Senior Technical Advisor - GHSA & Animal Health

Job Description

The Senior Technical Advisor - GHSA & Animal Health provides management support and technical assistance for the design and implementation of country interventions related to Global Health Security Agenda /Antimicrobial Resistance (GHSA/AMR), working independently or as part of the country MSH or MTaPS team, with a specific focus on Animal Health.

The STA provides support to the Country Director and other in-country technical staff, coordinates with and supports HQ’s Manager and Technical Lead of GHSA/AMR portfolio as required, and provides direct technical assistance to Ministry of Livestock, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, and other country partners and stakeholders related to interface with the animal sector.

As required, the STA also provides technical assistance to other MTaPS country activities to support animal sector work, and works with MTaPS Technical Strategy Lead and other MSH technical staff on opportunities, new and existing tools, and country implementation programs related to animal health and strengthening pharmaceutical management systems.

Technical Assistance and Support (50%)

• Provide technical support to AMR Technical Working groups and stakeholders to develop a national plan to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in the animal health sector
• Provide technical support to the development of specific animal health-related AMR and IPC policies, guidelines, standard operating procedures, job aids, and other relevant materials
• Support stakeholders in public and private facilities in designing and implementing AMS and potentially IPC/WASH interventions, with a specific focus on animal health and One Health.
• Provide technical assistance / participate in animal health investigations (e.g., source, antibiotic use, and spread of infection) and assessments of stewardship policies and implementation activities.
• Provide technical assistance to collect, assemble, and review data related to AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) patterns in animals (e.g., AMR trends for the zoonotic bacteria/antibiotic combinations in broiler and layer populations)
• Provide technical assistance / participate in mapping/investigating/assessing antibiotic distribution and use in food livestock
• Support/collaborate with other Senior Technical Advisors to provide technical assistance to establish and make functional Animal AMR/AMU technical working groups (TWGs). Facilitate and participate in Animal AMR/AMU TWG meeting.
• Support the TWGs to use information from rapid assessments to develop or update antimicrobial strategy/plan and treatment guidelines that promote prudent use of antimicrobial agents in the animal sector.
• Provide technical assistance to prepare and submit AMR/AMU-related data and report as per the national, regional and global standard and requirements

Capacity Building (30%)

• In conjunction with country counterparts and regional and HQ technical unit, develop/revise training packages and materials for veterinarians, farmers, and fisherman as needed
• Develop costed operational plans, project capacity strengthening strategies, roll-out plans, training and follow-up timelines
• Facilitate animal health-related AMR trainings/workshops and other capacity building exercises as planned
• As required, participate in the planning and delivery of broader capacity building programs aimed at national pharmaceutical system strengthening.
• Facilitate AMR trainings and other capacity building exercises as planned

Monitoring and Evaluation (10%)

• In coordination with the M&E team, contribute to the development of country project M&E plan, and support the collection and validation of relevant data to report project indicators.
• Contribute to the adequate documentation and dissemination of program results and lessons learned

Coordination (5%)

• Coordinate with other MTaPS country project technical activities ensuring harmonized approach in line with MSH quality standards
• Coordinate assigned technical areas and activities with other USAID-funded and international projects in the country

Performance Management (5%)

• As needed, supervise assigned technical advisors ensuring the adequacy of their performance and their continuous professional development.

Education:

Required:

• A recognized degree in veterinary medicine or animal health and production

Preferred:

• Postgraduate qualification appropriate to the position

Experience:

Required:

• 7 years of relevant experience and skills in subject areas associated with animal food production and health
• Experience working within the animal health and/or livestock systems in Burkina Faso

Preferred:

• Experience working in a USAID-supported project is an asset.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Qualifications and/or experience in antimicrobial stewardship/appropriate use of antimicrobials in the animal sector.
• Illustrative technical activities that the successful candidate is expected to support may include (but not limited to):
  • Conducting assessments, analysing and interpreting data, and writing reports
  • Providing support relating to livestock management (e.g., nutrition, care, treatment, and health) and biosafety and biosecurity
  • Drafting national AMS strategy/plan to enforce implementation and monitoring of policies and regulations regarding the use of antimicrobials in the animal sector
  • Developing treatment guidelines for the management of infectious diseases in animals
• Knowledge of Global Health Security Agenda including antimicrobial resistance (AMR) containment and antimicrobial use (AMU) within the One Health framework; multi-sectoral coordination
• Ability to communicate and coordinate with FAO and other partners working in the animal sector as well as with other multisectoral and One Health partners related to AMR and AMS
• Knowledge of the interactions and importance of social, economic and physical factors in livestock production
• Understanding of animal health and production systems and constraints in lower and middle income countries
• Excellent writing and presentation skills in French are essential
• Proficiency in English is required
• Good computer skills including expertise with Excel, MS Word, PowerPoint
• Demonstrated competence to work with a team spirit, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities in a time-sensitive environment and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality

Competencies:

• Cultural sensitivity and diplomacy
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Good judgment for decision-making.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability in consensus building and constructively leading a team

Physical Demands:

• Ability to travel domestically up to 40% of time as required to monitor the progress of program activities.

About the Organization

Management Sciences for Health, an international nonprofit organization, is dedicated to closing the gap between what is known and what is done about public health problems. MSH saves lives and improves health by helping public and private organizations throughout the world to effectively manage people, medicines, money, and information. Working from more than 30 country offices and our US headquarters, our staff from 65 nations is highly regarded for its technical expertise, integrity, and commitment to making a lasting difference in health.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a nonprofit international health organization composed of more than 2,000 people from 73 nations. Their mission is to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health. Together with their partners, they are helping managers and leaders in developing countries to create stronger management systems that improve health services for the greatest health impact.

EXPERTISE

MSH takes an integrated approach to building high-impact sustainable programs that address critical challenges in leadership, health systems management, human resources, and medicines. Simply put, they support stronger health systems for greater health impact.

Their expertise in these areas falls into the broad categories of management functions—for example, leadership and governance or pharmaceutical management—and health areas like tuberculosis or maternal, newborn, and child health. They apply their expertise by

• Partnering with governments, local organizations, and communities in developing nations to build their own capacity for long-term health impact;
• Providing global leadership in critical areas of health management and health care delivery;
• Bringing the best of MSH from around the globe to the people we serve, working as One MSH with a focus on lasting health system improvements.

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Leadership, Governance, & Management

They work with in-country partners to build stronger health systems to improve:

• the management and leadership of priority health programs, health organizations, and multisectoral partnerships such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, developing a critical mass of managers at all levels of the health system who can lead and inspire teams to achieve results;
  
• the management systems of health organizations in the public and private sector, transferring practical approaches and skills to ensure that management structures contribute to sustainable organizational success;
  
• the governance and management of health organizations and multisectoral partnerships, facilitating change and transferring knowledge to enable organizations to administer their resources efficiently and scale up their services.

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Health Service Delivery

MSH combines extensive public health expertise, proven service delivery approaches, and evidence-based interventions in five critical areas:

• HIV & AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Maternal, newborn, and child health
• Family planning and reproductive health
• Other communicable diseases, including malaria and pandemic and avian influenza

Human Resources for Health

MSH helps governments develop multisectoral strategies and policies to plan and manage their health workforces. We use a comprehensive approach that addresses all the facets of human resources for health needed to achieve an adequate supply of well-trained and motivated health workers. MSH offers capabilities in leadership, human resource management, education, partnerships, policy, and finance to achieve these goals.

Pharmaceutical Management

Vital to our success is a participatory approach to project design and implementation, which cultivates broad-based support from all stakeholders. We also build and improve infrastructure and local capacity to effectively purchase, store, deliver, and use quality essential medicines.

Health Care Financing

MSH helps governments and NGOs assess their current financial situation and systems, understand service costs, and develop initiatives to use existing funds more effectively and generate additional revenue—all with the goal of supporting a nation’s health priorities.

Health Information

MSH has developed proven methods for rapidly strengthening the analysis and use of existing health data—normally at the province, district, and facility levels—without revising existing recording and reporting requirements. With an emphasis on learning through action, district teams undertake assessments of health services, identify gaps in performance, and design solutions to support better decision-making and, therefore, better management of improved services.

MSH has worked closely with the Health Metrics Network of the WHO to develop a comprehensive approach for enhancing the performance of health information systems and data by employing a practical, strategic planning process that can be carried out by national working groups.