Principal Technical Advisor - Maternal Newborn Health

POSITION DESCRIPTION- Center for Health Programs (CHS)

TITLE: Principal Technical Advisor - Maternal Newborn Health REPORTS TO: Director, Technical Quality & Innovation (TQI) BAND: 7 LOCATION: Cambridge, MA or Arlington, VA DATE: January 12, 2012

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES:

MSH is rapidly expanding its maternal and newborn portfolio and is actively seekng a dynamic Principal Technical Advisor with maternal and newborn expertise who can support and accelerate this expansion. The PTA will contribute technical expertise in the area of Maternal Newborn Health with the aim of ultimately improving health outcomes in developing countries. S/he provides leadership in the development, formalization, and documentation of MSH strategic and technical approaches; provides direct technical assistance to centrally-funded and bilateral country-focused projects; and contributes to ongoing knowledge exchange across the organization. S/he plays a critical role in supporting the TQI specific technical unit in its key functions, specifically to ensure that the projects are applying state-of-the-art science and to maintain the related database of global guidelines, standards and protocols.

The Principal Technical Advisor will also be responsible for contributing to new business development through intelligence gathering, prepositioning and serving, as called upon, in the function of technical strategy leader in the design and development of new proposals. In this function, the PTA will work closely with the Center Vice President and the CHS New Business Development Manager.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical and Strategic Guidance for MSH’s Projects in the area of Maternal and Newborn Health; 1. Provide technical advice and direction to projects and programs in respect to MSH strategic priority areas of Maternal and Newborn Health, including the establishment and implementation of new programs and resource allocation. Ensure project designs and technical strategies are sound and that project implementation experiences are appropriately reflected. 2. Provide advice and guidance on emerging and strategic issues, such as scaling up appropriate, evidence-based best practices. 3. Identify and manage the development and application of innovative, state-of-the-art models and tools; documents and communicate technical achievements through publications, donor reports, and presentations. 4. Foster organizational learning through regular sharing of best practices via presentations, technical exchange networks, tool kits, and compilation documents. 5. Facilitate the development and revision of maternal and newborn health strategies to be incorporated into the new CHS strategic plan. 6. Closely monitor implementation of the country projects with interventions in relevant content area. Identify and advise on appropriate interventions, make clear/compelling written and verbal recommendations to decision-makers, and employ advocacy and change-management strategies in the design of creative approaches to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. 7. Provide technical input and periodic status reports through Quarterly Technical Portfolio Reviews for Maternal and Newborn Health. 8. Recommend areas for operational research, with potential opportunity for leading operational research activities.

Increasing MSH Visibility and Work in Maternal and Newborn Health: S/he will serve as a CHS Technical Strategist/Pursuit Leader, directing intelligence gathering, prepositioning development as well as articulation of the technical strategy in response to Requests for Proposals and Request for Applications (RFPs and RFAs). Working with technical contributors, country experts, and other internal and external experts, he/she will harnesses MSH’s technical, country, project management and business development expertise to conceptualize the overall strategic framework encompassing all MSH experience and expertise on proposals.

1. Foster collaborative relationships with relevant entities and stakeholders involved in Maternal Newborn Health.
2. Support the Office of Business and Resource Development (BRD) in the identification of new project opportunities. When in the field or in donor or partner meetings remains alert to potential intelligence about new business opportunities and advises the home office about pre-positioning
3. Contribute to preparation of peer-reviewed journals; represent MSH in technical advisory groups (TAGs), key conferences and other external events.
4. Contribute to strategically building MSH’s reputation in Maternal and Newborn Health.
5. Performs other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• MD/PhD or Master’s degree in health-related field or equivalent experience. • Significant and successful experience working in international development and/or public health programs, specifically in the area of Maternal Newborn Health. • Demonstrate understanding of and ability to articulate the evidence basis for best practices in maternal and newborn health, including PPH, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, prenatal care, essential newborn care. • Experience in improving quality of care for maternal and newborn interventions. • Significant and successful experience in new business development. • Experience providing direct technical assistance in developing countries. • Proven programmatic, technical, and managerial ability and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with professional colleagues in a broad range of indigenous, nongovernmental, governmental, and international organizations within multiple socio-cultural contexts. • Demonstrated organizational, managerial, consulting, and supervisory skills and abilities; sound judgment, and high ethical standards. • Adaptability to changing priorities and deadlines. • Experience with USAID and knowledge of USG procurement regulations highly desirable.
• Experience working with other multilateral and bilateral agencies, such as WHO, FAO, UNICEF, and European and private donors preferred. • Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely in written and spoken English, including excellent skills in drafting business correspondence. Demonstrated ability to write journal articles, research studies, and technical reports.
• Demonstrated computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Ability to use epidemiological tools, such as EPI Info or other similar software highly desirable. • Fluency in a second major language preferred, including the ability to conduct training and business in that language. • Willingness and availability to travel internationally for up to 40% of the time

How to apply:

To apply for this position, please visit the Employment Opportunities section of our website at https://jobs-msh.icims.com/jobs/4576/job. If you cannot apply online or have difficulty doing so, please email an explanation of your problem to iRecruiterproblem@msh.org.