Maternal and Child Health Technical Advisor – Nigeria

TITLE: MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH TECHNICAL ADVISOR
DEPARTMENT: NIGERIA
DATE: SEPTEMBER 2008 (posted through November 17, 2008)

Population Services International (PSI) is the world’s leading non-profit social marketing organization, operating in more than 60 developing countries. PSI creates demand for essential health products and services by using private sector marketing techniques and innovative communications campaigns. On the supply side, PSI works with the commercial sector to increase the availability of these products and services at prices that are affordable to low-income populations. With a bottom-line orientation that is rare among non-profits, PSI markets products and services for family planning, maternal and child health, and the prevention of AIDS, malaria and other diseases. For more information, please visit: http://www.psi.org.

PSI seeks entrepreneurial, dynamic candidates for the position of Maternal and Child Health Technical Advisor to the Society for Family Health (SFH), PSI’s partner agency in Nigeria. This management team-level position is based in Abuja and will report to the SFH Managing Director in Nigeria and to the PSI Regional Director, West & Central Africa in Washington, D.C.

SFH is the largest social marketing organization and local non-profit organization in Nigeria, with sixteen regional offices across the country and over 250 staff. SFH implements diverse public health interventions in HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and maternal and child health. SFH activities range from product sales and distribution to behavior change communication, advocacy, research, and community mobilization. SFH’s donor platform includes DFID, the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and USAID.

The MCH division has several projects currently in the areas of malaria, diarrhea diseases and care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable groups. The MCH division seeks to consolidate its expertise in malaria control programming in light of the Scaling Up for Impact Malaria Strategy of the Federal Ministry of Health and strategically grow its overall portfolio in accordance with the SFH five year strategic plan.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Provide technical guidance to ongoing maternal and child health (MCH) programs;
* Assist SFH and strengthen MCH department capacity to design MCH projects, develop and implement key strategies, and write proposals;
* Give input to marketing and implementation plans and budgets;
* Work with SFH to document and disseminate research findings through publication and other methods;
* Strengthen the capacity of and provide technical support to SFH MCH program staff to build their skills in interpreting research results and using a research-to-action approach to guide programmatic decisions and activities;
* Strengthen the capacity of and provide technical support to SFH MCH program staff to develop and maintain programmatic feedback mechanisms for effective program management;
* Expand and consolidate existing partnerships with the Ministry of Health and National Malaria Control Program, MCH implementing partners, civil society groups, private sector and international partners;
* Remain abreast of technical developments in the field of international public health, specifically MCH;
* Provide technical support to a) the units under the Federal Ministry of Health Public Health department as appropriate to influence MCH policies for Nigeria; and b) civil society, public and private sectors groups to ensure best practices are carried over; and
* Support SFH as appropriate in developing capacity of MCH to fully represent the organization at the international level.

QUALIFICATIONS:

* Master’s degree in public health, health communication, or other relevant discipline;

· Minimum eight years professional and managerial experience, including at least five in a developing country;

· Familiarity with MCH and/or Child Survival programming, particularly with issues related to malaria and water, sanitation and diarrheal disease;

· Knowledge of international development issues, specifically as relate to MCH;

· Familiarity with the international donor community;

· Experience in capacity building of staff;

· Excellent organizational and multitasking capabilities; and

· Fluency in English required;

The successful candidate will exhibit creative, innovative, and strategic thinking ability; excellent oral and written communication, analytical, organizational interpersonal and cross-cultural skills; ability to train, manage and develop capacity within country-level staff; ability to work closely with program staff to deliver actionable and insightful research outputs; strong attention to detail; ability to work efficiently and quickly under pressure; strong interest in private sector approaches to development; and proven ability to produce results and meet objectives under difficult circumstances.

APPLY ONLINE at http://www.psi.org. No calls or emails, please.
PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.