Jobs for senior Program Officer

Job description

Opportunity

Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus is USAID’s flagship initiative in private sector health. The project supports the achievement of US government global health priorities, including ending preventable child and maternal deaths, an AIDS-free generation, and FP2020. To achieve these goals SHOPS Plus seeks to harness the full potential of the private sector and catalyze public-private engagement in family planning (FP), HIV, child health, and other health markets. Among the strategies supported by the project is the use of Total Market Approaches (TMA) designed to grow the market for health products by better targeting free or subsidized commodities, reducing inefficiencies, and creating opportunities for the private sector to increase its provision of health commodities. In Tanzania, SHOPS Plus is in the early stages of designing and implementing a TMA activity that encompasses FP and HIV products and related services, and will eventually be applied to other health areas. SHOPS Plus/Tanzania is seeking a Senior Program Officer (SPO) to lead this activity with support from Abt’s technical staff in Bethesda.

The SPO will support the TMA Activity by collecting and disseminating data and information about the markets for FP and HIV commodities and related services, support better coordination between the public and private sectors, monitor the use of TMA principles in policy development, and build ownership of TMAs within government institutions. The SPO is expected to work closely with decision makers and committees within the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC), the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS), and the President’s Office Regional Authority for Local Government (PO-RALG). The SPO will also help these stakeholders integrate TMA principles in major policy and strategy documents, and identify opportunities to foster cross-sector engagement as a way to mainstream TMAs in national health strategies. This position reports to the Chief of Party in Dar es Salaam and the Bethesda-based SHOPS Plus Regional Manager at Abt Associates.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Support market assessments: Participate in TMA assessments in Tanzania, and help build early support for the TMA activity by securing meetings with key government representatives and committees.
Lead TMA mainstreaming in health policy: In collaboration with the Bethesda-based technical support team, identify key policy activities relevant to the TMA activity and advocate for multi-sector engagement in these activities (TMA mainstreaming)
Review policy documents: the SPO will be expected to track all policy documents relevant to the planning, budgeting and implementation of government and donor-supported health intervention and analyze the extent to which they reflect TMA principles. To the extent possible, the SPO will seek to document the activities and investments of private sector actors in the market for HIV and FP products.
Support engagement processes: Work with relevant stakeholders (such as health and government institutions, non-profit and commercial entities, and donors) to organize strategic meetings and workshops as needed.
Build TMA ownership: Identify or create a committee capable of overseeing and implement the TMA process over the long term.
Support the development of SHOPS Plus deliverables: Contribute to the development of work plans, progress reports and other required SHOPS Plus outputs as needed.
Representation: Assist the COP in representing Abt at meetings with USAID/Tanzania, other donor agencies, government officials, and implementing partners as required.

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

Masters’ in Public Health, MBA, or equivalent degree
10 years of relevant experience, including:
- Knowledge of health policy development in Tanzania and familiarity with key entities in the MoHCDGEC and other relevant public health institutions.
- Expertise in designing/implementing/evaluating HIV and family planning programs.
- Proven ability to engage with high-level officials and facilitate engagement between representatives of government and private sector organizations
- Experience working on projects funded by USAID or other donors.
- Experience in or strong interest in public/private coordination and partnerships
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write professional documents in English and deliver presentations to diverse audiences.
Strong diplomatic and collaboration skills