Health Systems Advisor

The role 

We are currently looking for Health Systems Advisor (P3 Lead) based in Vientiane Capital

Role Purpose                 

Introduction: The Health Systems Advisor is the technical lead for the “Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System” project funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) who will provide technical strategy and leadership for program implementation. The position reports directly to the Chief of Party, S/he will ensure technical quality and oversee strengthening of the health information system, climate related health issue mitigation, analysis of data, and advocacy for health system strengthening through scale-up of project activities. The project will strengthen leadership and governance within the health system, so it is climate resilient. It will strengthen health system capacity in 25 climate vulnerable rural districts to better manage climate-related disease burdens, including by engaging 100 health facilities in those districts to better prepare for the health impacts of climate change. Through risk communication and community engagement approaches, the project will enable 250 communities to better respond to early warnings, manage and mitigate climate-related risks to health, and seek care appropriately.

Technical and Operations Management: The post holder is expected to work closely with WHO and Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion (DHHP) under MoH and provide technical advice and support to project staff to ensure project objectives are successfully achieved. The Advisor plays a lead role in setting the strategic direction for the technical objectives of the project, designing approaches to mitigate climate vulnerability, developing, and delivering training modules, providing support in improving health information systems, prioritizing climate related diseases (dengue and diarrhoea), and identifying opportunities for collaboration with other health and nutrition projects. S/he is responsible for ensuring program quality and learning, as well as advising field-based technical staff and ensuring a more comprehensive package of climate related health services are available to children and their caregivers. 

Government Relations: The Advisor plays a representational and advocacy role with the Government of Lao PDR, WHO, donors, and key national and international stakeholders, and works on a regular basis with SCUS and internal stakeholders to maximize program delivery. The Advisor ensures that program learning, research, and evaluation findings are channelled towards advocacy, continuous improvements, and achieving program targets. The Advisor will closely collaborate with the project’s COP and DCOP to ensure all deliverables are on time and quality outputs have been delivered. To ensure cross-sectoral integration and program coherence, the Health Systems Advisor will work closely with the Health and Nutrition, GESI, DRR and Climate Change Advisors and other Technical and MEAL Advisors on building capacity and knowledge to achieve the project’s objectives.

Dimensions: This position will be based in Vientiane with frequent field visits. While the Advisor reports within project structure and reporting to CoP,, s/he will also have a dotted line management under the SPQI Director and work closely with counterparts in the country team and WHO to ensure outcomes are achievable and climate resilience has been adopted. 

KEY AREA OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Ensure they fully understand the provisions of the Child Safeguarding Policy, the Code of Conduct and Local/Country Procedures.

Conduct themselves in accordance with the rules of the Child Safeguarding Policy, in their personal and professional lives – which includes reporting suspicions of child abuse.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

PROJECT TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP AND IMPLEMENTATION (65%)

• Serve as the senior health systems advisor for the project, leading the design, implementation and monitoring of health systems activities under the project.
• Serve as Save the Children’s senior most health liaison to GoL and WHO partners to coordinate the project’s overall health systems activities to ensure consistency, quality and sequencing.
• Build the capacity, knowledge, understanding and confidence of project team and partners to achieve the required quality standards of the Public Health and Climate change work by developing, adapting, and sharing relevant tools, designing training modules, and supporting the implementation and understanding of quality benchmarks including providing on-the-job technical mentoring.
• Ensure project staff receive the necessary and appropriate technical support. In consultation with staff and provincial managers, agree on the range of advice, support, training and/or other assistance required from the role to facilitate high quality programming. This will involve regular visits to programme sites. 
• Directly manage and two Health Systems Advisors to ensure health systems strengthening workplan activities advance on time and with quality across the project implementation districts.
• Conduct regular thematic coordination meetings with project team, WHO and Government officials in the field and in Vientiane. Coordinate with Project Team Leader and Programme Operations to identify internal and external capacity building opportunities and resources to provide high quality technical assistance to the project, supporting project staff, partner agencies and others to build knowledge and technical competence.
• Routinely assess the climate and health situation in the country and incorporate this into the project’s adaptive learning cycle to improve project implementation.
• Identify needs and opportunities for potential interventions through situation analyses/feasibility studies, networking, and leveraging research and evaluation findings from both internal and external sources.
•  Provide thought leadership and links with SCI’s global health and climate initiatives. Actively participate in global Save the Children discussions on Health and Climate programming.  
• Support consortium efforts to design co-financing activities for the health systems strengthening portions of the project.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY (20%)

• Work with project team to develop provincial and district-level policy and action plans.
• Lead in networking and articulating Save the Children’s climate and health position, policy and strategy in consortium meetings, national forums and global meetups. 
• Engage in policy development with central authorities; with project team, support field-based staff to engage with local authorities as per advocacy plans and relevant policy concerns. 
• Keep abreast of national and global debates in climate and health policy and advocacy to apply to programming or advocacy.

REPRESENTATION AND NETWORKING (15%)

•  Maintain working relationships with relevant Ministries and Departments, WHO and other health partners; connect Save the Children’s initiatives with GCF programs with government and other non-government interventions.
• Participate in relevant working groups, task forces, seminars and related fora in the thematic area, and among donors, UN agencies, International NGOs, and national and sub-national government counterparts in coordination.
•  Ensure that the project initiatives have effective representation on national, regional and international networks and fora related to climate, and participate in conferences/meetings that will enhance SC’s reputation and programming. 
•  Actively participate in technical coordination meetings to ensure synergies with partner agencies in our project work. 
•  Maintain excellent relationships with government entities, WHO and other actors in terms of strategic positioning and program delivery.
•  Develop and maintain partnerships with academic institutions.

RESEARCH, MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND LEARNING (MEAL) (10%)

•  With Programme Operations and M&E Advisor, ensure that GCF programme interventions are evaluated using appropriate methods, including process and impact evaluations, and that evidence is rigorously maintained, documented and disseminated internally and externally, to contribute to improvements in programme quality and advocacy efforts.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to disseminate technical materials, learning and best practices of the GCF programme.
• Share CO’s experience and organizational learning, including the GCF programme’s learning, with COs as well as with relevant organizations over the globe.
• Ensure accountability is considered throughout the design and implementation of the GCF programme especially in terms of child safeguarding as well as ensuring child participation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of the programmes where possible.

OTHER

• Other tasks as requested by the Supervisor.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Essential

• Advanced degree in Medicine, Public Health or related subject. 
• At least 8 years of working experience in health systems strengthening or Maternal, Newborn and Child health (RMNCH) programs in LMICs, including at least 3 years in senior leadership/Advisor position. 
• Previous experience of providing technical support to Health Systems Strengthening and managing multi-stakeholder led project.
• Proven experience designing and leading capacity strengthening and quality improvement initiatives within public healthcare systems in LMICs, including with service providers and government officials.
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessments, project reports, and analysis. 
• Excellent communication skills, politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy.
• Experience managing technical teams across extensive geographies. 
• Strong analytical capacity and proficient understanding of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Strong management skills, developing self and others.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results, engage in effective and collaborative problem solving and decision making, and foster program innovations and adaptations.
• Strong English proficiency (reading, writing, speaking) 

Desirable:

• Advanced knowledge about the Health sector policies and context in Laos.
• Work experience on diarrheal disease, dengue fever, or other similar infectious diseases.

Contract length: Fixed term

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday 
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated 

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. 

Application Information:

Interested candidates please submit a full application using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document including contact details of three professional referees (current and last line managers and HR department). Please also include details of your salary expectations and a copy of your ID card. Please note that we will require a copy of your Criminal Records (ໃບແຈ້ງໂທດ) later. 

Save the Children International is a child-rights based organization. Safe recruitment is central to the safeguarding of children and young people that we come into contact with, and support through our programmes.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Save the children is an equal opportunities employer, qualified females, persons with disability and candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.