Policy Fellow at Lwala Community Alliance (LCA)

Job description

Department: Community Health

Reports to: Community Health Systems Director

Compensation: Monthly stipend, airfare, and accommodation

Position Description

The Policy Fellow is overseen by the Community Health Systems Director and works closely with the Managing Director. The fellow will also have remote support from the Impact Director. The Fellow will support Lwala and the Migori County government as they research and develop community health strategies for the county. This position will include supporting government partnerships, writing policy briefs, and conducting deep research.

The Policy Fellow position is a 12-month placement, with additional opportunities after this period. The Policy Fellow will be joined by two other international fellows – Lwala’s Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow and Technology Systems Fellow.

Key Responsibilities

• Advocacy, Capacity Building, and Government Engagement
  • Work with the Community Health Systems Director to develop a strategy for supporting the Migori County government’s health policy priorities and act as a technical partner to the government in achieving these priorities
  • Act as a resource to the government, providing technical support and research to support the development of the County’s Community Health Services Act
  • Ensure good public relations and promote visibility of Lwala’s work on a local, regional, and national level
  • Build and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders including government ministries, departments and agencies, NGOs, private sector organisations, and foundations
  • Build a pipeline of peer organizations that Lwala could support to replicate components of its program model
  • Represent Lwala in relevant forums at the county and national levels and actively seek avenues of influencing government and peer organizations to learn from Lwala’s model
• Growth Strategy Development
  • Orient Lwala’s community health programming to a wider goal of systems change
  • Advise the Community Health Systems Director on positioning programs to be in line with global and national commitments as well as county government priorities
  • Keep abreast with changes and developments in the political and policy environment that relate to health and provide regular briefings to Lwala’s leadership
  • Spearhead the documentation and communication of Lwala’s model for the purpose of influencing government and peer organizations
  • Facilitate training and capacity building of staff in engagement with the county government and other public agencies
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
  • Develop program guides of Lwala’s work that codifies successful components of Lwala’s model for adoption by the county and peers
  • Ensure documentation and dissemination of appropriate case studies, experiences, best practices, and lessons
  • Encourage sharing of learning and research within the county and with like-minded/peer organizations.
• Fundraising & Development
  • Scan for and advise the Managing Director and Development Manager on grant opportunities that are consistent with the organization’s mission and strategy
  • Provide technical input into the development of grant proposals
  • Maintain mutual relationships with the donors and partners and cultivate a culture of respect for donor funds
  • Undertake any other assignment as may be directed by the Community Health Systems Director, Managing Director, and Executive Director

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Public Policy, or related field preferred
• A Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required
• Proven success in policy research with strong examples of work products
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English, with proven ability to write persuasively and with a high degree of professionalism
• Experience working with government and/or in a capacity building role in a developing country setting, with experience in Kenya preferred
• Understanding of government and health systems in developing country context
• Domain experience in healthcare delivery and/or community health programming
• Strong networking and relationship building skills
• Strong analytical mindset and dynamic thinking skills
• Must have initiative and be able to work with minimal supervision