In Ethiopia, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation (BMGF) will concentrate its health portfolio on strengthening the national and regional-level health institutions that oversee district-level service delivery to help Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health achieve its ambitious Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP).
To align in a country-led approach, the foundation’s Ethiopia Integrated Health and Nutrition Team (EIHT) will program investments to align resources and partners using a common approach: by supporting health sector leadership, governance, and accountability at the national and regional levels, and by delivering evidence-based, high impact health and nutrition services to further strengthen Ethiopia’s health care system.
The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Integrated Health, will be a key part of the integrated team working to implement the foundation’s systems-strengthening-focused country health plan, with an emphasis on innovative, high-quality care across the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH-NUT) continuum. The candidate is expected to be self-sufficient, capable of identifying key issues and priorities and focusing on these to deliver required results with minimal direction.
- Manage investments that focus on RMNCAH-NUT
- Deliver analytical and technical assistance services to other donor partners and key stakeholders within Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health to support the development and implementation of policies and programs based on best practices and innovations in RMNCAH
- Work with the EIHT Senior Program Officer for Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation and Data, and the Deputy Director to oversee regular project progress tracking for the RMNCAH investments and contribute to the preparation of quarterly and annual narratives tracking progress against targets articulated in the team’s country health plan
- Under the leadership of the Deputy Director, Ethiopia Health and Nutrition, work collaboratively with external partners and other stakeholders working in Ethiopia’s RMNCAH ecosystem to identify synergies and areas of leverage
- Keep abreast of developments in grant/program changes and progress in order to advise and recommend tools and strategies to increase investment performances and results against the agreed upon results framework and in alignment with the broader EIHP MLE plan.
- Contribute to country health plan refresh and ongoing portfolio development
- Work on complex problems; analysis of situations and/or data requiring in-depth evaluation of various factors
- Exercise sound judgment within broadly defined practices and policies to select methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results
- Independently identify issues, formulate and designs plans, and execute ideas for a major initiative
- Ensure that networks of stakeholders inside and outside the foundation are enabled toward a collective outcome
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.
Core Knowledge and Skills
- Expertise in health-related program development, project management and implementation
- Demonstrated experience in health care quality improvement and measurement processes
- Experience working in various geographies; experience working in Ethiopia with a demonstrated understanding of the country context and public health sector preferred
- Strong management and supervisory skills
- Experience working with a range of government officials, donors, local NGOs, and academia
- Demonstrated success working with, and as a part of, cross-cultural teams
- Ability to operate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing, including clearly conveying technical ideas and information, as well as analysis and recommendations to support strategic decision-making
- Minimum 8 years of experience in international public health with a focus across the RMNCAH-NUT continuum, or specific areas therein. 15+ years of experience preferred