Technical Director

Jhpiego seeks a Technical Director to provide technical leadership and oversight for an upcoming USAID health project in Afghanistan. The project will aim to increase access to and utilization of quality health and nutrition services and adoption of healthy behaviors, especially for women and children. The project will operate over a 5-year period. The Technical Director will lend technical expertise in the areas listed above with an emphasis on issues of health service quality, access, knowledge/ health seeking behavior, and health governance.

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.

Ensure technical excellence:

• Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and definition of appropriate project activities
• Establish and implement a system to ensure technical quality of project activities
• Provide mentoring and capacity building at the individual and organizational level in specific areas of expertise including but not limited to:
  • RH/FP
  • MNCH
  • Immunization
  • Nutrition
  • TB
  • Health Systems Strengthening
• Use capacity building, supervision, and mentorship approaches to support technical advisors, program managers and consultants to develop and implement technically-sound interventions
• Lead the formulation of innovative approaches for scale-up of targeted services

Support high quality implementation:

• Provide technical leadership to the development of the project strategic plan, work plan, and project monitoring, in close collaboration with USAID and other stakeholders to ensure timely implementation and compliance to the requirements and regulations of the award
• Develop 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.
• Provide technical assistance for conducting site assessments and strengthening referral systems, in-service education, and supportive supervision
• Identify and implement appropriate strategies to address service delivery gaps
• Identify training needs for clinical and community healthcare providers and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs
• Coordinate advocacy, demand generation, and policy support, across project sites as required

Engage with MOPH, USAID and Partners

• Maintain excellent relationships with USAID and in-country stakeholders, and develop rapid responses
• Collaborate with all local stakeholders and implementing partners, especially the technical departments of Ministry of Public Health and other U.S. and international implementing partners, to ensure that all activities conform to the requirements and regulations
• 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
• Work closely with the Chief of Party and Senior Management Team (SMT) on setting project priorities and directions, and responding to requests for support from local counterparts
• Manage technical contributions of sub-grantees, including defining scopes of work

Use learning and data to drive action

• Work with M&E team to design, implement a plan to track data/results to inform adjustments in project implementation
• 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
• Author/co-author abstracts, presentations, and articles for journals and conferences

• A Medical Degree (doctor or nursing) required, in addition to a master’s in public health preferred
• At least 10 years’ experience in implementing and/or providing technical assistance to donor-funded projects with a similar health focus, and in the design and implementation of health projects; preferably in Afghanistan
• Demonstrated experience training clinical and community-based healthcare workers in relevant disciplines
• Demonstrated experience providing capacity building assistance at individual and organizational levels
• Skilled in at least 3 or more of the following technical areas: Health systems strengthening, MNCH, Mentorship, FP, immunization and communicable diseases.
• Demonstrated experience with a mix of practical technical skills necessary for strengthening service delivery at the regional, national, clinical and community-level
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of the Afghan healthcare system, particularly the public health system, experience living and working in Afghanistan 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
• Excellent verbal, written interpersonal and presentation skills in English and working knowledge of Pashto and/or Dari a plus
• Ability to travel nationally to project sites, and internationally to conferences and meetings as needed

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jobs-jhpiego.icims.com

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume and references.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.  

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

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