The Millennium Villages Project, supported by Millennium Promise Alliance and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a bottom-up approach to lift developing country villages out of the poverty trap that afflicts more than a billion people worldwide. The Millennium Villages team of experts in Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, Economics, Energy, Water, Agribusiness, Environment and Information Technology are working with local communities and governments to apply a proven holistic package of interventions to help villages get out of extreme poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

With support from Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, a SADA Millennium Village has been established in parts of the West Mamprusi, Mamprugu Moaduri and Builsa South Districts of the Northern and Upper East Regions of Ghana. The project area covers a cluster of contiguous rural communities with an estimated population of 25,000 people.

Job Summary

•   JOB TITLE: Health Coordinator
•   UNIT: SADA Millennium Villages Project
•   LOCATION: Bolga Upper East Region-Northern Ghana

Purpose of the position

The role of the Health Coordinator will be to implement the comprehensive MVP interventions for health resulting in the successful attainment of the millennium development goals.

Responsibilities/Duties

The Duties and Responsibilities of the Health Coordinator will be as follows:

Health system coordination & strategy implementation

•   Implement the comprehensive MVP interventions for health resulting in the successful attainment of the millennium development goals
•   Implement successfully a household-level program driven by trained, equipped, paid and supervised community health workers
•   Support mobile and e-health activities to facilitate rapid response in household-level interventions by community health workers
•   Support water, sanitation and hygiene activities
•   Draw up high quality work plans and related budgets to ensure alignment with project strategy, technical guidelines and agreed annual program prioritie
•   Periodically review progress in the implementation of the work plan in liaison with team leader and MDG Health Systems Advisor

Technical team supervision management

•   Manage a team of health facilitators/professionals implementing interventions in nutrition, child health, maternal health, reproductive health, adolescent health, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
•   Mentor health sector staff directly in MVP and within the GHS and provide them with the necessary support to enable them carry out their responsibilities
•   Conduct annual and semi annual appraisal of staff and make recommendations for renewal of their contracts
•   Be a member of the leadership team of SADA MVP

M&E system operational research strengthening

•   Supervise the collection of vital statistics and ensure accurate recording of births and deaths for our target population, particularly children and pregnant women, at community-level
•   Coordinate data collection and information management on monitoring and evaluation of health interventions.
•   Monitor on-going operations research projects in the field, and share lessons and results with other sites
•   Conduct technical review and make requests to implement non-budgeted activities and make recommendations to Millennium Promise Operations team

Collaboration of technical partners (UNICEF, etc)

•   Effectively leverage implementation of health interventions on on-going operations and activities by other active partners in and around the cluster.
•   Effectively communicate health intervention plans, lessons learned and emerging findings to government, NGOs, Private Sector, WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, WFP, GFATM, Red Cross etc.

Active engagement of key policy stakeholders (GHS, NHIS, etc)

•   Establish and maintain contacts with key people in ministries of health and planning, and relevant district officials
•   Lead regional efforts to lobby and advocate for strategies and policies (local, district and national) that are consistent with the MVP approach

Qualification Required & Experience

•   The incumbent should have a minimum of health science degree, either Bachelors of Medicine, Nursing, with additional public health education
•   S/he should have demonstrated broad understanding of international development and public health policy with expertise in public health systems in sub-Saharan Africa
•   S/he should have at least 5 years of qualification experience with collaborative projects, managing large projects with many partners and stake holders preferably in international organizations
•   S/he should have excellent skills in implementation research and data analysis
•   S/he should have highly developed organization skills, grants and article writing skills and oral communication skills, in English
•   S/he needs good inter- personnel skills, leadership skills and managing well in fast paced environment, thriving in multicultural settings
•   S/he should have technical/team management experience
•   S/he should have track record of having constructive working relationships with senior government officials, academics and technical experts in health and other related or inter-sectoral fields.
•   S/he should demonstrate a broad understanding of national policies and actors, and the technical content of available interventions.
•   S/he should demonstrate the effective use of survey data and routine monitoring information to identify gaps; the ability to flexibly and responsively problem solve; and strong facilitation and team management skills.

Location: Bolgatanga, Upper East Region

How To Apply For The Job

Terms of offer
MVP offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefits package. The employment contract is for a period of one year with the possibility of renewal. MVP prides itself on its collegial, supportive and gender sensitive working environment and believes that staff diversity promotes excellence. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications
Applicants should apply by email, sending a cover letter summarizing their relevance to this position, a full C.V. and names and contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to: SADA.MVP@millenniumpromise.org with copy to employment@mdgwca.org and Jacob.ubindam@millenniumpromise.org

Closing Date: 18 November, 2013

•   “Application for SADA MVP Health Coordinator” should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message.
•   Applications will be considered until 18th November, 2013
•   Only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:

www.millenniumvillages.org
www.millenniumpromise.org
www.unmillenniumproject.org
www.mdgcentre.org