Regional Senior Malaria Technical Advisor (RSMTA) at Management Sciences For Health - MSH

Ref No: R217
Locations: Cross River, Nasarawa (one based at Nasarawa to serve Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Zamfara); and another at Cross River to serve Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi and Oyo states).
Job Type: Full time

Overview

• PMI-S is a five-year PMI/USAID flagship malaria project implemented through a consortium led by MSH.
• The project is supporting the Government of Nigeria through its agencies at the federal, state, LGA and community levels to reduce under-five and maternal mortality by delivering quality services for management of malaria, its complications, and prevention.
• PMI-S project focuses on strengthening the capacity of the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) and State Malaria Elimination Programs (SMEPs) for the implementation of the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2014-2020.   

Main Purpose of Job
The RSMTA is a senior-level position with two major roles on the project:

• To deputize for the Senior Malaria Technical Advisor in the provision of technical support and strategic direction to the PMI-S project’s program staff in the 4 states (including the State Technical Malaria Leads (STML), the Malaria Case Management/MIP (MC/MIP) Officers, the iCCM Technical Advisors, and the Private Sector advisors).
• In consultation with the State Coordinator and the STML, s/he will provide high-level TA to SMEP, SMOH and SPHCDA on malaria case management; surveillance, monitoring and evaluation; and strengthening capacity of SMEP and health systems.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• As a member of the project’s task order management team, participate in the development of PMI-S Project’s approach to implementation of priority technical strategies including but not limited to (i) the Behavioral Economics Prototypes to influence provider behaviours to adhere to national malaria diagnostic and treatment guidelines, (ii) the malaria diagnostic quality assurance system and SOPs (QA/QC), (iii) the data quality assurance systems including data validation and data triangulation, (iv) and integrated support supervision and mentoring systems towards quality malaria case management.
• In collaboration with the Senior Malaria Technical Advisor (SMTA)/Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), build the capacity of the State Technical Malaria Leads (STML) and state technical staff in the roll-out of the PMI-S technical strategic approaches at state, LGA and health facility levels.
• Take responsibility for developing the technical components of Task Order annual and quarterly work plans and reports. S/he will coordinate development of state-specific plans and reports, and then compile them into a single task order work plans and reports
• At the state level, guide the project’s State Coordinator, the STML and the Monitoring & Evaluation/Health System Strengthening (M&E/HSS) Officer to have a common vision of PMI-S project work; and equip them with knowledge and skills on effective approaches to building capacity of the SMEP, SMOH and the SPHCDA to provide quality malaria services.
• Collaborate and coordinate with PMI/Nigeria partners - the GHSC-PSM, BA-N and WRAIR; and other partners supporting malaria and health services in the region including WHO, UNICEF, GF, and others to leverage resources for sustainable implementation and funding of malaria services.  S/he will compile, manage and be a member of the regional malaria training team.
• Be a technical resource and facilitator of state coordination forums like the mTWG, ATM, HDCC and others to steer the states towards sustainability. S/he will link with the M&E/HSS and GHCS-PSM to prepare monthly analysis of HMIS, LMIS and laboratory data, and deep-dives into LGAs and Health Facilities for presentation and discussion at these forums to inform decisions.
• Contribute to the development and monitoring of the state malaria annual work plans (AOP).
• Work with the Private Sector advisors to engage the private health sector in planning and implementation of malaria services including diagnostic QA/QC, and quality of case management and reporting into the DHIS2 by the private health facilities.
• In coordination with the Regional Senior Communications Officer and technical staff, contribute to documentation of the project’s technical highlights, abstracts and success stories.
• Contribute to the visibility of PMI and USAID investments through innovative presentation of project approaches and results at state, federal and international levels.

Qualifications

• A first degree in a medicine or health-related field, and a master's degree in health, management or related field is required.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience managing and implementing public health programs in Nigeria - three years of which should be at a senior level and two years on a malaria program is required.
• Experience working in at least two of the states of the respective task orders and knowledge of the local cultures is necessary.
• NGO experience is an advantage.
• Experience working on donor-funded projects, and understanding of US Government policies and procedures is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated success in achieving results in multiple malaria disciplines (e.g., LLIN distribution, malaria prevention, malaria in pregnancy, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and severe malaria).
• Strong communication skill to fulfill the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the program and effectively coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives, and sharing credit.
• Advanced professional proficiency in writing and reading English is required.