About Integrated Health Systems Strengthening (Hss) Project

Integrated Health System Strengthening Project is a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) investment co-designed with Amref Health Africa and MOH to support the design and implementation of a platform mechanism/s for health systems strengthening for primary health care (PHC) in Ethiopia. The focus of this investment is primarily at the subnational level (regional and district) with links to national efforts. The design will focus on integration of key HSS pillars – e.g., Human Resources for Health (HRH), Health Care Financing (HCF), Data, and Leadership and Governance – to support PHC administrators and managers toward optimizing health systems for improved service delivery. 

Job Purpose

Amref is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic person to technically lead this investment with the HSS Senior Director by closely working with sub-national public health administrators with linkage to national efforts. The Technical Director is responsible for technical leadership of the HSS program and for managing a team of senior staff nationally and sub nationally, ensuring quality, timeliness, and efficiency of all products and activities of the project. S/her will guide Regional HSS Managers, and supervise HSS advisors such as Health Financing, GESDI and LMG/HRH Advisors in implementing the HSS project by working closely with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, and Program Implementation Directors of the project as well as other teams across Amref country office.  The successful candidate will ensure the technical assistance (TA) packages are co-designed with relevant actors, follow closely the implementation, make course corrections of the TA packaged as needed and synthesis lessons for scale up.  

The successful candidate will assist the HSS Senior Director in providing high-quality technical support to Integrated HSS project teams across Amref Ethiopia by working closely with the PHC Technical teams of BMGF funded Improving PHC Service Delivery Project implemented by Amref and JSI. S/he is expected to represent the Project and Amref in national and Regional Technical working Groups and other partnership platforms serving as HSS expert and advocate promising intervention of integrated HSS project.

The role requires frequent travel to regions and woredas to actively engage the PHC and other sector leaders, frontline HCWs and communities to ensure the project’s support is participatory and contextualized. Hence, the position holder is expected to have an in-depth understanding of sub-national Health System and related other sector dynamics and capability to navigate through complex Human resource management, essential commodity demands and variable leadership commitments.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as core member of the Integrated HSS project leadership team responsible for providing technical leadership to the Project

• Provide technical guidance for BMGF funded Integrated HSS project team members through guiding SOPs, manuals or minimum TA package

• Ensure technical and programmatic quality of the HSS program.

• Provide the technical team with adequate and up-to-date technical guidelines, standard operating procedures, quality standards, evidence-based models, and other technical tools

• Provide oversight, mentoring and capacity building at the individual, organizational, and programmatic levels for all technical areas of the HSS program.

• Ensure Gender, Social and Disability Inclusion (GESDI) dimensions are appropriately addressed within the project’s technical strategy and implementation.

• Actively engage in Regional and sub regional technical and leadership platforms to ensure smooth implementation of the HSS project

• Together with M&E team, continuously assess Project’s support to building stronger health systems sub nationally and ensure timely course correction or adjustments in redefining the TA package.

• Support HSS Senior Director’s effort of facilitating internal (with in Amref and BMGF’s other investments) and external learning platforms for exchange of lessons through proactively promoting collaborative learning and adaptation including community of practice for integrated health system investments.

• By working with M&E Team, ensure that evidences are generated from this investment to inform policy, advocacy, financing and governance approaches for optimal health system investment of PHC sub nationally.

• Alongside other project teams, build knowledge and thought leadership capabilities of Amref and expand Amref’s network of Health System partners with a goal of increasing utilization of lessons of Integrated HSS Project for scale up.

• Take proactive measures to establish and sustain regional level HSS partnerships with relevant stakeholders to minimize fragmentation and enhance accountability of all partners in making health facilities ready for health service delivery.

• In collaboration with the M&E unit, work on research agenda on HSS, produce and publish papers, publish quarterly program briefs and develop website content re HSS project

• Develop and update the organization’s results on HSS interventions; document, disseminate best practices and lessons learned

• Support the development and/or review of program work plans, quarterly, biannual and annual reports

• Oversee the development of activity-based budgets and facilitates and monitor ongoing budget management for HSS related activities

• In collaboration with the project’s MEL Director and team, help establish MEL (e.g., indicators and data collection methodologies) to track quality and reach of program activities; ensure that lessons learned from project implementation inform field discourse and programmatic decisions at all levels and participate in the development and implementation of a learning and research agenda for the project.

• Work with Regional offices and Country Office staff to assess and identify technical assistance needs with regard to HSS technical skills, supervision support

• S/he will work on HSS related tasks assigned by the HSS Senior Director 

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have a strong technical background in health systems strengthening mainly in Leadership, Human Resource for Health and health financing; as well as solid experience in the delivery of technical assistance and engaging with government counterparts at Regional, Zonal and Woreda levels with linkage to the national entities. S/he should also be highly motivated, a creative problem solver; have strong analytical, communication, process facilitation, and collaboration skills.

Education and Professional Qualifications:

• An advanced degree in Medicine, Public Health, International Development, or a similar field.

Experience: 

• Minimum eight (8) years of experience working in health systems strengthening, familiarity with health financing, human resource for health and leadership issues in Ethiopia and technical knowledge of policy, advocacy, financing and governance.

• Experienced team leader with highly collaborative mindset. Passionate about working on the ground with frequent encounter with woredas and health facility teams with more challenges compounded by limited resources.

• Ability to prioritize and manage activities in frequently-changing environment and adapt to complex nature of working with local counterparts with high turnover leadership, scarce resources and limited motivation of staff.

• Proven technical leadership in developing strategies, conceptualizing, planning, and implementing projects or programs.

• Demonstrated track record in building partnerships with government health agencies, donors, and other key health stakeholders including at sub national level.

• Skill to be highly composed at times of multiple actions at a time, attention to detail, professionalism, and reliability.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to effectively facilitate high-level meetings; prepare clear and concise briefs, presentations, and reports.

• Strong interpersonal and capacity building skills, including training, mentoring and coaching skills.

Skills and Competencies:

• Demonstrated HSS expertise

• Technically sound in leadership, HRH and Health financing

• Ability to build and work with networks

• Well organized, results focused, creative, innovative and flexible

How to Apply

Interested applicants please visit our website to submit your application. You will be directed to our online portal where you will need to create an account in order for you to be able to submit your application. Your application should include quoting Technical Director/I-HSS in the subject line of a cover letter, detailing why you are the best fit for this position, and your CV with relevant skills and experience. Closing date will be October 26, 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

*On your application, please indicate for which location you are applying. 

If you face any challenge applying on our website contact us at  ETrecruitment@Amref.org.

Duly note that Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking environment policy.