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Strategic Country Advisor/Africa

6:13:00 PM
Opportunity in Washington, DC
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted through CAMRIS International partnered with IAP World Services Inc., (IAPWS), to recruit and hire qualified individuals for the following position:
Title: Strategic Country Advisor/Africa USAID, Office of Country Support, Bureau for Global Health (USAID/GH/CS)
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Background:
The Bureau for Global Health (GH) is known for its technical expertise and for its ability to support country programs in strategic planning, program development and talent management. Within GH, the Office of Country Support (OCS) supports the vision, implementation and analysis of the Agency initiatives and priorities (e.g., GHI, Promise Renewed, USAID Forward and Global Health’s focus on “Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths”).
The OCS serves as a nexus for informing and coordinating with field programs and strategy development and implementation, it is responsible for direct communication with USAID mission health teams. To undertake this function, OCS manages the USAID/Washington Country Health Team System ensuring strong strategic support to the field and undertakes analysis and documentation of the Agency best practices, working closely with GH staff and across USAID/Washington. The OCS functions are as follows:
Coordinate strategic technical and program assistance, talent and knowledge management.
Ensure high-quality information and advice on country context, issues and challenges; being on the forefront of identifying and supporting the resolution of emerging issues.
Vanguard for sharing knowledge and influencing strategic reforms- ensuring interface and impact in country programs.
Introduction:
As a catalytic office working across GH and regional bureaus, OCS is the critical link for ensuring strong support and implementation of health programming. The Office plays an essential role as the primary contact, advocate and principal coordinator of health technical, strategic and programmatic support for USAID mission health programs and has two primary interrelated functions: 1) staff who work on tools, systems and policy related functions; and 2) staff who primarily supports missions. The Office includes four Policy professionals, five Regional Coordinators/Specialists and five Senior Country Advisors.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Country Advisor/Africa
Within the Office of Country Support, each Senior Country Advisor takes the lead in providing strategic assistance to priority countries, leading one or more USAID Country Teams in addition to working across USAID/W with GH technical and program staff, regional bureau health teams, desk officers and with other bureaus (Program, Policy and Learning; Disaster, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance and other bureaus) to ensure high impact support for country programs.
The Strategic Country Advisor/Africa will focus on country support and country team leadership for selected countries; providing strategic and program assistance across countries; identifying and monitoring cross-cutting program practices and processes; and leading critical efforts for OCS and the GH Bureau with emphasis on fostering country engagement and input in strategic, programmatic and policy efforts. Under the Advisor’s leadership, the USAID Country Team will provide strategic technical and programmatic expertise and ensure robust country-led, integrated health programs, identifying learning opportunities and ensure the learning is captured and disseminated through a variety of channels.
The Strategic Country Advisor/Africa will also provide assistance to missions needing program design assistance, developing concept papers, project assistance documents (PADs), Requests for Assistance (RFA) and Request for Proposals (RFPs). Additionally, the incumbent will lead critical OCS or GH efforts. For example, leading the health phase-down effort in transitioning countries for GH, participating as a key member of the U.N. Essential Commodities Commission, and coaching Health Officers in management/leadership skills.
Strategic Country Advisor/Africa Terms of Reference
• Provide strategic leadership and vision to ensure strong, responsive, strategic data driven technical assistance to USAID missions. Identify, monitor and communicate best practices and bottlenecks for successful practices and programming.
• Lead USAID/W Country Teams and ensure areas of expertise are represented and integrated, and have an eye to ensuring and identifying appropriate synergies across programming.
• Serve as the Country Expert and Primary Point of Contact • As country expert/institutional memory, provide in-depth knowledge of USAID/USG country health program, USAID mission portfolio and country historical/socio-political context.
 For the USAID mission and headquarters, act as the first point of contact/primary backstop in Washington and take lead on required briefers, taskers directly related to country’s programming.
 Assure regular communication between the Mission and Agency Headquarters, informing and engaging Missions on key policy/guidance and their implications for country health programs.
 Assure regular communications between Washington and the Country Team.
• Serve as Senior Country Advisor across USAID and coordinate with other regional health and non-health technical bureaus including education, food security, democracy and governance, economic growth and other USAID initiatives.
• Proactively ensure lessons learned and success stories are documented and disseminated through appropriate channels, shared across countries, and opportunities for leveraging innovations.
• Advocate for appropriate quality and level of country resources (e.g., staffing, technical, strategic) and budgetary resources for a robust and successful country health program.
• Raise critical issues to OCS leadership for GH Front Office attention and follow-up.
• Lead critical cross-cutting efforts for OCS and the GH Bureau. (For example, Senior Advisors have: established GH/regional bureau trainings in new project design process, documented how to undertake systematic graduation/phase out of country programs and worked with GH/regional bureaus/missions on graduating/phase out; and participated on the GH effort on UN Commission on Essential Commodities.)
CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSE, PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OR OTHER EXPERTISE REQUIRED. The contractor must have:
• Minimum ten years working in international health, managing complex programming with partner governments, NGOs, USG government or private sector.
• Master’s degree in public health or other relevant social science.
• Minimum 5 – 10 years of substantive overseas experience, preferably in health or other related development sectors.
• Ability to travel 30-50% of the year.
• Knowledge of the theories and principles of international public health development, international relations, political science, economics, geography, history or other related disciplines to analyze and evaluate factors and conditions involved in the administration of US foreign policy programs related to health.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of how to achieve public health development results in developing countries.
• Broad knowledge of Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and/or health systems within an international context.
• Ability to identify and build appropriate linkages across sectors and with other USG initiatives and programs such as Feed the Future, Democracy and Governance, Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade is highly desired.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships at all levels particularly across USG agencies and with national and other development partners throughout the foreign policy community.
• Ability to provide expert advice and consultation to management officials with regard to the policy implications of issues and developments of Health within USAID strategic goals and priorities.
• Skills in oral and written communication to prepare and present analyses, provide guidance, solicit information, defend proposals and negotiate agreements.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a secret security clearance are required.
This is an opportunity for employment or a contract, but we reserve the right to make no selection or award.
CAMRIS International and IAP World Services Inc. offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. Please submit your resume online at http://careers-camris.icims.com.
CAMRIS and IAP are Equal Opportunity Employers EOE M/F/D/V How to apply:
How to apply:
Please submit your resume online at http://careers-camris.icims.com.

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