PROGRAMME SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps does high-quality, analytical work in very difficult places. We have been operating in Uganda since 2006 and currently implement development programs in the Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions of Uganda with funding from USAID, EC, SDC, and USDA. We were awarded a market-development focused 5-year USAID/Food for Peace-funded program working in the northern half of Karamoja, and are in search of a Health Facility Support Officer for Abim District with support to Kaabong District. The project, called Growth Health and Governance (GHG), aims to support the immediate needs of program beneficiaries while promoting long-term development by spurring systemic improvements in key economic sectors of northern Karamoja. The Health Facility Support Officer will participate in strategy development and lead the daily implementation of program interventions focused at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Health Centre III and Health Centre II-level facilities in the target area.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The primary focus of the Health Facility Support Officer (HFSO) will be to implement and support a program that improves the organizational performance of HCIII and HC II-level facilities in line with government standards and priorities. Support will be strongly focused on the management of facilities, with less support on the technical skills of facility staff. It will also include supporting a pre-internship and COBERS program designed to encourage Ugandan medical students to work in Karamoja and other various activities.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Mentorship and Supervision of Health Facility:

§ Work with the Health Facility Support Team leader in assessment of the organizational and management strengths and weaknesses of health facilities management systems. Continuous support and supervision to district, sub-county and facility level officers to improve performance of the public health system.

Health Facility governance(health unit management committees):

§ Support the functionality of HUMCs through mentorship and on-the job training.

§ Periodically carry out assessment on HUMC's functionality.

§ Advocate for oversight at district and sub-county level through continuous dialogues

Collaboration/networking

§ Establish and maintain productive working relationships with sub-county and district leaders and health departments, representing Mercy Corps in coordination meetings and soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate;

§ Work in synergy with World Vision's GHG maternal child health/nutrition officers in achieving GHG's program objective 2.

§ Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with other stakeholders such as district health offices, NGO’s and local authorities, as appropriate and advised by the line manager.

§ Ensure an integrated approach to program implementation in order to maximize resource utilization and synergy between the staff and different MC programs

Monitoring and Evaluation:

§ Take primary responsibility for district data gathering and documentation of program activities

§ Compliance with M&E procedures and policies to ensure program impacts and desired results

§ Analyze project implementation strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely recommendations;

§ Submit timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports that will be indicative of program progress during implementation.

§ In collaboration/consultation with the World Vision MCHN staff periodically supervise various activities implemented on the ground by the partner;

§ Where needed support external evaluations by research partner Feinstein International Center and other organizations;

Other job deliverables

§ Work closely with the pre-intern and COBERS Ugandan medical students placed in Karamoja health facilities

§ Recommend program priorities and explore, evaluate and present new opportunities that leverage impact and/or complement core program activities;

§ Offer onsite technical support supervision to health facilities; with focus on strengthening the functionality of HUMC's and HMIS in health facilities.

§ Work with the gender advisor to ensure that the needs and priorities of women, men, boys and girls are effectively addressed in the program cycle. This includes but is not limited to, the collection of sex-disaggregated and gender responsive data, developing and implementing gender responsive strategies and plans that reiterates Mercy Corps Uganda's commitment to the promotion of gender equality in its organizational culture and programming.

§ Where needed support ongoing GHG assessments in economic development, Gender, conflict and governance & facilitate the integration of health related economic opportunities in all GHG program objectives

§ Conduct oneself professionally and with sensitivity, awareness and respect when working with diverse groups of people, including Mercy Corps staffs, beneficiaries and partner agencies.

§ Adhere to Mercy Corps policies and procedures

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

§ A Degree in Public Health, Nursing or a related field.

§ At least 3 years of professional experience working with the government health system is desirable.

§ Experience in delivering capacity building programs especially on organizational capacity of health facilities and establishing support programs.

§ Demonstrate knowledge and experience in strengthening HMIS data collection, analysis & reporting

§ Demonstrable quantitative skills, including familiarity with financial accounting

§ Proven skills in networking, collaboration, community consultations and organizational development

§ Fluency in Ngakarimojong and Lebthur is an added advantage

§ Ability to ride a motorcycle and he/she should be in possession of a valid driving/riding permit

§ Proven knowledge and capacity in using computer basic applications Ms word, Excel and internet

§ Intimate knowledge of Uganda’s public health environment and strong familiarity with the publicly funded Health Centre system, particularly in the context of Karamoja.

Applications:Submit your application including a cover letter clearly stating your salary requirements, CV (with 3 referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates to the HR/Admin Manager, Kampala Head Office on 4thFloor Embassy Plaza, Plot 1188-1190 Ggaba Road or to MercyCorps Field Offices in Kotido and Kaabong. E-mailed applications with cover letter tomcuganda@ug.mercycorps.orgwill also be accepted. Deadline for Submission:Close of business on Wednesday, 4th February, 2015.Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by Mercy Corps. MercyCorps is an equal opportunity employer; female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

About the Global Health Corps Fellowship:Global Health Corps is a one-year paid fellowship that pairs young professionals with organizations (fellowship placement organizations) that require new thinking and innovative solutions. Global Health Corps is uniting emerging leaders across disciplines and backgrounds to work towards a common goal – health equity for all. We believe real progress in global health will only be achieved with the skills and passion of a diverse community of talented individuals. Join us!

The fellowship begins in July 2015 and extends through August 2016. Fellows engage in professional development training, mentorship and thoughtful community-building, and continue to draw upon their fellowship experience and the GHC alumni network as they build careers of lasting impact.

Applicants can apply for up to 3 different fellowship positions that match their interests and skills, from project management to monitoring and evaluation, supply chain management, logistics, communications and more. We are looking for people from a broad range of sectors and backgrounds.

Global Health Corps believes that great ideas don’t change the world, great PEOPLE do! Fellows are selected based on their ability to fit the job description for the positions they apply to, and their fit with the GHC leadership practices. To learn more about the GHC leadership practices, visit: http://ghcorps.org/apply/

Fellows are placed in organizations in pairs – one international fellow and one local fellow from the placement country – creating a fellowship team that is a central part of the fellowship experience.

About the Fellowship Placement Organization:Set Her Free (SHF) is a non-profit organization working to restore the lives of young girls that were victims of sexual exploitation. We currently run 2 homes in the Kawempe and Nakawa Divisions of Kampala, Uganda. At these homes, we provide food, shelter, formal education, vocational skills training, counselling, and medical care to young women. SHF provides temporary accommodation and resettlement assistance for girls who do not have safe places to go at night, and provides services for the girls at the centre during the day. SHF provides an open and non-judgmental community that supports girls in reaching their full potential.

Fellowship Position Overview:The Fundraising and Communications Officer’s primary role will be to lead Set Her Free’s resource mobilization efforts by identifying potential donors and partners, crafting proposals and letters of interest, and helping to develop strategic organizational growth plans. The Fundraising and Communication Officer’s secondary role will be to create a coherent and attractive communications strategy and represent the organization in external and partner meetings.

Responsibilities:

Required Skills and Experience:

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Fellows receive the following benefits:

To apply to this position go to:http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/application/

To see the full list of fellowship positions, go to: http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/through-placements/

About the Global Health Corps Fellowship:Global Health Corps is a one-year paid fellowship that pairs young professionals with organizations (fellowship placement organizations) that require new thinking and innovative solutions. Global Health Corps is uniting emerging leaders across disciplines and backgrounds to work towards a common goal – health equity for all. We believe real progress in global health will only be achieved with the skills and passion of a diverse community of talented individuals. Join us!

The fellowship begins in July 2015 and extends through August 2016. Fellows engage in professional development training, mentorship and thoughtful community-building, and continue to draw upon their fellowship experience and the GHC alumni network as they build careers of lasting impact.

Applicants can apply for up to 3 different fellowship positions that match their interests and skills, from project management to monitoring and evaluation, supply chain management, logistics, communications and more. We are looking for people from a broad range of sectors and backgrounds.

Global Health Corps believes that great ideas don’t change the world, great PEOPLE do! Fellows are selected based on their ability to fit the job description for the positions they apply to, and their fit with the GHC leadership practices. To learn more about the GHC leadership practices, visit: http://ghcorps.org/apply/

Fellows are placed in organizations in pairs – one international fellow and one local fellow from the placement country – creating a fellowship team that is a central part of the fellowship experience.

About the Fellowship Placement Organization:Save the Mothers (STM) is an international organization operating in Uganda, but registered in the US, Canada and East Africa. Its vision is “No mother or her child should die of pregnancy complications.” STM is a non-governmental organization equipping professionals in developing countries–who work in a wide array of disciplines–to improve the health of mothers and babies. Multidisciplinary professionals are trained through the Master of Public Health Leadership Program, hosted by Save the Mothers at the Uganda Christian University. Through their specific vocations, graduates of our Master in Public Health Leadership (MPHL) program become influencers for positive societal change, working to overcome preventable maternal death. STM has enrolled over 350 East African professionals in its MPHL Program at UCU, developing change agents that bring change in maternal health to their spheres of influence. In addition, STM is utilizing its graduates to bring measurable and sustainable change to health facilities through its Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (now working in 8 Ugandan hospitals).

Fellowship Position Overview:The GHC fellow will be committed to improving maternal child health in a global community where mothers and babies continue to die from preventable diseases. The GHC fellow will have a vital role in helping to ensure that resources are available to make that a reality. S/he will contribute to fundraising and grant writing with a focus on sources that are primarily from the East African context (and hence more sustainable and regional). This funding will support the leadership training of multidisciplinary East African professionals (through a Master of Public Health Leadership program) and clinical outreach activities (such as the Mother Baby Hospital Friendly Initiative) of Save the Mothers.

Responsibilities:

Required Skills and Experience:

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Fellows receive the following benefits:

To see the original job description, go to:http://bit.ly/1HrAE0Z

To apply to this position go to:http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/application/

To see the full list of fellowship positions, go to: http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/through-placements/

Are you just looking for a change, or are you looking for the chance to change millions of lives for the better? If you’re outraged with the status quo, ready to disrupt the system, read on…

Living Goods is seeking a Director of Health and Social Impact to help drive the organizations’ scale and impact of its innovative community health model in Uganda.

Living Goods is a pioneering, dynamic and high impact social enterprise focused on serving the health needs of the underserved. We are entering a period of exciting expansion, and seeking a Director – Health and Social Impact to be part of the management team to help guide the growth of our community health model. This position will drive strategy on improving health outcomes, develop and implement quality management practices to ensure agent compliance with standards, and work with government, both at the national and district level, to align community engagement, as we work to improve the lives of millions of people across Uganda.

Our ideal candidate will bring a blended background of private and public sector experience, with a proven track record of results, and demonstrated success. As a member of the management Team, you will contribute to Living Goods’ dynamic, results-oriented, and client centric organizational culture through inspirational leadership and shining as a positive role model and collaborative team member.

The role is based in Kampala Uganda and reports directly to the Uganda Country Director.

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Compensation

A highly competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience including health insurance and bonus opportunity. The opportunity to be your best while making lives better for those in need.

To apply for this position please visit our career page and apply for Director of Health and Social Impact through our applicant tracking system. In lieu of a cover letter you will be asked to answer a few short questions that will help us learn a little bit more about you and your interest in working with Living Goods.

For more information about Living Goods, please visit: www.livinggoods.org

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RapidPro Health Suite Product Manager

Global Innovation Centre

Duration: 11 months

Duty Station: UNICEF Global Innovation Lab, Kampala, Uganda

Level: Individual contract (Equivalent to P4 / NO-D)

BACKGROUND

UNICEF’s Innovation Unit and the UNICEF Global Innovation Centre are currently planning the scale up of several mobile driven tools supporting core UNICEF programmes such as in health, education, nutrition, coordination with partners, and broadcast media to facilitate gathering direct information in a timely and cost effective manner from hundreds of thousands of young people on everything from access to safe drinking water to views and behaviors about HIV and sex. Current development of the open-source technologies supporting UNICEF’s programmes require tools and components designed to accelerate replication by other country offices.

Evidence shows that digital health (eHealth), including strategies that leverage mobile technologies such as Short Message Service (SMS), can improve routine service delivery in terms of timely data collection and quality case management. Many of these eHealth systems show great potential in accelerating progress towards improving health service delivery. For example, in Uganda a nationally scaled RapidSMS based solution called mTrac supported by UNICEF and WHO has allowed the government to track anti-malarial medicines, contributing to a reduction in stock-outs from 79% in 2011 to 15.4% by 2014. However, current experience to date has been based primarily on pilot projects with few evaluations. As a result, large-scale implementation or integration of eHealth innovations within national government health programs is still limited. Therefore, there is an absence of adequate evidence about what works and knowledge of how to scale interventions that have demonstrated efficacy; and increasing calls for an evidence-based ‘systems approach’ to integrating these strategies into existing health systems.

One of the biggest challenges facing government and health development partners is the effort and cost required to deploy even the most basic eHealth system. While there are a number of eHealth tools that are hosted in the cloud or run off local computers, emerging government policies and laws are now increasingly requiring health data to be hosted at in-country data centres. This often necessitates sending in expensive foreign consultants, and hiring and training numerous technical staff to manage at great cost. Furthermore, establishing reverse-billed short codes – often a requirement for many mobile eHealth applications – can take years of negotiation with Mobile Network Operators in some countries. Furthermore, most investments in the eHealth space still do not take into account emerging best practices on enterprise level health information system architecture, including those coming from communities such as OpenHIE.

To address this, UNICEF has developed RapidPro.[1] RapidPro is designed for programmatic experts--not technologists--to be able to easily create SMS-based workflows to monitor programmes, track activities, or engage with beneficiaries. The platform includes tools for quick graphing and data analysis, as well as the ability to export data directly to Excel for further analysis. It retains and expands upon the functionalities of RapidSMS, which powers U-report, mTrac, Mother Reminder, Project Mwana, and the Rwanda’s RapidSMS 1,000 Days, but is easy to setup and manage without technical expertise. In addition, local government cloud hosting arrangements, service, and contracts with Mobile Network Operators will be taken care of by the UNICEF Global Innovation Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. UNICEF programmes in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are planning to either upgrade their current RapidSMS systems or implement new programmes on top of the RapidPro platform. All other UNICEF programmes are being encouraged to adopt RapidPro as the platform of choice for running SMS based mobile programmes.

The Innovation Center in Nairobi and the UNICEF Innovation Unit in New Yorkscaling up RapidPro (http://www.rapidpro.io/) as UNICEF’s mobile phone based system for Real Time Data collection for improved monitoring of service delivery. RapidPro is a communication engine to power connections among decision makers, young people, and frontline workers and UNICEF. It’s been designed based on seven years’ experience, challenges, failures, successes, and lessons learned around implementing RapidSMS. It is specifically designed for programmatic experts not technologists to be able to set up, easily create SMS-based workflows, and monitor programs, track activities, or engage with beneficiaries.

UNICEF is currently exploring opportunities to support alignment of a number of key eHealth tools - including DHIS2, iHRIS - through the promotion and adoption of emerging best practices around health systems enterprise level architecture and Application Protocol Interfaces (API’s), and extend the functionality of a core set of eHealth tools that are already serving as the foundation for many national Health Information Systems through RapidPro; increasing the effectiveness of these tools exponentially and creating a platform for expanding specific interventions and programmes.

Additionally, a broader RapidPro supported “eHealth Suite of Tools” is planned, which will update and extend the reach of already UNICEF supported RapidSMS applications including maternal reminders, while adding new modules including a community counseling hotline application. This includes the community counseling hotline module (based off of the Zambia U-report HIV/AIDS counseling service) with an emphasis on breastfeeding and maternal, newborn, and child health counseling. The mother reminder application which will be built off of Project Mwana and the Uganda mother reminder systems, which strengthens the link between the community (through CHWs) and the formal health system (facilities).

In order for the work around building out the health suite of RapidPro, including interoperability with other open source mHealth solutions, to support the implementation of an MNCH grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and existing initiatives around The Every Newborn Action Plan, SUN movement, Global Fund-MNCH-Plus, Breastfeeding Advocacy, and iCCM initiatives to be properly designed, deployed, managed, UNICEF sees a great need to strategically place an mHealth product manager within UNICEF’s Health program.

PURPOSE OF THE APPOINTMENT

The product manager would serve as the focal point on RapidPro Health activities, while ensuring standards/principals are kept during deployments, mHealth/eHealth communities are engaged around the interoperability of RapidPro, partnerships are developed and maintained, and country offices are supported in developing and implementing mHealth activities pertaining to grants by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The product manager will work between UNICEF’s Health and Innovation teams at headquarters and UNICEF’s Global Innovation Centre, with the expectation that country offices, RapidPro teams and stakeholders, and partners are visited when needed. The coordinator role will allow RapidPro to be strengthened in its health application rollouts and systematically integrated into other e and mHealth systems.

The general objective of this consultancy is to provide overall product mHealth coordination and strategy support to the UNICEF Global Innovation Centre. This candidate needs to gather large amount of information from various sources and synthesis is it into concrete plans for how the Global Innovation Centre should develop and package tools within the RapidPro Health suite.

It will require an ability to understand complex, abstract concepts, and ability to think creatively about best fitting technology for each project and build the end product. It will take an understanding of currently available technology and trends to develop effective solutions for the Health sector. It also requires an extensive background and presence in the mHealth/eHealth communities.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

? Working with UNICEF HQ Health Section, Regional offices and countries to develop a global mHealth approach on MNCH based on GreenTree principles and other existing best practices in the field.

? Supporting MNCH grant countries in mHealth strategy development and implementation, linking to other existing mHealth platforms in the country.

? Providing guidance to both UNICEF Health and Innovation teams on ways forward to further strengthen RapidPro’s suite of mHealth services in a sustainable fashion.

? Coordinating and aligning the RapidPro Health suite: roadmap and requirements with UNICEF HQ and Gates MNCH Grant strategies, and provide strategic guidance and oversight to the RapidPro Technical Architect and Product Managers

? Developing a scalable rollout and support strategy for deployments of maternal reminder and community counseling hotline application, including providing an integrated community support option for these products

? Work with the UNICEF Health team to integrate into the broader MNCH strategy, and develop budgets and fundraise where there are gaps in financing.

? Supporting coordination of the development of training materials and documentation for RapidPro suite of mHealth services in target countries;

? Participating in relevant standards/interoperability communities, working with existing open-source mHealth platforms (MoTECH, CommCare, DHIS2, OpenMRS, iHRIS etc) to ensure that any country implementation meets interoperability requirements.

? Assessing further support needs required by countries to rollout RapidPro mHealth services and integration.

? Review existing UNICEF Health strategies, and provide recommendations to mainstream emerging best practices in the field of digital health systems into UNICEF programmes.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

At least 8 years of professional experience. Proven experience in the mHealth field - especially on deployment of mHealth systems with multiple partners and multiple systems. Significant experience with project management with an ability to translate complex ideas from various fields into unified, clear guidance is a must. Advanced degree in a relevant field or equivalent related practical experience.

Additional Experience and Knowledge:

Project Manager who is comfortable working on the database, front-end code, and everything in between.

Exposure to managing external software vendors

Experience writing technical contracts

Experience writing technical documentation

Experience working in working, designing, or deploying solutions in/for low-resource settings

Extensive experience working with the mHealth/eHealth community

Knowledge and experience with MoTECH, CommCare, DHIS2, OpenMRS, iHRIS, OpenHIE, etc

Familiarity with open-source technology

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Experience with processing large amount of information and synthesizing it

Ability to work in a team and in a diverse work environment.

Languages:

Fluency in English.

Visit us at www.unicefstories.organd www.unicef.org/innovation

[1]http://rapidpro.io/

How to apply:

Interested and suitable candidates should send their applications, including Cover letter, P-11 (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), CV, Github ID and copies of their last two Performance Evaluation Reports (where applicable) with Subject “RapidPro Health Suite Product Manager” to: jobsugic@gmail.comon or before 11 January 2015. Applicants must clearly indicate the position applied for and use this order to name file attachments: Firstname_Lastname followed by document e.g. Gold_Mukasa_P11 or Gold_Mukasa_CV or Gold_Mukasa_CoverLetter. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.