John Snow Incorporated (JSI) Job Opportunities in Nigeria, July 26th 2016

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John Snow Incorporated (JSI) is a public health research and technical assistant firm dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities throughout the world. It manages the USAID/DELIVER PROJECT and the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) project in the Nigeria office.
John Snow Incorporated (JSI) is recruiting to fill the below position:


Job Title: Measurement, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MMEL) Officer
Location: Kogi
Position Type: Full-time
Organization: John Snow, Inc. (JSI)
Supervisor: State Child Health Coordinator
Background
The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) is a global Cooperative Agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed at introducing and supporting high-impact health interventions. This global program focuses on 24 high-priority countries, including Nigeria, with the ultimate goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths within a generation. MCSP country programs strive to ensure that all women, newborns and children have equitable access to the quality health care services that save lives.

MCSP supports programming in maternal, newborn, and child health, immunization, family planning (FP) and reproductive health, nutrition, health systems strengthening, water/sanitation/hygiene, malaria, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and pediatric HIV care and treatment. The program engages governments, policymakers, private sector leaders, health care providers, civil society, faith-based organizations and communities in addressing the major causes of maternal, newborn and child mortality and improving the quality of health services from household to hospital. Health systems strengthening, household and community mobilization, gender integration and eHealth are also cross-cutting themes and areas of the program’s work.

MCSP will play a key role in facilitating central-level policy change necessary to accelerate the decline in preventable maternal, newborn, and child (MNCH) deaths. This includes ensuring increased treatment options for childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, especially at community level. MCSP also supports states to improve access to high-quality preventive and curative MNCH services, as well as the availability of essential commodities at both the facility and community levels.

Overall Responsibilities

• Based in Kogi, Nigeria, the Measurement, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer (MMEL Officer) will work as a member of the integrated MCSP/Nigeria MNCH team, under the supervision of the State Child Health Coordinator, to support MCSP activities designed to improve the quality and equity of preventive and curative child health interventions.
• The MMEL Officer will play a key role in program monitoring, documentation, reporting, and learning around MCSP child health technical support activities in Kogi state. Focusing on community-level child
• health activities (namely, integrated community case management, or iCCM) and data, this individual will also help strengthen the local monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and health management information systems (HMIS), monitor and document program results and learning on child heath, supervise MCSP M&E activities for child health at the state level, manage data collection and reporting of child health service delivery data against program/USAID indicators, and ensure the quality of state government M&E capacity-building activities supported by MCSP for child health.
• The MMEL Officer will also closely collaborate with other technical and management team members on program planning and implementation, and will advise on the adjustment of program strategies, activities, and approaches related to child health based on ongoing monitoring data and performance. This individual must be a strong collaborator, manager, technician, and innovative thinker who is detail-oriented, highly organized, passionate, and able to work in a challenging, rural environment with minimal day-to-day supervision.

Roles and Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Program M&E system development and management
• Play a lead role, under the guidance of MCSP’s Regional MNCH M&E Director, Kogi State Child Health Coordinator, Child Health Team Leader, and state government staff to develop, track, and report on appropriate child health indicators and targets. This includes supporting updates to and the implementation and monitoring of the program’s Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP).
• Work closely with the program’s Regional MNCH M&E Director, Kogi State MNCH Team Leader, Kogi State Child Health Coordinator, and other technical program staff to help create and maintain child health data in the program’s M&E database, and to encourage the use of this database to track the progress of program implementation.
• Support the introduction of a community-based M&E system for iCCM in Kogi state, ideally through the development of a system that links community child health data with the Health Management Information System (HMIS) (e.g., District Health Management System-2, or DHIS2). Track performance results and data quality for iCCM through this system.
• Work closely with the Regional MNCH M&E Director, Kogi State MNCH Team Leader, and other technical program colleagues to harmonize and coordinate data collection, reporting, and state government M&E capacity building efforts/activities across MCSP’s various technical areas (i.e., maternal, newborn, and child health), as appropriate.

Performance Monitoring:

• Provide day-to-day technical leadership in Kogi state to help ensure that all USAID planning and reporting requirements that are related to M&E for child health activities are met by the program, and that these M&E approaches are sound, evidence-based, and responsive to the needs of the state.
• Provide regular updates on child health activity progress/results to senior management and technical program staff in country and/or at Home Office as requested. Proactively flag program performance issues for action as they arise, in close collaboration with other senior MCSP management and technical staff. Initiate and/or facilitate periodic internal program planning and review exercises.
• Support Kogi State in the compilation, analysis, and presentation of M&E data for child health at various levels, to encourage the use of information for decision making.
• Support the State to develop and implement quality control and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency of MNCH reporting at all relevant levels.
• Supervise (and conduct as needed) child health data entry, cleaning, and analysis, as well as baseline, formative, and routine data collection; this includes working with MCSP’s country and home office teams, and with State and other partners, to design, test, implement, and document routine data collection and the implementation of baseline assessments/surveys and research protocols.
• Participate in relevant state- and/or LGA-level stakeholder working groups and meetings (or advocate for establishing appropriate technical working groups as appropriate, if they do not exist) related to M&E and/or child health.
• Participate in and/or convene regular management, technical, and other meetings as needed, including Country Support Team (CST) and Child Health team meetings with MCSP’s Washington-based Home Office teams.
• Promote the transparent, timely, and consistent flow of information and internal and external communications as required.
• Work with MCSP staff and partners to identify short-term technical assistance needs and opportunities to strengthen technical approaches and implementation.

Program Documentation and Reporting:

• Contribute to the development and/or reviews of USAID quarterly technical progress reports, annual workplans and activity budgets, monthly cash flow requests, and other key program deliverables as required.
• Contribute to the drafting/development of success stories, case studies, conference abstracts, and other materials and messages that demonstrate program achievements and progress related to child health; tracking and “telling a story” around program results, including factors critical to success and/or areas needing improvement.

Local M&E Capacity Development:

• Support M&E capacity development among program and state government staff to strengthen the quality and completeness of child health data (including by promoting the use of data quality self-assessment techniques), and for the improved collection, management, and use of child health data for decision making.
• Champion opportunities to promote, facilitate, and document both formal and informal learning experiences that emerge during the course of MCSP/Nigeria MNCH program implementation. This includes sharing knowledge, experiences, and best practices with other MCSP colleagues and program partners as required; supporting process documentation and dissemination around program implementation; highlighting success stories, and examples of “positive deviance” around what is working; and stimulating creative thinking with other partners around how to improve performance, data management, and data use.

Partnership Building:

• Represent the program’s interests and provide technical advisory support in public and professional circles through meetings, technical working groups, task forces, and conferences.
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with key public and private partners and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Advanced Degree in Public Health/ Epidemiology/ Biostatistics/Statistics/Economics or relevant field required.
• At least 5 years of experience in the monitoring and evaluation of public health programs.
• Demonstrated understanding of and experience with USAID reporting frameworks and indicators.
• Experience in research methods, and in the design, conduct, and analysis of research studies (quantitative and qualitative).
• Familiarity with the Nigerian HMIS, including DHIS2, and other M&E systems.
• Technical knowledge of and experience using various applied research and M&E techniques; ability to link information systems to program implementation.
• Excellent technical writing and communications skills, including demonstrated technical writing skills for publication; ability to “tell a story” with data, and to explain the “so what” of data when writing program reports.
• Experience (preferred) with statistical analysis, database, and/or data visualization software such as EpiInfo, Access, SPSS, STATA, R, NVIVO, and/or ArcGIS.
• High proficiency in Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated experience in outcome monitoring and impact evaluation using robust techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including outstanding presentation and meeting facilitation skills; good verbal and written communication skills in English; knowledge of at least one other relevant local dialect required.
• Ability to work in a complex operating environment with minimal day-to-day supervision, and to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines with pressure to perform.
• Ability to travel to harder-to-reach communities up to 30%-50% of the time for program monitoring, data collection, supervision, and technical and capacity-building support.
• Proven ability to motivate and mentor other colleagues, with demonstrated experience and skills in training and capacity building.
• Strong representational, partnership, and interpersonal skills.

Job Title: Finance and Administration Officer
Location: Abuja
Position Type: Full-time
Organization: John Snow, Inc. (JSI)
Supervisor: Finance and Administration Manager
Background
The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) is a global Cooperative Agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed at introducing and supporting high-impact health interventions. This global program focuses on 24 high-priority countries, including Nigeria, with the ultimate goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths within a generation. MCSP country programs strive to ensure that all women, newborns and children have equitable access to the quality health care services that save lives.

MCSP supports programming in maternal, newborn, and child health, immunization, family planning (FP) and reproductive health, nutrition, health systems strengthening, water/sanitation/hygiene, malaria, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and pediatric HIV care and treatment. The program engages governments, policymakers, private sector leaders, health care providers, civil society, faith-based organizations and communities in addressing the major causes of maternal, newborn and child mortality and improving the quality of health services from household to hospital. Health systems strengthening, household and community mobilization, gender integration and eHealth are also cross-cutting themes and areas of the program’s work.

MCSP will play a key role in facilitating central-level policy change necessary to accelerate the decline in preventable maternal, newborn, and child (MNCH) deaths. This includes ensuring increased treatment options for childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, especially at community level. MCSP also supports states to improve access to high-quality preventive and curative MNCH services, as well as the availability of essential commodities at both the facility and community levels.

Overall Responsibilities

• Based in Abuja, Nigeria, the Finance and Administration Officer will have financial, administrative, and operational management responsibilities for Child Health (CH) activities led by John Snow, Inc. (JSI) under the Jhpiego-led MCSP/Nigeria Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) program.
• These child health activities are being implemented at the national level (in Abuja), and in Kogi and Ebonyi states.
• The Finance and Administration Officer will also provide more limited support for the MCSP/Nigeria Routine Immunization (RI) program’s national-level operations.
• This position will manage and supervise the setup and maintenance of accounting, procurement, and financial reporting systems required to support implementation of the MCSP/Nigeria MNCH program’s child health activities.
• She/he will also have supervisory responsibilities for two Finance Assistants, one in Kogi state and the other in Ebonyi state.
• The Finance and Administration Officer will work under the supervision of MCSP’s Finance and Administration Manager (FAM), who is based in JSI’s central MCSP office in Bauchi, to ensure the program’s compliance with JSI accounting systems and procedures, all relevant USAID rule and regulations, and all financial and legal requirements of the Government of Nigeria.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Support and be accountable for JSI’s financial, administrative, and logistical support systems, practices, tools, and records in Abuja.
• Establish and maintain strong communications and coordination with other MCSP implementing partners in country, particularly Jhpiego, and with the Child Health and RI support teams at Home Office, to maximize operational effectiveness and cost efficiencies.
• Provide day-to-day supervision, mentorship, and support to JSI’s MCSP/Nigeria MNCH prgroam finance assistants in Kogi and Ebonyi who are supporting MCSP Child Health staff and operations in these states.
• Ensure the timely preparation and submission of monthly financial and other administrative reports to to MCSP’s central offices in Bauchi, and JSI MCSP Home Office staff as required, in coordination with the FAM and other program finance staff, as required.
• Lead the preparation of monthly cashflow requests for national-level MCSP Child Health and RI expenses in Abuja, and for Child Health expenses in Kogi and Ebonyi states.
• Ensure compliance with USAID regulations and with JSI/MCSP procedures for the implementation of all program activities. Maintain all financial and administrative (including Human Resource) documentation according to local practices and labor laws.
• Support the procurement and maintenance of program inventory procured by JSI according to both USAID and JSI rules and regulations.
• Support any internal or external audits or financial reviews of JSI and/or MCSP operations in Nigeria as required.
• Review and process purchase orders according to USAID and JSI regulations.
• Maintain Abuja office petty cash, and prepare petty cash journals for the monthly closeout of MCSP Child Health activity field accounts.
• Organize and support travel logistics for program staff, including booking accommodations and processing travel and other advance requests, per diem, and reimbursements. Process and/or supervise the processing of transportation allowances and per diems for training/workshop/ meeting participants, and compile and maintain all necessary supporting documentation.
• Coordinate logistics and other arrangements needed to secure meeting venues, equipment, and materials as required; participate in internal and external meetings as appropriate.
• Coordinate and track the submission, review, and processing of MCSP Child Health staff timesheets and leave requests.
• Assist senior JSI staff in preparing official correspondence as required.
• Provide additional support for administrative and financial activities as needed.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of Bachelor-level education or Higher National Diploma in Accountancy, Management or Administration.
• Certified accountant with financial specialization or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• At least 4-5 years of experience in financial and administration support and management with international development programs, including at least 3 years supporting USAID-funded programs; knowledge of the health sector a plus.
• Proven skills in organizing and supporting administrative and financial operations, procurement, and local contracting.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze financial documents, projections, expenditures, and accruals.
• Demonstrated experience in program planning, budgeting, and financial analysis.
• Strong skills in standard accounting and spreadsheet software including Microsoft Excel; knowledge of Quickbooks a plus.
• Good prioritization, problem-solving, and analytical skills; ability to work under pressure with diverse colleagues, serving multiple constituencies.
• Strong, energetic team player able to execute tasks with limited direction and good judgment, including to avoid, identify, and/or promptly address any fraudulent practices.
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior staff.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English, and at least one other local dialect.
• Available for occasional travel to Kogi and Ebonyi program offices to support program financial and accounting needs.

Job Title: Child Health Coordinator
Location: Ebonyi
Position Type: Full-time
Organization: John Snow, Inc. (JSI)
Supervisor: Child Health Team Leader
Background
The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) is a global Cooperative Agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed at introducing and supporting high-impact health interventions. This global program focuses on the 25 USAID high-priority countries, including Nigeria, with the ultimate goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths within a generation. MCSP country programs strive to ensure that all women, newborns and children have equitable access to the quality health care services that save lives.

MCSP supports programming in maternal, newborn, and child health, immunization, family planning (FP) and reproductive health, nutrition, health systems strengthening, water/sanitation/hygiene, malaria, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and pediatric HIV care and treatment. The program engages governments, policymakers, private sector leaders, health care providers, civil society, faith-based organizations and communities in addressing the major causes of maternal, newborn and child mortality and improving the quality of health services from household to hospital. Health systems strengthening, household and community mobilization, gender integration and eHealth are cross-cutting themes and areas of the program’s work.

MCSP’s MNCH program in Nigeria has been tasked with facilitating central-level policy change necessary to accelerate the decline in preventable maternal, newborn, and child (MNCH) deaths. This includes ensuring increased treatment options for childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, especially at community level. The program is also supporting Ebonyi and Ebonyi states to improve access to high-quality preventive and curative MNCH services, as well as the availability of essential commodities at both the facility and community levels.

Overall Responsibilities

• The Ebonyi State Child Health Coordinator will be based in Ebonyi, Nigeria and support the Ministry of Health (MOH) and all partners engaged in reducing child deaths in the state.
• S/he will work under the leadership and formal supervision of MCSP’s Child Health Team Leader based in Abuja, and under the daily supervision of the Ebonyi State MNCH Team Leader.
• The Ebonyi State Child Health Coordinator will work closely with the Ebonyi State MNCH Team Leader, and in partnership with state-level stakeholders and other state and national-level technical program staff, to support government-led activities in Ebonyi state to harmonize functions of the MOH and State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) to plan, coordinate, finance, and manage primary health care services for children under five.
• She/he will work in coordination with all MCSP/Nigeria MNCH program technical staff supporting efforts to end preventable maternal, newborn, and childhood deaths in Nigeria.
• These staff all work closely together through a partner consortium that includes Jhpiego, John Snow, Inc. (JSI), and Save the Children.

Key Roles and Responsibilities
Technical leadership and coordination:

• Monitor the implementation of state-level child health activities under the MCSP/Nigeria MNCH program’s workplan, ensuring that activities are executed according to plan, are technically sound, and are integrated across the MNCH platform, and/or that program data are used to make timely course corrections as needed.
• Support and build the capacity of the relevant state and LGA institutions to plan, coordinate, finance, and manage primary health care services for children under five, working closely with the Ebonyi State MNCH Team Leader, state government, local organizations, and other partners. This will include on-site coaching, mentoring, and supportive supervision.
• Support the state in adapting the latest best practices and evidence-based approaches on child health to the local context, and to operationalize federal MOH policies relevant to child health as appropriate. This may include supporting the state government to develop/adapt and roll out technical materials such as training guides, supportive supervision checklists/systems, and monitoring tools.
• Contribute to strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring of child health activities to improve the state’s coverage and quality of child health services—including planning for all necessary inputs like essential child health commodities and supplies, training, and the monitoring and use of child health data.
• Play a key role in developing child health-specific content for annual program workplans and budgets, and for quarterly technical reports prepared for USAID.
• Ensure that national guidelines on facility-based and integrated community case management of childhood illness (IMCI and iCCM) are available and applied in MCSP-supported LGAs.
• Participate in relevant stakeholder working groups and meetings (or advocate for establishing appropriate technical working groups as appropriate, if they do not exist) focused on child health.
• Work with MCSP staff and partners to identify short-term technical assistance needs and opportunities to strengthen technical approaches and implementation.
• Maintain effective communication and strong relationships among relevant partners and stakeholders.

Learning and documentation:

• Work closely with the program’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) staff, Child Health Team Leader, and State MNCH Team Leader to advance ongoing program monitoring, evaluation, and learning by strengthening the collection, analysis, and use of child health data for decision making. This includes playing a key role in documenting program learning, successes, and challenges related to child health.
• Play a key role to contribute to the design, implementation, analysis, and documentation of formative and operations research for child health; this may include facility- and community-based assessments for child health.
• Contribute to the identification, compilation, and dissemination of emerging evidence, literature, and tools related to child health, and to the development and dissemination of technical documents related to child health. This includes integrating lessons learned from previous and current MCSP projects and other ongoing child health programs and pilots, including those implemented by other partners working at the state, regional, and national levels.
• Contribute to the translation of child health program data and findings into programmatic guidance and policy recommendations/advocacy.

Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Public Health or related field. Medical or nursing degree.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in child health technical and program experience.
• Five to seven years of relevant experience in integrated community and facility case management and approaches (IMCI and iCCM) is highly desirable.
• Experience working with international organizations and agencies; previous work experience with USAID projects preferred.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to the design, implementation, and documentation of community-based assessments and/or research activities relevant to MNCH.
• Experience in research methods, and in the design, conduct, and analysis of research studies (quantitative and qualitative) strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated planning, management, and supervisory skills, with the consistent ability to be proactive and to energize and positively motivate teams to produce results.
• Strong technical writing and oral presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily to understand manner for different audiences (e.g., other public health practitioners, government officials, community members/the general public).
• Strong knowledge of the political, social, economic, and cultural context of the state preferred.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Fluent in spoken and written English, and at least one other relevant local dialect.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their applications, with comprehensive CV's and motivation letter and 2-3 page technical writing sample to: [email protected]

Note

• If you are an individual with a disability, or a disabled veteran and unable to apply online for an available position, you may submit your request for reasonable accommodation by calling "Human Resources" at 617-482-9485.

Application Deadline Tuesday, 9th August, 2016

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