Technical Director

The Technical Director will provide technical leadership and project oversight in the areas of care and case management to a USAID health services delivery project in Burkina Faso. The Technical Director will provide technical assistance at the national and subnational levels of the health system. The project aims to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality, as well as strengthen access to and the quality of care for the most vulnerable populations – women and children – across multiple service entry points and across the continuum of care. This includes strengthening the capacity of health providers to deliver high quality management, diagnosis, and treatment. The project will operate over an anticipated five-year period.  

The position will operate under the leadership of the Chief of Party and Jhpiego’s senior management team and will oversee and ensure the technical and methodological soundness of all project activities. In collaboration with project team and partners, the position will support the design and implementation of service delivery strategies based on scientific evidence. 

This position is contingent upon award from USAID. Burkinabe nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.  

• Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and definition of appropriate project activities 
• Establish and implement a system to ensure technical quality of project activities 
• Lead the development of and/or update evidence-based training materials, standards, job aids, and curricula, supervisory systems needed for implementation of the Project to meet the needs of USAID and the Government of Burkina Faso 
• Provide technical assistance for conducting site assessments and strengthening referral and counter-referral systems, in-service and/or pre-service education, mentoring, and supportive supervision  
• Lead technical strategy and engagement with local implementing partners to build their capacity and to ensure sustainability 
• Coordinate advocacy, demand generation, and policy support, across project sites as required  
• Lead the formulation of innovative approaches for scale up of targeted diagnosis and treatment services 
• Actively participate in relevant technical advisory/working groups and professional forums representing Jhpiego 
• Work with health care providers, local authorities, community members and project team members to identify service delivery issues that impede access to care and uptake of services 
• Identify and implement appropriate facility- and community-based strategies to address diagnosis and treatment service delivery gaps 
• Identify capacity building needs for project-supported clinical and community services and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs 
• Work closely with the Chief of Party on setting project priorities and directions, and responding to requests for support from local counterparts 
• Work with M&E staff to design, implement a plan to track data/results related to treatment and diagnosis to inform adjustments in project implementation 
• Collaborate with all local stakeholders and implementing partners, especially the Ministry of Health and other US and international implementing partners, to ensure that all activities conform to the requirements and regulations 
• Document successes, lessons learned and challenges in implementation as well as reports of project activities and results to the project and donor, including routine quarterly and annual reports and other reporting requirements as requested 
• Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for case management including diagnosis and treatment 
• Author/co-author abstracts, presentations, and articles for journals and conferences 
• Supervise technical staff 
• Manage technical contributions of potential subgrantees, including defining scopes of work 
• Maintain excellent relationships with USAID and in-country stakeholders and develop rapid responses  
• Provide technical leadership to the development the project strategic plan, work plan, and project monitoring, in close collaboration with [MOH, USAID, and other stakeholders to ensure timely implementation and compliance to the requirements and regulations of the award 

• A clinical degree (doctor, nursing, midwifery) required, with Master of Public Health preferred 
• At least 10 years’ experience implementing maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), health systems strengthening, and/or malaria control and elimination projects and/or providing technical assistance in integrated health management, diagnosis, and treatment 
• At least 10 years’ experience in implementing and/or providing technical assistance in programs valued at least $3 million per year in donor-funded projects and in the design and implementation of overseas health projects; preferably in West and Central Africa 
• Demonstrated experience training clinical and community-based healthcare workers in MNCH, FP and/or malaria case management, diagnosis, and treatment 
• Demonstrated experience leading a capacity-building approach for CSOs, providing capacity building assistance at individual and organizational levels 
• Skilled in at least two or more of the following technical areas: strengthening service delivery projects; training; pre-service education; performance and quality improvement; and monitoring and evaluation  
• Demonstrated experience with a mix of practical technical skills in health service delivery including health case management, diagnosis, and treatment necessary for strengthening related services delivery at the regional, national, clinical and community-level 
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of the healthcare system in Burkina Faso, particularly the public health system, experience living and working in Burkina Faso preferred 
• Familiarity with USAID’s administrative, management and reporting procedures and systems 
• Proven track record managing a project team composed of several technical experts and fostering teamwork 
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with USAID, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector 
• Expertise in research to practice—identifying and adapting best practices to specific project contexts 
• Verbal, written, interpersonal, and presentation skills in French and English 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 
• Ability to travel nationally to project sites