Technical Advisor, Kenya MOH Call Center at VillageReach

Summary

The Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH) is in the process of moving the 7-1-9 COVID-19 line from Safaricom to the Department of Primary Health Care Services. The MOH plans to expand the line to all health topics, connect to existing hotlines and provide referrals for existing services. Within the envisioned 5-year strategy, the MOH also plans to add WhatsApp capabilities and connect to upcoming telemedicine services. The MOH has asked for VillageReach’s Technical Assistance to aid in the transition and expansion of the call center.

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the Technical Assistant (TA) to the Kenya Ministry of Health will be responsible for supporting and building the capacity of the Call Center Focal Point to 1) plan the transition of the 7-1-9 COVID-19 line to the Kenya Ministry of Health; 2) execute the transition of the 7-1-9 COVID-19 line to the Kenya Ministry of Health 3) map the existing hotlines and services for manual and eventual electronic transfers from the hotline; 4) oversee a technical assessment of what would be needed to integrate existing hotlines; and 5) support the MOH in their planning for the expansion of the call center to additional health topics and referral capabilities from a technological perspective (the health content development is out of scope for this TA). The TA would sit at the Kenya Ministry of Health in the Division of Health Promotion within the Department of Primary Health Care Services and work with the focal point responsible for the call center.

The TA would transfer skills to the Ministry of Health based on VillageReach’s previous experience, co-developing, scaling, and transitioning the Health Center by Phone in Malawi to the Malawi MOH, using the Transitioning Well approach. The TA is accountable to Kenya MOH’s Director of Health Promotion, in collaboration with the Kenya MOH’s Director of Primary Health Care, and the MOH’s ICT Department, and will report to the Director, Digital Solutions, VillageReach. The TA will also work closely with the VillageReach Health Centre by Phone Technical Lead and Director, Global Programs (Transitioning Well Lead). This position will require close collaboration with many high-level government officials, donors, and partners. The successful candidate will be motivated by reaching sustainable impact at scale, a highly dynamic and innovative environment, and an understanding of the need to center government voices, which are all in line with the principles of VillageReach in their work with governments.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

Support the Ministry plan the transition of the 7-1-9 COVID-19 line from Safaricom to the Kenya MOH in line with the 1-year work plan (60%)

• Work with the Health Promotion Call Center Focal Point to develop, establish, and coordinate a Task Force with relevant MOH and Safaricom members, to move the transition of the 7-1-9 line from Safaricom to the MOH and establish and implement a decision-making Steering Committee from across key stakeholders in different departments and ministries within the government, as well as donors and partners.
• With support from the MOH and VillageReach Director, Digital Solutions, Health Center by Phone (HCBP) Technical Lead, and Director, Global Programs, support the Task Force to finalize a 5-year strategy for the program, 1-year work plan, transition strategy and plan, Human Resource staffing plan, post transition financing plan, and validate the costs
• Help gather the costing materials needed for the 5-year strategy, 1-year plan, and ministry budgets.
• Facilitate the development of the key KPIs needed for the call center.
• Work with the MOH to develop a private sector strategy to manage relationships with Mobile Network Operators and technical service providers.
• Build the capacity of the focal point to work with Safaricom to implement the transition plan.
• With support from the Director, Digital Solutions and the HCBP ICT Manager, work with the ICT Department and Primary Health to develop a requirements list and configuration needed for the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and dashboard that meets the needs of the MOH.
• Work with the MOH to determine any needed regulatory policies to operationalize and regulate the hotline.
• With support from the MOH and VillageReach Director, Digital Solutions, Health Center by Phone (HCBP) Technical Lead, and Director, Global Programs, co-develop the Standard Operating Procedures for the call center using existing SOPs from the Malawi Health Center by Phone and coordinate with the Focal Point to get the SOPs validated by the appropriate officials.
• Compile and develop, as needed, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Interactive Voice Recordings (IVR), and written COVID-19 specific materials for the first phase of the call center.
• Co-develop the Training Materials for the call center using existing training materials from the Malawi Health Center by Phone and work with the Focal Point.
• Support the Focal Point in training call center staff.
• Monitor the Call Center checklist and provide updates towards progress at weekly meetings.
• Hold weekly meetings with the Director, Health Promotion and Director, Primary Health Care Services, and VillageReach to keep them abreast of the progress made towards achieving monthly action plans.
• Support the official launch of the Call Center.

Map the existing hotlines for manual and eventual electronic transfers from the hotline in line with the year 2-3 activities in the 5-year strategy (10%)

• Compile a database of services and locations of services offered to integrate in the reference materials for the call center staff and eventually electronically allow for transfers

Oversee a technical assessment of what would be needed to integrate existing hotlines in line with the year 2-3 activities in the 5-year strategy (20%)

• Work with the VillageReach HCBP Technical Lead, Director Digital Solutions and ICT MOH to develop a requirements list for what would be needed technologically to integrate other hotlines into the call centre.
• Work with the VillageReach HCBP Technical Lead, Director Digital Solutions and ICT MOH to develop a Request for Proposals from technology service providers for the government to release for assessing the technology of existing hotlines and integrate the MOH Call Center with those lines by the end of year 2.

Support the MOH in their planning for the expansion of the call center to additional health topics and referral capabilities from a technological perspective in line with the year 2 activities in the 5-year strategy. (10%) (Programmatic support for FAQs, IVR, protocols, etc. for other health topics would be provided by through other VillageReach staff support.)

• Develop a requirements list for what would be needed technologically to integrate other health topics into the call centre.
• Develop a requirements list for what would be needed for the dashboard and what KPIs would need to be tracked to integrate other health topics.

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Technical qualifications: Fundamental analytical and conceptual thinking skills, proven experience in integrations requirements analysis & documentation for healthcare information systems, some technical background or call center experience and project management for technical activities.
• Experience workingwith Ministries of Health officials in Kenya. Ability to work with high level officials and understand the nuances of working with government.
• Experience with health call centers, digital health, or other relevant topics. Working knowledge of digital health systems and understanding of how to develop technical requirements list.
• Management and Coordination skills. Ability to manage large amounts of work and work with others to accomplish the set objectives.
• Significant health experience. Experience in working in the health sector.
• Writing skills and research skills. Experience writing official documents and compiling large amounts of data and data and information, and clearly communicating complicated topics to a variety of audiences.
• Communication and interpersonal skills. Strong communication and cross-cultural management skills.
• Personal qualities.Energy, intelligence, diplomacy, attention to detail, organizational skills, sound practical judgment and the ability to work independently without supervision.
• Commitment to the mission. Passion for the mission of VillageReach, including strong commitment to global health, and a belief in the role of private sector solutions to augment public health systems.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Information Technology or related field. MBA or equivalent level qualification is an added advantage.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in business analysis or a related field.
• Project Management Certification is a distinct added advantage