Senior Technical Policy Advisor, Contraception & Family Planning

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Senior Technical Policy Advisor, Contraception & Family Planning 

Luanda, Angola 

Pathfinder International (PI) seeks a Senior Technical Policy Advisor, Contraception & Family Planning (C/FP) to strengthen the enabling environment that will promote contraception and family planning in Angola.  

PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Angola is in the list of top five countries in the world where women are exposed to an extreme risk of maternal mortality.  To confront this devastating trend, Pathfinder International is committed to increasing access to and use of contraception to significantly reduce a woman’s lifetime exposure to the high risks associated with childbirth.   In Angola, where the total fertility rate is extremely high, a woman is exposed to a heightened risk of maternal mortality 5.8 times. No African country has a higher maternal mortality rate than Angola and it ties Somalia for the title of “worst MMR ranking” in the world. In 2009, Angola’s MMR was estimated at 660 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (World Development Indicators). To confront this devastating trend, the Senior Technical Policy Advisor will advance the need for increased access to, and use of, contraception as a fundamental approach to reduce maternal mortality. 

Pathfinder’s USAID Associate Award Project is a three-year strategic health initiative to advance a family planning advocacy strategy set forth by the GoA Ministry of Health (MOH) that will contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality in Angola. The need to promote increased availability and accessibility to contraception/family planning (C/FP) services on both demand and supply sides to achieve an improvement in the health of Angolan women is an important component of this role. Project objectives include: facilitating and supporting GOA MOH efforts to build national level C/FP advocacy capacity; facilitating and strengthening C/FP approaches at the provincial and municipal levels, and building awareness, knowledge and advancing C/FP advocacy capacity.    

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior Technical Policy Advisor plays a key role in providing strategic leadership and managerial oversight of the technical aspects of Pathfinder’s USAID Angola Associate Award Project.  S/he ensures that the Project achieves its intended impact in building national level C/FP policy capacity, facilitating and strengthening C/FP approaches, and building awareness, knowledge and advancing C/FP policy capacity. The Senior Technical Policy Advisor prominently positions Pathfinder as the leader in C/FP in a manner consistent with the GOA MOH strategic vision for the country.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Build on existing tools and develop or adapt innovative approaches to ensure the efficiency, acceptability and impact of C/FP services at the community, municipal and national levels.

·         Work with the technical team to ensure that best practices for services and service integration are well documented, evaluated and poised for scale up.  This work will include collaboration with other key partners leading HIV, malaria and other health intervention efforts in Angola.

·         Ensure that Project performance objectives and mandated deliverables such as technical activities are carried out in a timely fashion and meet the highest quality standards.

·         Provide leadership and direction to monitoring and evaluation frameworks and indicators to secure project performance and results.  Lead a review process that consistently monitors progress and identifies specific actions as needed to achieve stated objectives.

·         In collaboration with project staff ensure compliance with Pathfinder International’s policy and USAID regulations including TIAHRT provisions.

·         Partner successfully with Pathfinder International’s Program Director by providing accurate and timely reporting and updates on the technical progress of the project.

·         Strengthen productive relationships with USAID partners, Ministry of Health and other governmental agencies ensuring that Pathfinder International is accurately viewed as an effective implementing partner meeting project targets.

·         Document achievements for technical documentation reports and communications materials such as the annual report, brochures and website.

·         Represent Pathfinder International to external organizations and audiences at professional meetings and conferences as needed. 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: 

·         Master’s degree in public health, social sciences or related field. Doctoral degree preferred.

·         Minimum of seven to ten years of technical experience designing, planning and/or implementing mid-large scale donor funded institutional C/FP or SRH, MCH projects in transitioning countries.

·         Hands-on experience working effectively with local, municipal, provincial and central-level government authorities.

·         Demonstrated experience successfully fulfilling performance objectives, including the timely implementation and reporting of donor-funded program activities including technical documentation.

·         Exhibits significant management capacity and skills in developing countries.

·         Proven experience in designing and evaluating development and intervention activities, preferably with USAID, WHO, or other donor organizations working in the health sector.

·         Proven ability to create and maintain effective working relations with host country government personnel, NGO partners, international organizations, and donor agencies.

·         In-depth knowledge of public and/or private health systems, decentralization of services, and the latest technical developments in family planning.

·         Excellent diplomatic, interpersonal and communication skills.

·         Proven ability to carry out multi-level advocacy initiatives.

·         Demonstrated capabilities in institutional capacity building, and high-level strategic visioning and leadership.

·         Demonstrated ability to manage, motivate, mentor and direct colleagues while contributing to the creation of a positive team environment. 

·         Excellent knowledge of the political, social, economic, and cultural context of Angola

·         Must be fluent in Portuguese and English.

·         Position requires in-county travel as necessary to achieve program objectives and annual HQ trip as part of meeting Pathfinder international strategic technical objectives.

·         Previous professional experience in Angola preferred.   

TO APPLY:  Please visit the Employment section of our website at www.pathfinder.org      

Pathfinder International is proud to be an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer.