Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International is an independent organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a worldwide staff of more than 4,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and a full spectrum of multidisciplinary services. The Health Policy Plus Project (HP+) is a USAID-funded project that strengthens developing country national and sub-national policy, advocacy, and governance for strategic, equitable, and sustainable health programming. HP+ focuses on key health issues—namely, family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH), HIV, and maternal health—while also promoting health systems strengthening and program integration.
RTI International’s Global Health Division (GHD) is seeking applicants for a Health Governance/Public Administration Advisor to support the HP+ Pakistan Field Program. GHD is an expanding division at RTI which currently has a staff of 450 with work in over 20 countries, including regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Jakarta, Indonesia, and San Salvador, El Salvador.
The technical advisor will be responsible for providing content knowledge, technical assistance, consultation, and support in the implementation of devolution regulations and policies in regards to family planning in Sindh Province. Knowledge and use of governance tools and frameworks for devolved contexts, participatory approaches, and consensus building will be key. Moreover, the technical advisor will liaise with various stakeholders in Sindh province from the public health sector, other Sindh province government offices, and USAID and implementing partners through workshops, meetings and consultations, aimed at translating devolution policy into implementation. The full-time position will be based in Karachi, Pakistan.
The position is restricted to Pakistani nationals.
Responsibilities:
Provide technical assistance and support to the Sindh Provincial Government to support implementation of recent devolution regulations and policies. The advisor will undertake the following:
- Provide technical support to HP+ and Sindh Provincial Government on legislation, oversight, and accountability frameworks for family planning, including assessing capacities for achieving Sindh Province’s family planning goals, and alignment of roles and responsibilities with existing legislation and capacities.
- Provide technical assistance to HP+ to understand landscape and political economy of the family planning sector.
- Provide technical assistance to selected Province-level structures, District Level Authorities and available local-level structures to plan and implement devolved family planning governance and management functions.
- Support capacity building efforts for PWD and DOH to develop analytic and operational skills related to governance and management in a decentralized health system.
- Provide technical assistance to PWD in coordination meetings at provincial level
- Actively contribute to the development of annual work planning, design, implementation, and reporting related to project technical activities.
- Provide assistance within the project team on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and documentation of project results.
- Respond to ad-hoc technical requests from the Government of Sindh and USAID
Skills Required
- Demonstrated success providing technical leadership and advice to national and sub-national government counterparts in the health sector.
- Demonstrated strength and experience providing technical assistance and writing technical reports in the health sector.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively and build consensus across diverse sets of stakeholders.
- Experience in client relationship management, reporting, program work planning, program budgeting and financial management, and program implementation, as related to international project implementation is preferred.
- Professional and diplomatic demeanor and conduct, especially during interactions with the client and its constituents.
- Ability to anticipate, respond and adapt quickly to changing requirements and competing demands.
- Ability to take initiative and/or respond independently to situations.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong technical writing skills.
- Ability and willingness to travel within Pakistan.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master's Degree or higher in public administration, public health, public policy, or a related technical degree.
- Minimum of 9-11 years of experience in applied public administration supporting decentralization and/or legislative reform efforts in Pakistan and/or South Asia (including public management reform, intergovernmental relations, administrative systems change).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in the health sector.
- Prior experience working with USAID-funded programs preferred.
- Experience working with the Population Welfare Department in Sindh or Department of Health strongly desired.
- Written and oral fluency in Urdu and English is required; written and oral fluency in Sindhi is required.