDE+ team members. Additional activities will be assigned as additional funding becomes available and SA?DE+ roles and assignments are modified in light of changing circumstances. 3. Position Duties and Responsibilities 3.1 Health, Population and Nutrition Specialist, major responsibilities (80%): a. Works in collaboration with the SA?DE+ Team Leader to identify, analyze, formulate and implement child survival and reproductive health projects. Directly supervises the implementation of the Child Survival and Reproductive Health Project/Activity Approval Documents (P/AAD). b. Directly responsible for the achievement of results of the child survival and reproductive health P/AADs, by managing and monitoring activities contained therein through field activities. Reports to SA?DE+ team on progress, implementation problems, and technical assistance requirements for both P/AADs. c. Supervises activities related to child survival and reproductive health activities. The HPNS will serve as the Cognizant Technical Officer for such project implementation awards as the Health Services Delivery and Support contract with John Snow Incorporated, as assigned by the SAUDE+ Team Leader and Contracting Officer. d. Advises USAID on GRM policies and programs related to child survival, infectious diseases and reproductive health activities, and keeps counterparts officials informed of USAID programs and strategies. e. Responsible for identifying short- and long-term technical assistance needs for the successful design and implementation of all child survival, infectious diseases and reproductive health activities, recommends implementation mechanisms and supervises implementation. f. Mentors other SAUDE+ team members as assigned by SAUDE+ Team Leader. Provides technical support for contraceptive management. g. Serves as liaison with key Ministry of Health Officials, other donors, and private organizations responsible for implementation of child survival, infectious disease, nutrition and reproductive health activities in Mozambique; h. Engages in policy dialogue with mid- to high-level government officials as needed to ensure the successful implementation of child survival, reproductive health, STDs and HIV/AIDS activities. i. Represents USAID on various Ministry of Health and inter-agency committees as assigned, such as the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization Initiative (GAVI). j. Provides technical support for activities implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MACRO International to the National Institute of Statistics, as well as field support activities such as the MOST, and DELIVER projects and NGOs such as Helen Keller International (HKI). 3.2 Minor responsibilities (20%): 1. Prepares Action Memoranda, MAARDs, scopes of work and accompanying budgets for project activities. Also prepares P/AADs and SO reports, analyses, trip reports, grantee/contractor status reports, and review meeting summaries as needed. 2. Serves as a resource person and mentor to SAUDE+ team members and other Mission personnel by answering technical questions and providing guidance in the areas of child survival, nutrition, infectious diseases and reproductive health. 3. Supervises activities related to contraceptive and condom procurements, including scheduling, shipping, tracking and distribution. 4. Performs other duties as assigned by the SAUDE+ Team Leader. 4. Supervision/Oversight Over Others The HPNS provides technical guidance and administrative oversight to child survival and reproductive health activities, including the HSDS Project, a three-year, $22 million project for child survival and reproductive health implemented by JSI. This includes monitoring contractor?s compliance with work plan and implementation performance. The HPNS directly supervises the Child Survival Activity Manager (FSN-9/10), according to the configuration of the SAUDE+ team. The HPNS also serves as a mentor to SAUDE+ team members and other Mission personnel by answering technical questions and providing guidance with regard to child survival, infectious diseases, nutrition and reproductive health topics. 5. Education/Experience Required for the Position A Master?s or equivalent degree in Public Health or a related field is required. PhD level education is desired. Seven to ten years of experience in international health with progressively increasing responsibility for activity design and management experience is required. Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in dealing with issues related to child survival, infectious disease and reproductive health are essential. Knowledge of the Mozambican public health system is required. Familiarity with USG procurement and documentation requirements and project design, implementation, management and evaluation is desirable. Advanced English and Portuguese speaking, reading and writing language skills are required. Ability to establish and maintain professional and effective contacts with middle-to-high level Government officials, other donors, and chiefs-of-party of implementing partners, is required. Demonstrated skill in the management of health information systems and community-based delivery systems is desirable. Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively with superiors, subordinates, colleagues and partners, both inside and outside the Mission, is required. The following skills and abilities are also sought: operational, analytical and management skills. Proficiency in computer applications, including applications, including Word, Excel, e-mail and Internet is required.