Chief Technical Advisor John Snow Health Zambia Limited

Background

John Snow Health Limited (JSH) is a Zambian company committed to working with governments, non-governmental entities, the private sector, civil society, and communities to improve public health services. We offer a wide range of services to implement public health interventions that enhance individuals’ and communities’ health in Zambia and the region.

At JSH, we believe in inclusive growth. We ensure local communities, including marginalized groups, have access to responsive, client-centered, sustainable health systems.

Position Description

The incumbent will be the chief technical advisor to the Executive Director and JSH in general. With broad knowledge, skills and competences in public health, project management, strategic leadership and global development, the person, who must be a thought leader, will be required to interpret data and use it to provide technical advice to the Executive Director and the Board, meaningfully support JSH Project Directors and bring JSH experiences to both local and international platforms as a marketing strategy. It is this position that will create novel strategies for use as a unique selling point (USP) for JSH. The Chief Technical Advisor has to make it possible for JSH to foster linkages with world-class, forward-looking institutions such as universities and research institutions in order to conduct joint health business through our projects. This will include research, consultancy, service delivery and technical assistance. Technical compliance and performance improvement is a theme that will cut across this portfolio. This role will report to the JSH Executive Director and be based in Lusaka.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the development of the technical plan for the corporate office with support from projects;
• Work with the Business Development and Strategy Manager and the Communications, Knowledge management and Marketing Manager to scout for new business by packaging good technical practices into sellable packages or products;
• Coordinate quarterly inter-project technical platforms thereby fostering the exchange of ideas through experiences and practice;
• With support from the Executive Director, develop and implement a stakeholders coordination plan;
• Facilitate creation of linkages with both local and international universities as well as the private sector for purposes of creating a JSH research agenda. This agenda must become a potential source of income for the organization;
• Function as the technical liaison person between the Ministry of Health technical teams and JSH Corporate;
• Represent JSH at Technical Working Group and Task Force meetings as appropriate;
• Work with the private sector and build a niche for JSH in that sector in addition to working in the public sector
• Create a platform for young people through JSH and create ambassadors of good will and advocates of behavioral change;
• Create a virtual platform for traditional leaders, political leaders, religious leaders which JSH can use as a platform for advocacy on key health issues;
• Create and operationalize an internship programme for university students in key areas of our mandate and create a pool of young health leaders;
• As part of the JSH marketing strategy, work with other team members and projects to establish the Zambia National Health Policy Debate (as part of the bigger health policy dialogue) at which different institutions of higher learning will participate and winners rewarded as an institution;
• Play a key technical leadership role in the development of both solicited and no solicited funding proposals;
• Regularly update the Executive Director about the technical direction of JSH with concrete areas of strength, gaps, threats and opportunities;
• Backstopping JSH projects in areas of need including Strategic Information and other technical areas of need;
• Work with the Business Development and Strategy manager and each one of the current projects to develop at least one “Project Specific novel JSH Product”

Minimum Qualifications:

• An advanced degree Public Health, Medicine, Strategic Management, Development, Pubic Policy, or related field
• Candidates with combined advanced degrees in health and development or health/medicine and business are encouraged to apply
• 10+ years working in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of international health projects and new business developmen
• Demonstrated success in supervising complex programs and projects
• Proven experience in research (Implementation science research, Randomized Controlled Studies, Behavioral studies, Cost and Cost-Effectiveness studies, Cost-Benefit-Analysis, Policy Analysis etc.)
• Strong managerial, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Technical expertise in at least two or more public health program areas in Zambia
• Knowledge and experience working with the international donor community or university
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills
• Ability to provide leadership and work as part of a team
• Knowledge of and willingness/ability to promote the JSH culture to staff
• Willingness to travel as necessary
• Strong time management/task prioritization skills;
• Excellent oral and written English communication skills; and
• Computer literacy required (especially Excel, MS Word and Windows).