DFID is contracting a technical support agency (TSA) to support strengthening of the Government of India’s ministries and key institutions’ technical, management and leadership capacities to scale up good quality and universal health and nutrition services, leading to improved health status, particularly for women and children, and reducing the impoverishing effect of poor health and nutrition.
The Options-led consortium is recruiting a team of 10 full-time core staff, as follows:
1.
Programme Director/Team Leader, Health Systems Strengthening
The Programme Director/Team Leader will be responsible for leadership of the TSA, overall technical and management oversight of programme activities. S/he will coordinate national level activities, and will have line management responsibility for some of the TSA team members. S/he will be accountable for quality assurance of all TSA outputs. Specific responsibilities include:
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Provide support to government counterparts in health systems strengthening policy and strategy development
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Support the establishment of effective international linkages between key national institutions and
UK institutions
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Support synergy and lesson learning between health and nutrition ministries in convergent areas
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Provide capacity building support, advice on policy and planning and work planning and budgeting
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Ensure emerging lessons with policy and planning relevance are disseminated and translated into operational plans
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Ensure coherence between national activities
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Lead liaison with and reporting to DFID India and Government of India
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Support government in specifying use of the resource pool and other programme funds, identification of needs, and procurement of appropriate expertise/services
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Be responsible for strong internal management of the core team and a supportive and motivating environment for team-work to produce the committed deliverables.
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Guide appropriate draw down expertise from the resource pool to respond to additional requests for support.
Person specification:
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Masters in Public Health or in a related social/development sector
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Strong technical understanding of the Indian health sector
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15 years’ experience of planning and managing complex programmes
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Supreme diplomacy, influencing and consensus building skills for liaising with a range of stakeholders
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Excellent track record for developing strategies for challenging environments
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A strong results orientation, ability to communicate technical information clearly, and a commitment to accountability
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Excellent people management skills and experience leading and managing teams.
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2.
Deputy Team Leader, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health + Adolescent Specialist – demand side
The Deputy Team Leader (DTL)/RMNCH+A Demand Side Specialist will:
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Act as senior liaison with ministry staff and communication on behalf of team members
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Line management of other team positions
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Support the team leader in planning, team management and quality assurance of deliverables
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Work closely with team to determine specific areas of support required in this thematic area
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Document national and international demand-side approaches and develop concept notes for expanding successful models
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Provide national level support to roll out of new MoHFW strategy for improving RMNCH+A , with a focus on demand side approaches including community participation, BCC, demand-side financing initiatives
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Visit states as required for documentation and support to state bodies
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Work across the ICDS Directorate and National CDRC for convergent planning
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Provide support to the planning, monitoring and review processes for NHM and ICDS
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Facilitate the work of Knowledge Partners for RMNCH +A in-country activities.
3.
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health + Adolescent Specialist – supply side
The RMNCH+A Supply-side Specialist will:
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Work closely with NHSRC consultants to determine specific areas of support required in this thematic area
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Document national and international supply-side approaches and develop concept notes for expanding successful models
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Provide national level support to roll out of new MoHFW strategy for improving RMNCH+A , with a focus on supply-side approaches including procurement and logistic systems, facility planning, HR development
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Work across the ICDS Directorate and National CDRC for convergent planning
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Facilitate the work of knowledge partners for RMNCH +A in-country activities
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Provide support to the planning, monitoring and review processes for NHM and ICDS
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Coordinate support activities with the team member for quality of care and supervision.
4.
Health and Nutrition Quality of Care and Supervision Specialist
This specialist will be responsible for providing technical inputs to support improving the implementation of standards. This will include:
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Providing technical inputs in areas of quality of care and supportive supervision processes in health and nutrition within NHM and ICDS programmes in particular
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Supporting the development of quality improvement processes, review of tools
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Supporting national ministries embed effective supervision within state plans
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Supporting development of tools for supportive supervision of staff at different levels of the NHM and ICDS services
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Supporting the review of by both ministries experiences of quality improvement processes drawing on international experiences
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Supporting development of partnerships with UK quality and standards setting agencies including
NICE.
5.
Innovations and ICT Specialist
This role will lead on the strategic assessment of how new ICT can contribute to improving health and nutrition programmes. S/he will:
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Review and evaluate contribution of innovations in central schemes in health e.g. accountability for delivery, education and behaviour change, HMIS, job aids and decision support
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Support MoHFW and MoWCD to critically and strategically assess use of ICT in areas for impact
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Support ministries to document good practice emerging from the states
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Liaise with the Ministry of Science and Technology in relation to ICT development
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Support for prioritising innovations for scale-up, design and costing of implementation
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Work with the evidence, research and MIS specialist, design evaluation of new interventions
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Develop terms of reference for agencies for implementation and evaluation and quality assurance of their contracts.
6.
Health and Nutrition Sector Planner and HRD Manager
This role will support the improvement of systems for planning and resource decision making and will:
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Support recruitment and performance manage six consultants for the ICDS Directorate and 16 consultants in MoHFW
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Work intensively with the ICDS Mission Directorate to expand its systems and to provide specific technical advice to mission staff
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Work with members of the ICDS directorate to develop a quarterly plan of support and progress reviews
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Develop a capacity building and sustainability plan for long-term support to the ministries based on organisational reviews as agreed with the ministries
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Participate in appraisal of state programme implementation plans for NHM and ICDS and improvement to appraisal processes
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Support improvement of guidelines for GOI review missions and orientation of review members
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Support the team leader and deputy team leader in TSA staff appraisals.
7.
Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion Specialist
This role will be responsible for providing gender, equity and social inclusion inputs to health and nutrition sector planning. S/he will:
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Provide support to MoWCD and in particular ICDS to ensure recommendations from social assessment study and equity plan are integrated into state ICDS plans
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Build capacity of counterparts in MoWCD in research and assessments for evidence based implementation – social assessments, or, studies and pilots, multisectoral approach for nutrition
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Support use of best practice to build evidence base for effective nutrition intervention
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Provide support to MoHFW in defining and monitoring specific strategies for health of communities with poor health indicators, including scheduled tribes.
8.
Health and Nutrition Behaviour Change Communications and TSA Knowledge Manager
The purpose of this role is to strengthen central planning for behaviour change for health and nutrition.
S/he will:
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Provide technical inputs in areas of BCC and communications to MoHFW and MoWCD and in particular NHM and ICDS
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Facilitate set up of resource centre of behaviour change materials developed across India to enable
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 their efficient use
Support development of plans for BCC and national level
Support coordination of MoHFW and MoWCD behaviour change campaigns and communication
Ensure effectiveness of behaviour change campaigns and materials designed and developed under
NHM and ICDS, and evaluated for impact
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Support reviews of best practice and ensure learning from international experience
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Coordinate with BBC Media Action on DFID’s infant feeding and healthy behaviours programme and other development agencies including USAID.
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9.
Health and Nutrition Evidence, MIS and Research Specialist
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Develop planning of studies to support information on emerging priority areas
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Provide technical inputs in design and oversight of studies and surveys
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Support analysis of state level experience
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Work with Health and Nutrition Behaviour Change Communications and TSA Knowledge Manager to develop plan for dissemination of studies.
10.
Contracts and Finance Manager
The Contracts and Finance Manager will be responsible for:
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Drawing up procedures for the procurement of TA and subcontracts
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Building capacity in ministry divisions in procuring and managing TA and subcontracts
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Supporting placement of longer-term consultants to ministry positions
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Oversight and performance monitoring of project subcontracts.
Resource Pool
In addition to the core team, a resource pool will be established, to draw on expertise as required. Areas of expertise include:
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Health economics
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Statistics
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Vouchers and cash transfers
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Equity and social audits
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Monitoring and evaluation
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Communications including behaviour change communications
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MIS
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Accreditation
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Information and communication technologies for health and nutrition programming
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Innovations for health and nutrition programming.
Application process
To express your interest in any of the role, please send your CV with a summary note of your skills and experience to Sheila Moa at opportunities@options.co.uk
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