Monday, May 9, 2011

Global Health Fellows Program

Global Health Fellows Program
Technical Advisor Level I: Saving Lives at Birth Program Technical Advisor
Maternal and Child Health Division, Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
Location: Washington, DC
Assignment: Two year fellowship
GHFP-11-224


The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, Management Systems International, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. GHFP is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The goal of GHFP is to improve the effectiveness of USAID Population, Health and Nutrition programs by developing and increasing capacity of health professionals in Washington, DC and overseas. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of junior, mid and senior level health professionals; a diversity initiative focused on providing internship and mentoring opportunities in international public health to underrepresented communities; and professional and organizational development activities to bolster USAID’s ability to maximize results and strengthen its leadership role in global health.

BACKGROUND
Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development was launched on March 9, 2011 to seek innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in rural, low-resource settings. This partnership leverages the collective resources of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and The World Bank. Partners expect to provide nearly $14 million for this grant program’s first round of funding. Over five years, the partners aim to invest at least $50 million in groundbreaking and sustainable projects with the potential to have a transformative effect on the lives of pregnant women and their babies in the hardest to reach corners of the world.

The challenge addresses the period when women and their newborns are most vulnerable. Currently, a pregnant African woman is 135 times more likely to die during childbirth than some of her Western counterparts. The goal of Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development is to change the tide on this staggering statistic in Africa and across all regions.

The request for applications issued during the launch of this challenge seeks strong proposals which include bold ideas that look beyond conventional approaches in three main areas: (1) developing new technologies; (2) creating more reliable and efficient ways to deliver health services; and (3) engaging communities in novel ways and furthering understanding of the benefits to both mother and child when they receive health care at the time of birth. USAID will manage the grants application and review process for the expected award of 28 grants, and the Agency will also manage 15 of these grants.

INTRODUCTION
The Saving Lives at Birth Program Technical Advisor (the Advisor) serves as a member of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Division within the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition (HIDN) in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health. Under the programmatic guidance of the Senior Public Health Advisor, the Advisor provides technical assistance, strategic coordination, and oversight to the management of the Saving Lives at Birth grants and to the development of a community of innovators working on this topic. S/he ensures effective communication among awardees and grand challenge partners and assists with the dissemination of lessons learned and new advances both within this community and to external audiences.

The Advisor liaises with diverse units and teams in USAID (e.g., throughout different divisions and offices within the Bureau for Global Health, with other Agency technical and geographic Bureaus; and with Missions) and USAID partners (e.g., other US Government agencies; private sector entities, grant awardees and other relevant collaborating agencies) to ensure the effective functioning of a community of practice associated with innovations around Saving Lives at Birth. S/he also assists the HIDN Divisions in supporting USAID’s strategies, policies, and programming for maternal and newborn health and the Bureau for Global Health’s leadership in innovation, research and development of private sector strategies and partnerships, particularly as these pertain to new technologies, better delivery of health services, and community engagement to improve health outcomes for women and their children.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Saving Lives at Birth Program Technical Advisor provides:

Technical assistance for the development of a community of innovators working on new solutions to maternal and newborn survival

  • Ensures mechanisms for communication among awardees and partners; advises on the use of different mechanisms to maintain a vibrant network of innovators centered on the Saving Lives at Birth grantees, but that also includes other innovators in this topic area
  • Develops technical briefs and presentations for dissemination at networking events, webinars and/or conferences related to Grand Challenges partnerships, innovations or maternal and newborn health. Develops other communications materials focusing on progress and achievements of Saving Lives at Birth grantees
  • Keeps abreast of major developments in integrated maternal and newborn health, innovative programming, new technologies and service delivery approaches, operations research, new media solutions for effective networking and collaboration, USAID strategies and programs, and relevant activities of other donors and partners
  • Participates in and presents at international and domestic meetings, workshops and conferences. Participates in technical working groups and inter- and intra-agency groups to promote a shared understanding of and address issues focusing on new technologies or approaches to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes
  • Supports the analysis, packaging, and use of Saving Lives at Birth research results and lessons produced by grantees and their partners and contributes to strengthening processes for provision of technical assistance and for effectively disseminating results to influence global and national policies and strategies

Grants management and Grand Challenge program development

  • Monitors and evaluates the status, progress and implementation of USAID-managed Saving Lives at Birth projects (and Saving Lives at Birth projects of other donors), ensuring consistency with USAID policy, principles of the grand challenge, and adherence to negotiated milestones; travels to partner organization headquarters and field sites as necessary
  • Provides technical assistance to develop annual program processes focusing on procurement and review of key project deliverables. Prepares solicitation documents and participates in selection processes, ensuring consistency with Grand Challenge partnership policies, procedures, strategies, and technical priorities. Develops and refines guidance focusing on project deliverables (e.g., Detailed Implementation Plans, Operations Research Concept Papers, Midterm and Final Evaluations)
  • Provides and/or coordinates high quality technical assistance and guidance to individual projects
  • Facilitates coordination and linkages with broader MCH Division-supported activities
  • Works with divisions and offices in the Bureau for Global Health, as well as with regional bureaus and missions to ensure coordination and/or integration of Saving Lives at Birth activities into other health development programs

Identification and development of other innovative partnerships in MCH

  • Supports HIDN private sector partnerships focused on MCH programming (e.g., coordination of memoranda of understanding, due diligence memos, private sector meetings, public events, etc.)
  • Conduct background research on private sector partners and keep abreast of major developments in private sector innovations and engagement in global health
  • Liaise with the Agency’s Office of Development Partners to stay current on the latest public-private partnerships best practices and guidance
  • Prepare briefs related to private sector engagement as needed, including information for Congress

Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the Technical Advisor’s own interests.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

  • Master’s degree in public health or a related field
  • One to seven years’ experience in supporting, monitoring and evaluating maternal and newborn health programs in developing countries, and/or in knowledge management and development of global communities of practice on specific health topics which utilize a variety of approaches including new media solutions, preferred
  • Demonstrated technical expertise in one of the following areas related to maternal and newborn health: integrated community oriented programming, service delivery improvement approaches, science and technology
  • Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation of public health programs as well as the research to practice continuum for new technologies
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize information, and to develop priorities, solutions, and strategies to address issues and gaps
  • High level of demonstrated independence and ingenuity
  • Strong organizational and management skills
  • Knowledge of USAID procedures and familiarity with USAID’s maternal, newborn and child health, or health research strategies and programs desirable
  • Experience working with USAID/Washington and USAID Missions, host country governments, cooperating agencies, or USAID’s PVO/NGO partners preferred
  • Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment
  • Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills and high degree of maturity, judgment, and initiative for working in a diverse and extended team environment and fostering team work and collaboration, as necessary
  • Strong oral and written communication skills, including presentation and technical writing experience
  • Willingness and ability to travel
  • Fluency in a foreign language preferred
  • 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 http://www.ghfp.net/docs/2011_Benefits_Booklet_GHFP.pdf

TO APPLY
All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP’s online recruitment system at https://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 online applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time May 16, 2011.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.

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