Senior Technical Officer (STO) HSS at Sanitas Health and Development Foundation (SANHDEF)

Project Overview

• SANHDEF has been engaged by the Gates Foundation (GF) to implement a three (3) year Health System Strengthening (HSS) Project in Kano State.
• The project will support the State in developing realistic plans to optimize its health systems, improve health outcomes, and build a more resilient healthcare infrastructure capable of meeting the needs of its growing population.
•  We are seeking highly motivated and skilled professionals to join our State-level team in various critical roles.

Job Summary

• The Senior Technical Officer, Health Systems Strengthening will provide high-level technical support for the design, implementation, and monitoring of HSS interventions at state level.
• Working closely with the Project Director, S/he will provide technical guidance to state-level team to ensure that project activities are aligned with national and state priorities, while generating evidence and learnings.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical support and guidance for the planning, implementation, and monitoring of health systems strengthening activities in line with project goals and national priorities.
• Support the development and adaptation of HSS tools, guidelines, and frameworks to enhance health system performance at the state and LGA levels.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, policy briefs, presentations, and donor reports.
• Support the development and review of Annual Operational Plans (AOPs), health policies, and strategic documents.
• Support the facilitation and participation in technical working groups, policy dialogues, and stakeholder consultations at the state and federal levels
• Support the design and delivery of capacity-building interventions for health managers, policymakers, and frontline workers on leadership, governance, planning, and service delivery.
• Work closely with the MEL team to track project indicators, document lessons learned, and contribute to evidence generation for health systems reforms
• Provide technical mentorship and ongoing support to state and LGA health teams to improve planning, budgeting, and performance management
• Ensure timely and high-quality documentation of project activities, innovations, and success stories.

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced degrees in public health, Health Policy, Medicine, Health Economics, Development Studies, or a related field.
• A master’s degree (MPH, MSc, or MPA) is highly desirable.
• At least 5 years of progressive professional experience in health systems strengthening, public health program implementation, or health policy in Nigeria or similar low-resource settings.
• Proven experience in supporting or leading health planning processes, including Annual Operational Planning (AOP), strategic planning, or program budgeting at national or sub-national levels.
• Solid understanding of Nigeria’s health system, especially PHC systems, state-level governance structures, and institutional frameworks in northern Nigeria.
• Prior experience working with or providing technical support to state ministries of health, SPHCDAs, development partners, or donor-funded programs (e.g., USAID, FCDO, Global Fund, Gavi).
• Strong track record of building capacity, facilitating workshops, and conducting technical training for public health professionals.
• Experience with project monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, and reporting.
• Familiarity with digital health planning tools, DHIS2, or web-based platforms is an added advantage.

Desired Competencies:

• Technical expertise in health systems strengthening components (e.g., leadership and governance, planning, financing, service delivery, accountability).
• Strong project management and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and activities simultaneously.
• Proven stakeholder and operational management capabilities, including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and risk management.