State Program Consultant at Evidence Action

Evidence Action's mission is to fill the gap between what is effective in global health and development and what is implemented at scale. One of our flagship programs is the Deworm the World Initiative, which envisions a world where all at-risk children have improved health, increased access to education and better livelihoods potential as a result of being free of intestinal worms.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: State Program Consultant - Deworm the World Initiative

Location: Ibadan, Oyo state Nigeria; frequent trips to Abeokuta, Ogun State and  occasional trips to Abuja and other domestic travel

About Deworm the World Initiative - Nigeria
Worm infections interfere with nutrient uptake; can lead to anaemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development; and pose a serious threat to children’s health, education, and productivity later in life. Infected children are often too sick or tired to concentrate at school, or to attend at all.

Parasitic worms exact an enormous toll on human capital, hindering schooling and economic development in parts of the world that can least afford it. The Deworm the World Initiative provides technical assistance to governments around the world to develop and implement large-scale school-based deworming programs.

In 2017, Evidence Action began supporting the governments of Oyo and Ogun states to launch a school-based deworming program for STH and schistosomiasis as a part of the states’ integrated NTD control program. Evidence Action seeks an in-country program consultant to provide focused support to health and education personnel within the two state government teams in planning, launching, and sustaining Oyo and Ogun states’ new school-based deworming programs. Objectives and key activities of the consultancy are described below.

Objective

• The State Program Consultant will drive high-quality technical support for school-based mass drug administration (MDA) for STH and schistosomiasis in Oyo and Ogun states
• The consultant will work closely with state government personnel to provide technical expertise and manage day-to-day collaboration for both states, and support government entities at the LGA level as necessary
• The State Program Consultant will be report to the Lead Representative, Deworm the World Initiative, Nigeria and work closely with the Deworm the World global team
• The State Program Consultant may also support analysis and pursuit of new opportunities for scale-up of school-based deworming in the country.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with state-level government personnel, ensuring smooth coordination of all activities
• Drive development of program management tools including work plans, treatment strategy documents, and operational guidelines
• Leverage program management tools and maintain close attention to detail to ensure that timelines are adhered to and all milestones such as trainings, meetings, and distribution of materials are completed on time
• Provide technical input and evidence-based recommendations for program planning (i.e., strategy documents for specific program components, such as monitoring or coverage validation) and for decision-making during implementation (i.e., troubleshooting supply chain delays or responding to public misperceptions about deworming)
• Engage in outcome-oriented capacity-building efforts with state ministries of health and education in areas such as budgeting, work planning, drug forecasting, and monitoring
• Collaborate with Evidence Action’s global Deworm the World staff to incorporate other programs’ learnings and expertise into the delivery of the Oyo  and Ogun programs
• Represent Evidence Action in meetings and communications at the state level, and be accountable for state-level relationship management with all relevant partners
• Ensure technical support to the state government is in line with Deworm the World’s theory of change and technical support model, and adhere to Evidence Action’s mission and brand through all communications
• Other technical support as necessary for high-quality implementation of school-based deworming

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree in a relevant field is preferred
• Proven experience in a program management role, preferably for 5+ years
• Demonstrated success in managing relationships with partners and collaborating effectively with diverse partners
• Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal
• Attention to detail coupled with an ability to visualize the “big picture”
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Google Documents, and other common computer programs; familiarity with Box, Asana, and Slack would be a bonus!
• Strong work ethic and a sense of humor

Terms

• The term of this position is 12 months, with the potential for extension based on performance and according to program needs. The consultant may be based in either Ibadan, Oyo State or Abeokuta, Ogun State and will report to Evidence Action’s Lead Representative, Deworm the World Initiative
• The Consultant will work very closely with government staff and other partners within the states, and will collaborate with Deworm the World teams based in Kenya, India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and the US. Travel within Nigeria will be required in accordance with program needs and all costs for consultancy-related travel will be reimbursed by Evidence Action.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online