Project Management Specialist (Health Systems)

Job Description

The USAID Mission to Ukraine is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of USAID-funded programs operating throughout Ukraine. USAID development assistance promotes Ukraine’s transition to a democratic, prosperous, stable, healthy country united in its European aspirations. The USAID/Ukraine Office of Health manages a large, dynamic portfolio of contracts and cooperative agreements to adapt health services and systems that can deliver quality services despite the ongoing war. USAID has directed implementing partners to support fragile health service delivery systems from collapsing, target outreach services to internally displaced persons (IDPs), reinforce systems to mitigate public health issues of concern, and help to maintain operations of health financing and reform institutions. The core focus of the health assistance is to 1) restore essential health services, especially in areas where services have been disrupted due to conflict; 2) help meet growing war-related health needs such as mental health and rehabilitation; 3) ensure continued availability and access to tuberculosis (TB) and HIV services and improve Ukraine’s public health security; and 4) strengthen health system governance, accountability, and efficiency.

The Project Management Specialist (Health Systems) serves as a key resource to the USAID Mission and the United States Government (USG) in policy, strategic, and technical engagements with the Ministry of Health (MOH), USG interagency, international and bilateral organizations and development partners to address technical issues and coordinate efforts in the implementation of health sector reform and health system strengthening (HSS) activities. These include USAID-supported efforts related to health care financing, human resources for health, health sector governance, eHealth / digital platforms and improving the enabling environment for private sector engagement in health service delivery. In addition, the incumbent serves as a Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) and/or Activity Manager, providing technical and management oversight of USAID activities that support health reforms and health system strengthening in Ukraine. The incumbent also is expected to play a technical and management role in supporting recovery and strengthening of the health system in response to COVID-19. The incumbent is a key member of the USAID/Ukraine, Office of Health (OH). The incumbent reports to the OH Director or his/her designee.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical and Strategic Leadership

• Provide high level technical guidance to the Mission, the USG interagency team, the host country government, and to other development partners on issues pertaining to health reform and HSS.
• Stay abreast of state-of-the-art knowledge, programming and policies related to health reform and HSS and utilize this information to improve host country health systems.
• Coordinate exchanges and sharing of best practices among USAID, USG and other stakeholders to strengthen health reform and health systems.
• Provide technical support to the MOH and partners in coordinating health reform and HSS support.
• Guide USAID and the Government of Ukraine (GOU) on strategic decisions and policy formulation to strengthen health reform and health systems, especially regarding governance, transparency and accountability.
• Provide technical guidance and coordination to OH colleagues to ensure complementary of HSS investments that benefit the entire health portfolio (including infectious disease control, mental health, disabilities and other USAID health sector programming) and relevant linkages to other portfolio work within the USAID Mission (e.g. democracy governance, economic growth).
• Provide guidance to OH colleagues to monitor the achievement of milestones of IPs supporting health reform and HSS project implementation.
• Advance the availability and use of health reform and HSS data in portfolio reviews and annual and mid-term planning, and quarterly activity reporting.
• Stay abreast of emerging developments in health reform and HSS approaches and advise accordingly on how these policies and strategies can most effectively be incorporated to enhance USAID programming.

Program/Activity Management

• Serve as COR/AOR or Activity Manager for OH activities related to health sector reform and improved health systems, and other relevant projects as assigned, with responsibility for providing financial and programmatic oversight to ensure the activities achieve anticipated results and contribute to USAID/Ukraine development objectives.
• Conduct site visits as required in order to monitor progress, and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and judicious use of USG funding.
• Advance metrics and data systems for monitoring of health reform and HSS activities and use of data by implementing partners in achieving anticipated results.
• Perform other duties as required.

Representation and Reporting

• Represent the USAID OH, USAID Mission, and USG at national and international technical and programmatic meetings, within various working groups, and in consultations with other health sector donors, government officials, and implementing partners.
• Provide technical input in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning and reporting documents including the USAID Operational Plan and Health Implementation Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports.
• Prepare ad hoc reports for the USAID Mission, USAID/Washington, donor coordination groups, and others as required.
• Drafts talking points and/or speeches for the Office Director, Mission Director, Ambassador and others, as required, and prepares briefing papers and presentations on health reform and HSS.
• Participate in workshops, special committees, and other fora as a technical advisor on health reform and HSS.
• Organizes site visits and prepare orientation materials for delegations from USAID Headquarters, State Department, and other USG agencies.

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the “Foreign Service National” Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE:

Education: Minimum of bachelor’s degree in a relevant profession: public health, public administration, international development, business, economics, or a related field.

Work Experience: A minimum of five years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in developing, implementing, and/or monitoring health systems strengthening activities (such as health financing, human resources for health, task shifting, health care quality improvement; eHealth / digital health platforms, governance, public and private sector engagement and/or other health systems areas) is required.

Language Proficiency:

Level IV fluency in English and Ukrainian business language, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested.

Closing date and time: August 29, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Kyiv Time

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