Medical/Social Anthropologist

Job Description

Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) is integral to health service delivery and responding to health development needs. As a champion of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Amref Health Africa prides itself in working directly with communities and governments to build strong community health systems. Technical Assistance (TA) delivery and Health Financing are among the critical paths to improving health systems resilience, progressing toward the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and more importantly, driving the impact on health outcomes. Amref’s goal is to drive the delivery of technical assistance to governments and civil society organizations across Africa, increasing knowledge platforms and thought leadership. Amref Health Africa has mobilized resources to create opportunities for countries and units across the organization to catalyze the provision of innovative technical assistance approaches. To deliver on its mandate the HSS directorate has four main pillars i.e. Health Financing, Reproductive Maternal Child and Adolescent Health [RMNCAH], Primary Health Care, and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). Amref’s Health System strengthening strategy targets national and sub-national levels of health with interrelated systems strengthening interventions: a) national-level support MOH to develop equity focused health policies, strategies and plans b) sub-national level improve management capacity for evidence-based planning and monitoring.

JOB PURPOSE:

Amref Health Africa is seeking an experienced professional who will be responsible for providing expertise and guidance on social determinants of health (SDoH) to enhance health initiatives and interventions for improved health outcomes, including delivery of TA, evidence generation and translation to grow the SDoH portfolio. The successful candidate should have global exposure in any of the following areas of social determinants in health: culture and environment, syndemics and health disparities, modern and traditional/indigenous health climate change, human trafficking, violence, migration, and natural/human made disasters. Working closely with teams across Amref and the Health System Strengthening Directorate, the successful candidate will provide specialized strategic, technical, and situational anthropological advice, overall strategic leadership in conducting research and evaluations, collecting and interpreting medical data in liaison with relevant stakeholders.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management:

• Promote measurable anthropological programming which contributes to achieving suitable and concrete results through communications, engagement and the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, implementing partners and government counterparts.
• Provide support on the delivery of technical assistance framework, in the various social health determinant areas working closely with the different pillars within HSS and Amref Health Africa.
• Provide guidance and advisory to Amref Health Africa and the HSS directorate by studying and understanding the health seeking behavior and social determinants of health for the target populations and propose and build interventions of interest.
• Propose and map groups of individuals that are vulnerable to future outbreaks based on socio- economic, belief and cultural practices, perceptions, attitudes and knowledge level for risk management purposes and future interventions.
• Support Amref’s technical leadership to define and grow SDoH priorities at the intersection with health while building knowledge and thought leadership in SDoH and health systems thus contributing to increased Amref Health Africa visibility in this area.
• Support in the establishment of sustainable partnerships with governments, and regional blocks to influence SDoH priorities, resolve challenges and barriers with a view to strengthen approaches in addressing SDoH.
• Identify interrelationships between SDoH and other pillars within the HSS directorate to build the synergy and coherence needed for efficient health systems through development of essential policy documents, guidelines, job aids, and toolkits.
• Support in the development of HSS work plans and budgets.

Evidence Generation and Translation:

• Develop and support the generation of evidence through high-quality learning products to include manuscripts for peer review papers while supporting analytics to identify, consider, and propose reforms to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration towards a unified approach in addressing SDoH.
• Lead and provide guidance to the HSS directorate and the Amref Health Africa’s country offices on applying an SDoH lens to their work.
• Develop and support the translation of evidence through high-quality learning products to include policy briefs and other forms of publications that target high-level decision-makers and stakeholders in the health sector.
• Support the institutionalization of reforms on SDoH within government systems; national and sub-national.
• Participate and represent Amref Health Africa in policy dialogue forums to disseminate evidence generated on health financing and health systems.

Business Development:

• Support proposal development to secure funding and business for the HSS directorate and Amref Health Africa at large.

Stakeholder Engagement & Capacity Building:

• Support in building capacity on social determinants of health at the intersection with health to Amref Health Africa and key stakeholders.
• Foster relationships with key stakeholders in the health sector [Donors, implementing partners, learning institutions, and governments] and establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with regional and international stakeholders.

Special Projects and Initiatives:

• Support leadership in new, high priority efforts as opportunities arise in PHC and related areas.
• Perform other relevant HSS interventions in coordination with the supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will have a strong technical background in medical/sociology anthropolgy as well as solid experience in the delivery of technical assistance. The candidate should be highly motivated, a creative problem solver, and have strong analytical, communication, process facilitation, and collaboration skills.

Education and Professional Qualification

• An advanced degree in medical anthropology, socio anthropology, sociology, public health social sciences or any other relevant field.

Professional Qualification and Competencies

• Minimum ten (10) years of experience working in global development and technical knowledge of policy, advocacy and governance in Social Determinants of Health (SDoH).
• Proven skills in social research methods including systematic review of evidence, qualitative operational research skills and translation of evidence into practice.
• Proven leadership in developing strategies, conceptualizing, planning, and implementing projects or programs.
• Experience in research, conceptualizing and technical support and leading stakeholder engagement in the Social Determinants of Health areas.
• Technically sound in DEIB-focused approaches.
• Experience working on the development and roll-out of cross-cutting initiatives and programmes across multi-level organizations and stakeholder groups.
• Ability to develop work plans and proposals collaboratively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to effectively facilitate high-level meetings; prepare clear and concise briefs, presentations, and reports, and translate knowledge products to both technical and non-technical audiences.

About the Organization

Amref Health Africa was founded in 1957 and has since grown to become the largest African-based international health development organisation; currently implementing more than 180 programs, reaching more than 40 million people across 35 African countries; and a staff complement of over 2,000. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref Health Africa has offices in ten countries in Africa – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea (Conakry), Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. An additional eleven advocacy and fundraising offices are located in Europe and North America.

Amref Health Africa is driven by its vision of ‘Lasting health change in Africa’ and its mission ‘To catalyze and drive community-led and people-centred health systems while addressing social determinants of health’. We believe that the power to transform Africa's health lies within its communities, and therefore strive to ensure that health systems are not only functional but that communities are empowered to hold these systems accountable for the delivery of quality and affordable health care.

For more information visit our website www.amref.org