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Senior Country Advisor for East Africa

CAMRIS
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CAMRIS is an international development and research firm that realizes innovative solutions to health and development challenges through high-quality, cost-effective program and research management services. With experience working in more than 100 countries, we combine our proven systems with today’s most effective, evidence-based best practices to improve the lives of people around the world.


United States Agency for International Development/Bureau for Global Health/Office of Country Support (USAID/GH/CS)


Title:
Senior Country Advisor for East Africa


GS:
14 - Equivalency


Application Deadline:
Open until Filled


Background:


The Bureau for Global Health (GH) is known for its technical expertise and for its ability to support country programs in strategic planning, program development and talent management. Within GH, the Office of Country Support (OCS) supports the vision, implementation and analysis of the Agency initiatives and priorities, including the Journey to Self-Reliance, Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths, Controlling the AIDS Epidemic and Protecting Communities from Infectious Diseases, among others.


OCS serves as a nexus for informing and coordinating with field programs and strategy development and implementation, and communicates directly with USAID mission health teams. OCS manages the USAID/Washington Country Health Team System ensuring strong, strategic support to the field and undertakes analysis and documentation of Agency best practices, working closely with GH staff and across other Bureaus in USAID/Washington. The OCS priorities are as follows:


  1. Stewards of a strong Global Health Country Team System
  2. Mobilize support to Missions from across the Bureau and Agency to effectively operationalize the Program Cycle
  3. Create and manage a variety of communication strategies/platforms that create a bridge between the Field and Washington
  4. Support interpretation and implementation of Agency and GH Policies and Priorities.
Introduction:


As a catalytic office working across GH, regional and pillar bureaus, OCS is a critical link for ensuring strong support and implementation of health programming and advancing the journey to self-reliance. The Office plays an essential role as the primary contact, advocate and principal coordinator of health technical, strategic and programmatic support for USAID mission health programs and has two primary interrelated functions: (1) staff who work on tools, systems and policy related functions; and (2) staff who primarily support missions. In FY 2019, OCS assumed management of two new GH projects: GH TAMS, a mechanism that makes available short term consultants to the field and GH for up to 6 month assignments; and two, managing the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI). The Office is led by a Director, two Deputy Director, Regional Team Leads, five Senior Country Advisors, as well as several staff who focus on enhancing the systems for country support.






ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:


Senior Country Advisor and Sub-Regional Lead


Within the Office of Country Support, the Senior Country Advisor and Sub-Regional Lead takes the lead in providing strategic assistance to one of the three sub regions in Africa: East Africa, West Africa and Southern Africa. S/he leads multiple USAID Country Teams, and serves on the other teams in the sub region as Point of Contact for OCS and the Africa Team. The Senior Country Advisor works across USAID/W with GH technical and program staff, regional bureau health teams, desk officers and with other bureaus (e.g. Program, Policy and Learning; Disaster, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, among others) to ensure high impact support for country programs.


The Senior Country Advisor will focus on: (1) providing high quality country support and country team leadership for selected countries in the sub region; (2) staying abreast of key trends in the sub region and building strong relationships with regional bureau counterparts; (3) identifying and monitoring cross-cutting program practices and processes and identifying opportunities for cross-country learning; and (4) providing technical guidance on critical efforts for OCS and the GH Bureau with emphasis on fostering country engagement and input in strategic, programmatic and policy efforts. Under the Advisor’s leadership, the USAID Country Team will provide strategic technical, analytical and programmatic expertise and ensure robust country-led, integrated health programs, identifying learning opportunities and ensure the learning is captured and disseminated through a variety of channels.


The Senior Country Advisor will also provide assistance to missions needing program design assistance, developing concept papers, project assistance documents (PADs), and activity designs. The Senior Country Advisor may provide support to Health Offices in the field by providing coverage or other TDY needs.


In light of the addition of two awards to the management responsibilities of the office, the incumbent may be called upon to support activity management for one (or more) of these awards. This will require advanced program management skills, including financial management, contract/agreement management and attention to detail. The Advisor will also provide technical guidance and/or participate in other critical OCS and GH initiatives and efforts.


Senior Country Advisor’s Terms of Reference


  • Provide strategic leadership and vision to ensure strong, responsive, strategic technical assistance to USAID missions. Identify, monitor and communicate best practices and bottlenecks for successful practices and programming.
  • Serve as a Country Team Lead on multiple GH Country Teams and ensure areas of expertise are represented and integrated and have an eye to ensuring and identifying appropriate synergies across programming.
  • Serve as the OCS Point of Contact on other Country Teams within the sub region, and support the Country Team Lead to ensure areas of technical expertise are represented and integrated.

  • Coordinate with Africa Bureau and other technical bureaus, including Resilience and Food Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Democracy, Development and Innovation, and other USAID initiatives. Engage closely with the Desk Officer to understand issues affecting the Mission from the Regional Bureau perspective.
  • Proactively ensure lessons learned and success stories are documented and disseminated through appropriate channels, shared across countries, and identify opportunities for leveraging innovations. Identify opportunities for Mission-to-Mission support and learning, including sub regional “mini-SOTAs”, where possible. Facilitate technical exchanges and sharing of lessons learned across Country Teams in the sub region.
  • Advocate for support and other resources for countries, such as staffing, technical assistance, strategic support and budgetary resources, for a robust and successful health program. Provide coverage for key Health Office staff absences, when possible, and collaborate with OCS staff to identify solutions for requests from Missions to fill long term staffing gaps.
  • Organize and/or participate in Country Team assistance for strategic planning, such as Project Appraisal Document and activity designs, to Mission Health Offices. Support other aspects of the Program Cycle, including reviewing and helping develop annual Health Implementation Plans and Performance Plan Reports.
  • If needed, support the activity management for OCS managed awards, assisting with all aspects of award management.
  • Identify and/or participate on GH working groups addressing key agency and GH priorities. Currently, these include Journey to Self-Reliance, Private Sector Engagement, operating in Non-Permissive Environments, financing self-reliance, digital health, and other cross-cutting / cross-office efforts.

Qualifications


  • Minimum 9 years working in global health, managing complex programming with USAID, other U.S. Government agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, philanthropic organizations, the private sector and/or partner governments.
  • Master’s degree in public health or other relevant discipline.
  • Minimum of 5 years of substantive overseas experience, preferably in global health or closely and in Africa.
  • Ability to travel 20-40% of the year.
  • Knowledge of the theories and principles of global health and international development to analyze and evaluate factors and conditions involved in the administration of U.S. foreign policy programs related to health.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of how to achieve public health development results in developing countries, including fragile states.
  • Broad knowledge of Family Planning/Reproductive Health (FP/RH), Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis or Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), Health Systems Strengthening (HSS), Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), and/or other key health issues within the sub-Saharan Africa context.
  • Ability to identify and build appropriate linkages across sectors and Bureaus within USAID, such as Humanitarian Assistance, Resilience and Food Security, Democracy, Development and Innovation, and with other U.S. Government initiatives and programs is highly desired.
  • Experience with leading and/or participating in strategic planning processes, including developing five year strategies in the health sector, developing and/or responding to requests for assistance/proposals, and leading or facilitating design workshops, preferably in sub Saharan Africa.
  • Experience managing health projects in developing countries, preferably with USAID supported activities in sub Saharan Africa, including strong project management skills; AOR/COR coursewo
  • Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships at all levels particularly across U.S. Government agencies.
  • Ability to provide expert advice and consultation to management officials with regard to the policy implications of issues and developments of health within USAID strategic goals and priorities.
  • Skills in oral and written communication to prepare and present analyses, provide guidance, solicit information, defend proposals and negotiate agreements.
  • French language proficiency preferred.
  • US. citizenship and ability to obtain a secret security clearance are required.
Applicants selected will be subject to a background investigation and must obtain and maintain a favorable adjudication as applicable to their position/duties


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In order to fully evaluate your eligibility, your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position.******


This is an opportunity for employment or a contract, but we reserve the right to make no selection or award.





CAMRIS International offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. Please submit your resume online at
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