Roland Kone

 Public health professional with twenty (22) years of experience in health systems strengthening with a focus on reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RNMCH) and HIV/AIDS in west, central and Eastern Africa both in emergency and development settings.  Health Systems Strengthening; Health Services Integration and Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance: Extensive experience implementing customized health system strengthening activities, health services integration and QI approaches through integration of Family Planning in maternal health and HIV services; antenatal care, prevention of gender-based violence (GBV), screening for malnutrition and HIV testing and counselling in curative care; PMTCT and malaria management in Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Family Planning and HIV in maternal and newborn and child health services;  Program Management: Certified PRINCE 2 (Foundation & Practitioner) Chief of Party with significant experience in overseeing large, multi-country, and multi-million projects of up to $40 million from start-up to close-out including evaluation and reporting; experience managing USAID-funded contracts.  Leadership and Partnership Development: Solid experience in managing multicultural teams of up to 110 staff, actively involved in recruitment, mentoring as well as performance management. Successfully built effective working relationship with USAID and partnerships with various stakeholders including donor agencies, the private sector, the civil society organizations, government counterparts, health authorities,  Proposal Development and Business Development: Significant background in writing proposals and reports for various donors including USAID, Glaxo Smith Kline, DFID, and ECHO, has successfully led the development of 12 maternal and child health proposals worth $23M. Negotiated, agreed and monitored contracts with sub-contractors and sub-awardees and ensured compliance guidelines and procedures.  Research and Monitoring & Evaluation: Proven skills in Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL), has hands-on experience in designing MEAL plans, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), output trackers and financial management tools. Well-versed in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies; managed and coordinated the implementation of six research/studies in the areas of health systems strengthening, advocacy and maternal and child health  Advocacy Development and Communication Skills: Substantial experience in advocacy through the development and implementation of advocacy strategies, advocacy and communication tools including policy briefs, position papers, communication strategies. Excellent written and spoken communication skills with bilingual ability in English and French