Job Vacancy: Director, Health Systems Strengthening (HSS)- Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa was founded in 1957 and has since grown to become the largest African-based international health development organization, currently implementing more than 150 programs which directly reach more than 20 million people across 35 countries in Africa. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref has fully-fledged offices in Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, South Sudan, and Zambia; eleven advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America; and a staff complement of over 1,500.
Our vision is to bring about ‘Lasting health change in Africa’, and our mission is ‘To increase sustainable health access to communities in Africa through solutions in human resources for health, health service delivery, and investments in 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.
ABOUT AMREF’S HEALTH SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING UNIT
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 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 delivery of technical assistance to governments and civil society organizations across Africa, increasing knowledge platforms and thought leadership. Amref has mobilized resources to create opportunities for countries
and units across the organization to catalyze the provision of innovative technical assistance approaches.
JOB PURPOSE
Amref is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic person to lead and advise strategic execution of the organization’s HSS portfolio, this includes its ambition to deliver TA and grow its health financing portfolio. Working closely with teams across Amref, the successful candidate will provide overall strategic direction and technical leadership, implement the corporate TA strategy, embed sustainability mechanism for stronger health systems and build Amref’s capacity in health financing.
The successful candidate will therefore provide high-quality technical support to teams across Amref. S/he is expected be a thought leader, and planner for health systems development across the organization. The role requires hands on experience of bilateral and multilateral health systems programs, particularly in relation to donor dialogue on technical strategy and design. It therefore has high visibility, both internally and externally, including representation and creation of partnerships.
The position has a combined technical and managerial role.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provide technical leadership and advisory services on Health Systems Strengthening.
• Continuously assess Amref’s support to building stronger health systems. Based on the assessments, recommend additional HSS support that would achieve organization’s goals.
• Oversee capacity-building of Amref’s expertise in HSS, particularly in provision of technical assistance and health financing.
• Provide oversight of Amref’s technical assistance framework, working closely with various units across Amref to ensure execution of the strategy.
• Align the technical assistance framework to Amref’s transformation agenda by designing a robust learning agenda. Document lessons and maintain tools and approaches for TA.
• Facilitate internal and external learning platforms for knowledge exchange.
• Oversee Amref’s funding of technical assistance initiatives and capacity building activities.
• Provide strategic and technical leadership to define and grow Amref’s health financing objectives and priorities.
• Ensure that evidence-based policy, advocacy, financing and governance approaches inform Amref’s objectives and priorities in health financing.
• Build knowledge and thought leadership; increase Amref’s network of health finance experts and partners with a goal of increasing Amref’s visibility in this area.
• Establish and sustain partnerships with African governments and regional blocks to influence health priorities in African countries. Provide guidance to governments in developing and implementing health priorities, resolve challenges and barriers to build and sustain efficient health systems.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will have a strong technical background in health systems strengthening, particularly in health financing; as well as solid experience in the delivery of technical assistance. S/he should also be highly motivated, a creative problem solver; have strong analytical, communication, process facilitation, and collaboration skills.
Education and Professional Qualifications
• An advanced degree in public health, health financing, international development, or a similar field.
Required Qualifications and Experience
• Minimum ten (10) years of experience working in health systems strengthening, familiarity with health financing issues across the African continent and technical knowledge of policy, advocacy, financing and governance.
• Prior experience in health financing, particularly delivery of TA to strengthen public financing management, health financing capacity building, etc.
• Proven leadership in developing strategies, conceptualizing, planning, and implementing projects or programs.
• Demonstrated track record in building partnerships with government health agencies, donors, and other key health stakeholders.
• High level of organization, attention to detail, professionalism, and reliability. Ability to prioritize and manage work in a fast-paced environment and be responsive to internal offices/units and partners.
• Highly collaborative and accessible leadership style, with experience managing teams. Enthusiasm about working in an open environment with multicultural peers and staff, including global, regional, national, local, public and private sector.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to effectively facilitate high-level meetings; prepare clear and concise briefs, presentations, and reports.
• Strong interpersonal and capacity building skills, including training, mentoring and coaching skills.
Knowledge, Skills and Competencies
• Demonstrated thought leader
• Technically sound in health and community systems
• Ability to build and work with networks
• Well organized, results focused, creative, innovative and flexible
• Fluency in French would be an additional advantage
Compensation
This role attracts internationally competitive benefits including relocation for internationally recruited staff.
How to apply
Interested? Kindly send your application to ExecutiveSearch@Amref.org quoting Director/HSS/09 in the subject line. Your application should only include your CV with relevant skills and experience and a cover letter detailing why you are the best fit for this position. Please do not attached any certificates or recommendations. Closing date will be September 20, 2022. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Duly note that Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and have not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Although Amref may use different job boards from time to time to further spread its reach for applicants, all open vacancies are published on our website under the Vacancies page and on our official social media pages. Kindly also note that official emails from Amref Health Africa will arrive from an @amref.org address.
Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking environment policy
