The MDG Centre West Africa:
Jobs in West Africa - The MDG Centre was established in July 2004 by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the UN Millennium Project with a broad purpose of assisting countries to develop operational strategies for achieving the MDGs, and to support their implementation at both local and national levels.

In early 2006, The MDG Centre reorganised to established two sub-regional centres covering East and Southern Africa (based in Nairobi) and West and Central Africa (based in Bamako). The MDG Centre West and Central Africa (WCA) is currently work in the following countries: Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal and is rapidly expanding to other countries in the region.

The West Africa MDG Centre focuses on two complementary scales:

•  At the national level, provide support to national Governments to develop Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-based national strategies and plans;
•  At the sub national level, assist local governments to develop and implement MDG-based local development plans and strategies and assist pilot Millennium Villages Project (MVP) sites and Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) to achieve MDGs at local level

Description Of Job

POSITION DESCRIPTION

•  Job title: Regional Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, And Child Health Advisor For Millennium Villages Project
•  Work station: The MDG center regional offices in Dakar, Senegal

The MDG Centre West Africa
The MDG Centre was established in July 2004 by The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the UN Millennium Project with a broad purpose of assisting countries to develop operational strategies for achieving the MDGs, and to support their implementation at both local and national levels.

In early 2006, The MDG Centre reorganized to establish two sub-regional centers covering East and Southern Africa (based in Nairobi) and West and Central Africa (based in Bamako). The MDG Centre West and Central Africa (WCA) is currently working in the following countries: Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal and its rapidly expanding to other countries in the region.

The West Africa MDG Centre focuses on two complementary scales:

•  At the national level,  provide support to national Governments to develop Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-based national strategies and plans;
•  At the sub national level, assist local governments to develop and implement MDG-based local development plans and strategies and assist pilot Millennium Villages Project (MVP) sites and Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) to achieve MDGs at local level. .

The MVP Health Sector
The MVP health model is based on provision of an essential package of services to rural populations that are extremely poor, have limited and often unsatisfactory interactions with formal health care systems, incur high opportunity cost to health service utilization (even when services are free), and have limited means of transport.

Achieving sustained improvements in health outcomes therefore requires clinical services that are available, accessible, appropriate, and acceptable to all villagers. Also necessary are proximity interventions that target families in their homes, build trust and ownership throughout the community, and address cultural beliefs and socio-economic and behavioral barriers to care.

The position

Overall purpose of the job
The role of the Regional Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (RMNCH) Advisor for MVP is to help put in place, in the Millennium Villages, activities and policies that will help communities and countries accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs.

Supervision
The Regional RMNCH Advisor is a member of the MDG Centre Team and reports functionally to the Regional Health Coordinator & Advisor of the MDG Centre on interventions, implementation, and monitoring/evaluation and to the Director of the MDG Centre on management and administrative issues.

Main tasks of the job:

A.    Provide Technical Assistance and Support to the Millennium Villages
With guidance from the NYC-based MVP Health Director and the Regional Health Coordinator & Advisor based at the MDG Centre, the Regional RMNCH Advisor provides strategic, technical and implementation advice and support to Millennium Villages Health Coordinators on all issues of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health.  In particular, the RMNCH Advisor will:

•  Strengthen the RMNCH implementation and monitoring systems, including protocols, tools and guidelines.  The RMNCH advisor will review existing best practice, UN recommendations and national guidelines in key RMNCH areas, including Family Planning, Pre-, Ante- and Postnatal Care, STI prevention and treatment, Newborn Care, Immunization Coverage, and Infection Control, and adapt to the MVP model, as well as into an MVP RMNCH strategy, annual work plans, guidelines and procedures;
•  Collaborate with:
a) Counterpart RMNCH Advisors in NYC and the Nairobi MDG Centre to ensure that work plans, guidelines, protocols and procedures are consistent across all MVP sites;
b)  MVP Education, Health, Gender and Community Coordinators/Team Leaders in NYC and at the Nairobi MDG Centre to foster a multidisciplinary approach to RMNCH interventions related to education, gender, community involvement, business and infrastructure (roads, transportation, telecommunication, as needed for EMOC) and involving other key partners from the area and the region, including academic partners;
•  Build local capacity (through training of all cadres of health care workers) within each of the Millennium Village sites in design, implementation and identification of impact indicators for RMNCH interventions; and provide technical advice to Health Coordinators in adapting interventions to local context (health facilities and communities) that will address the key MVP RMNCH goals of:
a)  Promoting institutional delivery
b)  Promoting safe motherhood
c)  Ensuring availability to emergency obstetric care
d)  Increasing demand for and supply of family planning services to promote voluntary fertility reduction, with a focus on Long Acting Methods
e)  Supporting EPI programs to increase coverage to all children
f)  Ensuring the provision of Essential Newborn, Care including newborn resuscitation capability at all births
g)  Instituting and maintaining youth-friendly services
•  Monitor progress in the implementation of interventions as well as compliance with the MVP RMNCH agenda and model, quickly addressing any issues that are identified
•  Consistently report to MVP Health Coordinator & Advisor on progress of RMNCH activities in sites; and prepare semi-annual reports on RMNCH in MV sites
a)  regular oversight of Millennium Village Information System indicators for maternal and child health, verifying accuracy of data and ensuring re-evaluation of strategy and implementation when data indicate inadequate progress
b)  oversight of childcount+ information regarding Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health, verifying data and ensuring adaptation of program when data indicate inadequate progress
•  Be accountable for deliverables mandated by donor grants, presenting updates and written reports for grantors.
•  Facilitate collaboration with government, UN agencies, NGOs and local academic institutions

B.    Contribute to policy development, scale-up and knowledge building
The RMNCH Advisor provides technical advice and support on RMNCH issues to the Director of Health and MDG Centre Health Coordinator & Advisor, as well as to the MVP Health Director in NYC, including:

•  Sharing information (technical reports, IEC materials, clinical protocols, training tools, consensus documents by international organizations, etc) across sectors;
•  Preparing strategy papers, technical reports, and cost analysis of RMNCH-related interventions in the MVP both for internal planning purposes as well as for presentation in scientific, policy and public forums;
•  Collaborating with epidemiologists, site teams and other MVP colleagues to analyze data and publish articles pertinent to contemporary RMNCH implementation and policy issues;
•  4.    Collaborating with counterpart RMNCH Policy Advisors to:
a)  Identify and document RMNCH-related analytical and operational lessons as well as “quick wins” from the MVP work that could be applied more broadly for regional and national scale of MDG-based plans
•  Develop strategies for scaling up RMNCH interventions at district, regional and national levels
•  Collaborating with other members of the Health Team at the MDG Centres and in NY, as well as RMNCH specialists at partner organizations

C.    Other responsibilities
As a staff member of The MDG Centre, the Regional RMNCH Advisor is also expected to:

•  Represent the Centre at key international conferences and meetings
•  Support outreach to the UN system, development partners, civil society, and governments
•  Participate in weekly calls with NYC core health team
•  Participate in regular meetings as requested by the MDG Centre’s Director
•  Participate in the Millennium Villages Project annual retreat
•  Additional tasks as agreed upon with MDG Centre Health Coordinator & Advisor and with the NYC-based MVP Health Director

Qualification Required & Experience

•  Minimum of advanced degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Gender Studies, Health Education or related field (MD/MPH preferred).
•  Minimum of Five (5) years working experience, including substantial experience in implementation of RMNCH projects.  Experience in Africa is a requirement.
•  Demonstrated ability to excel in a multi-cultural team environment.
•  Demonstrated ability to handle working relationships with senior government officials, academics and technical experts in multidisciplinary settings.
•  Strong quantitative skills and demonstrated capacity to perform outstanding original research, including statistical analysis.
•  Team builder and team player.
•  Fluency in both French and English (spoken and written).
•  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
•  Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
•  Possesses an active passport and is able and willing to travel internationally. Travel is anticipated in the West-Central Africa region, with possible travel to Kenya and the United States.
•  Testimonials from previous employers attesting the incumbent’s qualifications, performance and integrity.

How To Apply For The Job

Terms of offer
CIP/MDG Center offers a regionally competitive salary with an excellent benefits package. The employment contract is for a period of one year with the possibility of renewal.CIP/ MDG 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. names and contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to:

ibrahim.tounkara@mdgwca.org

With a copy to:

recruitment@mdgwca.org

•  “Application for Regional RMNCH Advisor MDG-WCA” should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message.
•  Applications will be considered until 12 October 2012 or until the position is filled.
•  Only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:

www.mdgwca.org
www.millenniumpromise.org,
www.unmillenniumproject.org,
www.mdgwca.org

Closing Date: 12 October 2012