Organisation background
Options Consultancy Services Limited was established in 1992 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Marie Stopes International. We are a consultancy organisation providing technical and management expertise in the health and social sectors to governments and international development partners to transform the health of women and children. We provide information, expertise and influence to governments, health workers, NGOs and businesses to catalyse change so that health services can be accessed by the people who need them most.
Programme background
Evidence for Action – Mama Ye (E4A–Mama Ye) (www.mamaye.org) is a programme managed by Options Consultancy Services and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve maternal and newborn survival through a combined focus on evidence, advocacy and accountability across seven sub-Saharan African countries.
Started in 2012, E4A-Mama Ye has used a combination of evidence and advocacy to drive accountability for maternal and newborn outcomes. E4A-Mama Ye acts as a catalyst for action, using evidence strategically to generate political commitment, strengthen accountability and improve planning and decision making at sub-national and national levels. Advocacy is driven forward under the Mama Ye brand, which is used to augment the visibility and profile of our reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) work and channel the collective energy and investments of other stakeholders committed to improving RMNCAH outcomes. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), E4A-Mama Ye is currently working in Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria, and has recently started operating in Kenya.
Main purpose of job
As the E4A-Mama Ye National Coordinator, Kenya, you will provide technical support and manage the delivery of E4A-Mama Ye Kenya activities, as well as lead on the implementation of E4A-Mama Ye in Nairobi County.
You will represent E4A-Mama Ye in Kenya at national and county levels, build and maintain relationships with key advocacy stakeholders in order to strategically position E4A-Mama Ye programme in-country and support the prioritisation of an RMNCAH strategy at national level.
Technical support will be provided to you by Options, specifically the Technical Support Unit in London, who will help ensure you have the international and national technical support necessary to deliver your objectives.
You will report to the E4A-Mama Ye Programme Director and liaise closely with the E4A-Mama Ye Technical Advisor on a day-to-day basis, and working in close coordination with other Kenya based Options programmes, MANI – Maternal and Neonatal Health Improvement programme and The Girl Generation. You will be based in Nairobi.
Main duties
Represent E4A with national and county level Ministry of Health; CSOs, including other FP Advocacy Gates grantees; media; and other partners
• Articulate the E4A-Mama Ye Theory of Change and approach to target audiences including CSOs and government, including providing an overview of E4A-Mama Ye Kenya objectives and associated activities to the end of 2017;
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with government and CSO stakeholders, including representing E4A-Mama Ye at meetings and ensuring effective and consistent communication about E4A-Mama Ye activities;
• Engage with and build/strengthen E4A-Mama Ye relationships with RMNCAH advocacy partners; this may include coordinating implementation of E4A-Mama Ye supported events, materials etc working closely with MANI and E4A-Mama Ye London colleagues;
• Represent E4A in meetings with the Gates Foundation; with other Gates FP Advocacy grantees through the joint coordination mechanism; with CSOs working on GFF; and with other relevant external partners;
• Collaborate with stakeholders (i.e. including media, advocates, CSOs) committed to strengthening evidence, advocacy and accountability in Kenya.
Technical support on RMNCH evidence analysis and advocacy; co-ordination of technical inputs for National and County level
• Deliver a scoping report on the potential for introducing E4A-Mama Ye evidence, advocacy and accountability approaches to strengthen availability of RMNCAH resources in Nairobi County; undertake ongoing scoping of opportunities for evidence-based advocacy and accountability with MNH partners;
• Provide support to strengthen the capacity of key Kenyan CSOs to engage effectively in the GFF country platform and to engage in health budget advocacy;
• Contribute to strengthening analysis of MPDSR data; and costing and packaging evidence to support advocacy and accountability efforts in Nairobi and Bungoma Counties;
• Support improved functioning of accountability mechanisms such as Technical Working Groups and health sector coordination committees;
• Support and coordinate RNMCH advocacy strategies/activities nationally and oversee County advocacy activities pre and post-election aimed at increasing resource allocation for health;
• Work in conjunction with relevant partners to build the MNH/ RH/ FP capacity of Kenyan journalists, opinion-formers and decision-makers in line with the E4A-Mam Ye Kenya workplan.
3. Delivery of E4A-Mama Ye workplan
• Work with the E4A-Mama Ye Technical Advisor to implement the workplan for the period May – Dec 2017;
• Oversee County Coordinators in Nairobi and Bungoma and support E4A-Mama Ye London to coordinate inputs from Kenya based consultants
• Maintain strong relationships with Options team leaders to ensure E4A-Mama Ye Kenya activities are coordinated with other Options programmes in Kenya – MANI and The Girl Generation
• Identify where implementation may be delayed or new activities introduced, supporting the E4A-Mama Ye Technical Advisor to update the plan as required
• Work with the E4A-Mama Ye London team to regularly monitor the implementation of the plan in Bungoma County, Nairobi County and nationally
• Liaise with the London based E4A-Mama Ye Communications and Advocacy Strategist and E4A-Mama Ye Technical Advisor to ensure stories from E4A Kenya are shared across E4A-Mama Ye digital platforms
Person specification
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s in sociology, anthropology, social statistics or a related subject (E)
Postgraduate degree in public health or other relevant subject (E)
Experience:
Extensive experience in RNMCH programme implementation and planning (E)
Significant experience of engagement with government at National and County level and/ or a background working within government (E)
Experience supporting accountability mechanisms and building and strengthening relationships with CSOs, particularly grassroots/ CBOs (E)
Experience in advocacy and in analysing and presenting data for use in decision-making, action, accountability and/ or advocacy (E)
Experience of packaging and communicating information for different audiences, and on different platforms (e.g. print/web/mobile/broadcast) (D)
Experience leading a team and achieving results in tight deadlines (E)
Skills and attributes:
Strong advocacy skills including the ability to mobilise partners and influence policy change (E)
Proven ability to engage and build relationships with technical and non-technical partners at multiple levels, to ensure high quality deliverables (E)
Strong understanding of government planning and budgeting cycles (E)
Demonstrable knowledge of Kenya’s current health policy and plans (E)
Specialist knowledge of health systems strengthening in developing countries (D)
Knowledge of Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health (E)
Ability to plan and manage work in a highly organised way and with minimal external supervision (E)
Strong written/ verbal communication skills and effective interpersonal style (E)
Good quantitative and qualitative analytical skills (E)
Excellent planning and people management skills (E)
Commitment to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and improving access to FP in Kenya (E)
Extensive diplomatic skills with awareness of cultural differences (E)
Other requirements:
Commitment to equal opportunities (E)
Excellent command of oral and written English (E)
Spoken and written Kiswahili (D)
Willingness to travel within Kenya (E)
Please find more information on our website: http://options.co.uk/jobs/e4a-mamaye-national-coordinator
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send your cv and cover letter to recruitment@evidence4action.net with the job title in the description. Closing date: 30 April 2017