Opportunity in Washington, DC
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted through ZemiTek partnered with CAMRIS International, to recruit and hire a qualified individual for the following position:
Title: Health and Education Senior Advisor (Consultant)
United States Agency for International Development/ Bureau of Africa, Office of
Sustainable Development, Education Team (AFR/SD/Education Team)
With more than 30 years’ experience providing information technology (IT) and management consulting services worldwide, Rosa Caldas, formed ZemiTek in 2007. Based in the Washington, DC metro area, ZemiTek delivers solutions to the federal government by supporting agencies such as USAID, US Patent and Trademark Office, US Department of Justice, US Department of Agriculture, and Department of Homeland Security, among others; and internationally to their missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
CAMRIS International is among the top 20 USAID contractors for the third year in a row. CAMRIS realizes innovative solutions to health and development challenges through high-quality, cost-effective programs and research management services. With experience working in more than 80 countries, CAMRIS combines proven systems with today’s most effective, evidence-based best practices to improve the lives of people around the world.
BACKGROUND
The importance of human capital as a driver of economic growth is a key message from the World Bank’s recent report, The Changing Wealth of Nations. This report includes human capital for the first time in national wealth accounting, while the Bank’s Human Capital Index helps low income countries identify where they rank in human capital development relative to other countries. Taken together these resources not only define human capital as the cumulative sum of acquired skills, knowledge and abilities, but they also demonstrate to governments, international development agencies, and stakeholders the importance of cross sectoral coordination between technical sectors that bear particularly high responsibility for human capital development, and the future productivity of the workforce. Education and health are identified as two key sectors that contribute to the skills, health and productivity of workers.
Responding to USAID Africa Missions seeking practical guidance on cross sectoral coordination and building human capital (an important element in the journey to self reliance) AFR/SD synthesized new research evidence that justifies increased collaboration between health and education in a report entitled Maximizing Human Capital by Aligning Investment between Health and Education. This report analyzes how key health and education investments have the potential to maximize human capital in low-resource settings especially if they are made in a well-timed and coordinated manner. Analysis in the report draws upon two recent major reviews of human development, references 136 original scientific papers and sources, and is informed by qualitative interviews with 24 experts across 17 institutions. The report provides an overview of the accumulation of evidence validating the high value of coordinated programming and investment between education and health sectors in developing countries. Therefore, it is important to discuss what further actions ministries of health and ministries of education can take to align investments and efforts to improve the human capital potential of its population, and how USAID (among other development agencies) can support those efforts. Current USAID resources to support coordination between health and education investments are lacking.
Responsibilities:
USAID seeks a senior level individual with academic knowledge and applied experience in school health for approximately 10-15 days LOE.
The individual will provide senior level technical oversight and leadership to a professional writing an Africa-specific addendum to the USAID report Maximizing Human Capital by Aligning Investments in Health and Education 2018 (MHC). This professional will be producing the Africa-specific addendum as part of an effort to provide advocacy and technical direction to USAID’s Africa Bureau on strategies to coordinate investments in health and education; the MHC report and addendum are part of tools and approaches that will enable USAID Missions in Africa to operationalize the report . The combined efforts of the professional writer and senior level experts will support USAID Africa Bureau staff to work with USAID Missions to align health and education investments.
The senior level technical expert will:
* Help to shape the outline (of the addendum) to ensure coverage of key issues.
* Review and provide guidance for selection of key research materials to be covered in the addendum.
* Work with topical experts to secure interviews or data when senior leadership is needed and appropriate.
* Assist the lead author in research/writing the executive summary and recommendations so as to increase their use as operational resources.
Deliverables:
The senior level advisor will be dependent upon the deliverables and products of the mid-level author, including:
1 Addendum outline.
2 Bibliography of resources to be included in the addendum.
3 Schedule of informant/expert interviews.
4 Executive summary produced as operational resource.
The individual should have the following expertise and skills:
* Masters in epidemiology, PhD preferred, with expertise in adolescence or school-aged children;
* Experience with multilateral, bilateral, and governmental agencies;
* Have immediate access to a network of researchers and implementing partners working in Africa
* Strong research skills including author or co-author on peer-reviewed publications related to adolescent health and/or human capital;
* Have a minimum 10 years experience working with governments and/or foundations on alignment of investments in health and education.
This is an opportunity for employment or a contract, but we reserve the right to make no selection or award.
ZemiTek and CAMRIS International offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits.
ZemiTek and CAMRIS International are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
