Senior RMNCAH Specialist at Palladium International

Project Overview and Role

Palladium develops and delivers innovative, locally relevant, evidence-based solutions to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. Since 1971, we have assisted governmental and non-governmental agencies, foundations, and the private sector by designing, implementing, and evaluating programs in HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, population and family planning, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and gender. Palladium has deep expertise in policy and advocacy, research and strategic information, health markets and private sector engagement, modeling and economic analysis, patient monitoring and management/HMIS, strategic consulting, and program management.

Project Profile

Palladium has recently been awarded a cooperative agreement to implement the USAID County Measurement, Learning and Accountability Program (CMLAP) in Kenya. The purpose of this activity is to support ongoing activities by the national and county governments and other development partners to strengthen outcome measurements, learning and accountability (MLA) systems in order to provide quality data and synthesized information for planning, implementation, policy development and decision making. This activity will focus its support in the following HIV, malaria and MNCH focal counties of Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Kakamega, Busia, Vihiga, Bungoma, and Kisumu.

The Palladium led CMLAP team includes Plan International and the Kenyan School of Government. Together we bring a deep knowledge of the country context?in particular, experience working on strengthening HIS in devolved counties. We have a collective track record in governance, health M&E and data systems, ICT and analytics, data demand and use, and capacity building strategies at all levels of the health system. Team partners are currently working in 7 of the 8 focus counties which favors a rapid start-up. Through our existing projects, the partners have established collaborative working relationships with local nongovernmental, community-based, and faith-based organizations (NGO/CBO/FBO) and the County Health Management Teams (CHMTs) that will facilitate work planning and the achievement of project results.

The Project Has Two Sub-purposes

• Increased leadership and management capacity of county governments for effective outcome MLA systems.
• Increased availability, analysis and use of quality data

A 26-person team has been recruited to work in Kisumu to achieve the project results. The team is led by a Chief of Party also based in Kisumu. Palladium staff in Nairobi and our international offices will provide routine technical and administrative support and assistance.

Position Summary

The Senior RMNCAH Specialist will be responsible for providing thought leadership and technical guidance on RMNCAH programming within the county Measurement Learning and Accountability project now Tupime Kaunti for sub purposes 1 and 2 (See above). S/he will provide TA to strengthen the M&E systems for reproductive health in Kenya working through the C/SHMT, the county RH coordinators, stakeholders including other United States Government (USG) entities working in RMNCAH programming in the 8 CMLAP counties to strengthen coordination, integration of approaches and coverage, quality and use of reproductive health information

S/he should be skilled in using the DHIS2 data system, mining data from the various data systems; at the county level, to analyze RMNCAH data into information for evidence-informed programming. S/he will work closely with the M&E Advisor as well as the Senior Data Systems Specialist and Senior DDU and Learning Specialist to support RMNCAH outcome measurement activities and ensure that data analyses support information needed by CHMTs to answer key family health questions and support decision making, and for quality improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Work with county level C/SHMT and USG counterparts to determine priority areas to be addressed in strengthening the RMNCAH M&E systems.
• Support C/SHMT in implementing key activities to strengthen the M&E systems by supporting technical working groups, collaborating with other players, participating in the implementation of key activities, monitoring, reporting, and improving RMNCAH data quality in the 8 Counties
• Coordinate the linking and integration of reproductive health data with existing in-country information systems in order to improve the accessibility and use of information.
• Take leadership to develop RMNCAH work plans, document achievements and submit quarterly reports.
• Provide technical support and work with the M&E Advisor to/develop a framework and system for RMNCAH outcome measurement at the county and sub county levels. The framework will include priority family health questions; associated outcome measures, data sources, and methods; and guidance on frequency of data collection, reporting, dissemination and how to ensure internal and external data consistency. Also facilitate development of county level information products such as quarterly bulletins.
• Provide technical support on an ongoing basis to improving data analysis skills among key stakeholders including USAID implementing partners
• Representing Tupime Kaunti Project in the family health forums at national and county RMNCAH advisory and reference meetings
• Work with the Senior Governance Specialist to generate county-level funding to support improved RMNCAH outcome measurement and MLA systems Facilitate the introduction and use of innovative tools and approaches for RH/FP data analysis and data dissemination at the county levels.
• Work directly with the county planning and learning specialists and the Sr. Data Use and Learning Specialist to support counties to improve the collection, management, and dissemination of service statistics through:
• Continuous use RMNCAH data for quality improvement;
• Increase the use of gender and age-disaggregated data in particular, and inferential statistics in general for evidence-informed management of the RMNCAH program
• Inculcate a culture of data demand and use within the CHMTs, including the provision of routine high-level RMNCAH statistical analyses
• Develop the RMNCAH/health County profiles to improve health policy and program decision making
• Link to Palladium counter-parts within the Health Policy Plus and Strategic Information teams, for cross-platform learning and sharing of strategies and techniques.
• Assume other duties as assigned

Requirements

Educational Background and Experience

• Masters Level of Education in related field: MPH, MSc Epidemiology/ with 5 or more years in RMNCAH, Public Health, Demography, or other relevant discipline
• Knowledge of current global and national RMNCAH programming, protocols, standards, best practices.
• Experience working with county level stakeholders in strengthening M&E systems
• Experience working with community health workers and community level health services
• Relevant experience in data collection, quality control, analysis, and interpretation and/or in using data to identify and meet program monitoring and evaluation needs and contributing to RMNCAH policies.
• Data visualization skills for developing health county profiles, dashboards
• Demonstrated experience working with DHIS2, and other relevant routine Kenyan health information systems.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for high-level policy audiences (writing examples may be required)
• Excellent coordination and organization skills
• The ability to work well under pressure and solve problems
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with users and various stakeholders; developed cultural awareness and innovation sense.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently within Kenya and work under field conditions
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili.