GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 21-65

2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 31, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: September 14, 2021 (4:30 PM East Africa Time)

4. POSITION TITLE: Project Management Specialist (Health) – Operations Research.

5. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-PSC 11 (Step 1: 4,597,211.00 KSH to Step 13: 7,815,239.00 KSH per annum). In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Kenya and East Africa. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Initial six (6) months probationary period, with an additional six (6) months upon successful completion of probation period. Additional four (4) option years contingent on fully successful or better performance rating, funds availability and the continued need to retain the position.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya; with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Work.

8. SECURITY CERTIFICATION REQUIRED: Prior to joining USAID, the selected candidate will be required to:

• Undergo a comprehensive background investigation
• Undergo a health check to obtain medical clearance and;
• Obtain and Retain an embassy issued Security Certification.

9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES: (See Below).

10. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to qualified Kenyan citizens and current employees of the U.S. Mission. USAID provides equal opportunity and equitable treatment for employment of all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.

11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The position requirements do not involve rigorous physical demands.

BACKGROUND

USAID/Kenya and East Africa invests in population and health programs at national and county levels that aim to improve the survival, well-being and productivity of the Kenyan population by reducing the burden of major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and addressing the main causes of maternal and child illness and deaths. This includes cross-cutting work to strengthen healthcare systems and build capacity, and to support the national government to formulate key policies and guidelines while assisting counties to better plan, manage and finance quality health services to meet local needs. The Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) office is USAID/Kenya and East Africa’s (KEA) largest office, managing a portfolio valued at over $400 million annually. The office receives funding from a number of U.S. Presidential Initiatives, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Feed the Future (FtF) as well as other USAID health funds for family planning, maternal newborn and child health, nutrition, emerging pandemic threats, and water, sanitation and hygiene.

Reporting directly to the Health Analytics Team Leader, the Project Management Specialist (Operations Research) of the Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) is an experienced professional and technical expert in the design, formulation, validation, implementation and  application of operations research findings to improve program implementation The jobholder provides operation research (OR) expertise to the HPN Director, Deputy Office Directors, Center of Excellence Directors for Family Health, HIV/AIDS/TB, Malaria and Global Health Security,  and Health Products and Technologies as well as Team Leaders for the Maternal and Child Health/Reproductive Health (MCH/RH), Nutrition and Child Health, TB,HIV Care and Treatment, Prevention and Social Services, Malaria, Partnerships, Health Analytics, Health Policy and Financing, Supply Chain and Laboratory teams in the management of operation research activities  under the HPN portfolio. The jobholder is a technical expert in operations research design and implementation, strategic planning, program and activity design, budgeting and evaluation of programs. S/He will innovate and facilitate the design and implementation of both operation research and evaluations activities and use the OR and evaluation findings to improve programs and systems.

Working in close collaboration with the USAID/KEA HPN Teams, the Specialist shall assist in the development and implementation of operation research and implementation science activities, evaluations and quality improvement strategies within both the National Disease Control Program and the USAID/HPN program. Internally, the Operations Research Specialist shall liaise with PMI, Family Health, HIV, and TB backstops as well as Surveillance, Monitoring & Evaluation (SM&E) and Data Integration technical teams at USAID/Washington and CDC/Atlanta, and USAID personnel working within and overseeing the Mission’s activities related to disease control. Externally, responsibilities include regular contact and collaboration with counterparts in Kenya’s National Disease Control Program (NDCP) of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the MOH Division of Disease Surveillance, Epidemic and Response (DDSER) , the National AIDS and STI Control program (NASCOP), the National AIDS Control Council (NACC), Health analytics and surveys and surveillance mechanisms, non-governmental and private sector organizations, other donor and international organizations, and other United States Government (USG) entities working in infectious disease prevention and control. As appropriate, the Specialist will provide managerial and technical support to the DDSER lead and the staff to build capacity within the MOH in the areas of operations research implementation and application of findings to inform program improvement.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

1. TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 40%

• The Operation Research (OR) Specialist advises the HPN Office Director, Deputy HPN Office Directors, COE directors, Supervisor, other HPN Teams, Mission colleagues, and other USG Offices on all matters in the area of operation research, implementation science, program evaluation, programmatic studies and the use of findings to inform program improvement.                                                   
• The OR specialist advises on the use of evidence from research to find innovative ways on maximizing use of resources, reducing operations costs, assess feasibility of new interventions, implementation of interventions in new settings and scaling up of promising interventions through appropriate health policy actions. 

• Provides technical leadership on development and implementation of Operation Research / Implementation Science including the development of study protocols, developing research questions, selection of research methods, planning and management of operations research/Implementation science and use of findings for program improvement. 

• Leads the development and implementation of strategies to improve design, implementation and application of operation research and implementation science activities within the USAID/KEA Mission and the Ministry of Health (MOH). 

• Provides advanced operation research technical expertise to national technical working groups (TWG) that are derived from national surveys such as Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys, Malaria Indicator Surveys, Health Facility Assessment, Service Provision Assessments, quality assurance, quality improvement and research studies. 

• Works within and across the health sector portfolio, promoting the understanding the operations research and evaluation requirements, while ensuring total compliance with research and implementation science standards and practices. 

• Actively collaborates with HPN’s team leaders, national health programs institutions including the Family Health Division ,National Malaria Program, the National AIDS Control Council (NACC), the National AIDS and STI control program (NASCOP) , the National TB Program, the Department  of Health Informatics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Disease Surveillance, Epidemic, and Response (DDSER) among other key stakeholders, on the identification of research problems, development of the study designs, implementation of the studies, interpretation of results and using them to improve programs. 

• Evaluates the results achieved by implementing partners against their targets and tracking overall progress in achieving HIV, Malaria, FP/RMNCAH, WASH, and Nutrition goals as outlined in relevant strategic planning and activity level agreements.

2.  OPERATIONS RESEARCH DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION 40%

• Develop operation research plans with clear problem identification, strategies of addressing the problem, testing of strategies, dissemination and the use of research findings for program improvement. 

• Formulate and develop models using mathematical, simulations, stochastic, optimization, decision-analysis or any other appropriate methodology to derive solutions to the problem, while ensuring optimal validation of the chosen solution and test their accuracy and efficacy. 

• Performs both qualitative (Grounded Theory, content, narrative, discourse, framework), quantitative (descriptive, inferential, and multivariate statistics) and mixed methods data analyses, interprets results, and produces recommendations. 

• Lead the implementation of the chosen solution and monitor the results, while actively collaborating with the program’s subject matter experts. 

• Develop reports on findings and recommendations, supports the development of policy briefs on the OR findings and their implications to health programming. Discusses and jointly with the national and county health stakeholders on the agree on better fora to disseminate the findings and use the findings and recommendations to inform program improvement or further research/studies. 

• Conduct rigorous analysis of data from a variety of sources to locate implementation obstacles and opportunities, and to employ cutting-edge approaches and tools to analyze, present, and use data in HPN programs. 

• Design and lead implementation of program evaluations and facilitate the institutionalization of use of evaluation results to inform program implementation adjustments and program designs. 

• Support HPN leadership in championing holistic approaches to collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA), including design and implementation of an action-oriented project research and learning agenda, routine analysis of available health sector data sources, and application of best practices in knowledge management. 

• Remains up to date on the latest national and global OR landscape in areas that are relevant to the program, current activities, and emergent areas of expertise and public health issues. 

3. PROGRAM/PROJECT/ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT                     10%

• Serve as Contracting or Agreement Officer’s Representative (C/AOR) for strategic information (monitoring and evaluation, health management information systems, surveys and surveillance) activities. Analyzes program performance data and financial reports, including reports on activity burn rates and pipelines and expenditure accruals, reviewing reports from partners with particular attention to activity and financial indicators. 

• Conduct site visits as required in order to monitor progress, and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and judicious use of USG funding.

4.  REPRESENTATION AND REPORTING                                   10%

• Represent USAID at designated national, regional and international meetings that relate to the management of operation research and evaluations for HIV & TB response, Malaria, FH/RMNCAH, Nutrition and WASH programming portfolio including regular participation in national level technical working groups and related committees.        
• Using diplomacy and technical acumen, establish strategic working relationships with senior MOH officials at the national and district level, donor agencies, and civil society organizations to enhance regular and timely sharing of information on the management of digital systems that could affect implementation of USAID programs.

POSITION ELEMENTS:

A.  SUPERVISION RECEIVED: The position works under a broad supervision of the Health Analytics Team Leader, who makes assignments in terms of overall objectives and resources available. Completed work is reviewed in terms of achievement of program/project/activity goals, effectiveness in meeting goals and objectives, and integration with other initiatives in the HPN Office and Mission portfolio. Some technical direction may come from other professionals in the Office; in general, however, the Specialist will be expected to exercise considerable autonomy and best judgment in discharging the duties of the assignment.

B.  SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Continuing supervision of other Health Office and/or Mission staff is not contemplated.

C. AVAILABLE GUIDELINES: Operational Plan and Health Implementation Plans Guidelines, USAID regulations (including the Automated Directives System), the CDCS Performance Management Plan, HPN PAD Monitoring and Evaluation Plan including its Logical Framework Analysis provide broad guidelines as to the conduct of work related to the duties described above. Available guidelines include USG program/ project/activity guidance, rules, and requirements; USAID Mission Orders, Mission strategy, and other relevant reports; USAID Mandatory and Standard Provisions, and the FAR and AIDAR; and, President’s Malaria Initiative guidelines and malaria operational plans, Country Operational Plans, host-government Five-Year Strategic Plans (or equivalent), and other published and unpublished guidelines. Guidelines are often general in nature and not specific to the situation at hand, requiring considerable interpretation.

D.  EXERCISE OF JUDGEMENT: The jobholder will exercise a high degree of independent judgment in representing USAID and in providing guidance to Mission staff, government officials and implementing partners. Substantial reliance will be placed on the jobholder, a recognized expert and well-qualified professional, to independently plan, prioritize and carry out the duties and responsibilities of the position. The jobholder will be expected to analyze and address problems by applying relevant guidance (for management/administrative issues) and evidence-based strategies (for technical issues) to advance the Mission’s objectives. The use of initiative, discretion, cultural sensitivity, collaboration and teamwork is expected of the jobholder to resolve challenges for which there are no clear or immediate solutions. In the event that no formal guidance exists, the jobholder will use her/his own personal, well-informed judgment, making independent decisions that can be defended as necessary and seeking input when appropriate.

E. AUTHORITY TO MAKE COMMITMENTS: The Specialist takes action and establishes priorities based on available guidelines and professional judgment. Because of the jobholder’s expertise and professional standing in his/her field, substantial weight will be given to his/her recommendations while commitments are made by those with the authority to do so. When fully designated as AOR/ COR s/he will have full authority and responsibility as delegated by ADS, other Mission, and USAID guidelines.

F. NATURE, LEVEL AND PURPOSE OF CONTACTS: The jobholder occupies a high profile and important position in the Mission. S/he represents USAID in engagements with high levels of a variety of Ministry of Health officials at the national, county and local levels, donors, private and non-governmental organizations, and provides policy recommendations as well as strategic and programmatic advice to senior USAID and US Government officials, other donors, and implementing partners. Facilitates the negotiation of data-sharing agreements between the Mission and relevant host-government institutions, including the MoH and others. S/he is required to establish and maintain professional contacts/relationships with senior officials and leaders of private and nongovernmental sector institutions that partner on HPN-funded activities and to seek to leverage funding. Internally, the jobholder has routine and frequent contact with senior officials of the other members of the USAID Mission, personnel at the U.S. Embassy, USAID/Washington and other USG agencies such as the CDC, partnering organizations, institutional contractors and consultants.

G. TIME TO REACH FULL PERFORMANCE LEVEL: One year.

PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE: Minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in the design and implementation of operation research activities, programmatic studies, surveys and surveillance and use of results/findings to inform practice and strategies in public health is required. Extensive experience and knowledge in research/implementation science management roles with an excellent understanding of operations research. Demonstrated experience in survey design, evaluation design, implementation, analysis, interpretation and report-writing.

JOB KNOWLEDGE: The jobholder must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of operations research and implementation science methods and application of research findings in managing public health programs in Kenya. S/He must possess expert operation research and implementation science skills, an ability to develop research tools including questionnaires, research data collection systems, research sample size calculation methods, standard operating procedures, research protocols among others. S/He has expertise in data collection procedures, both qualitative and quantitative used for analysis and to accumulate evidence supporting decision making. S/he must possess demonstrated competency in data analysis applications such as MS Access, SPSS, STATA, R and Spectrum.  The jobholder must be able to proactively and independently locate reference materials and data, research and analyze quantitative and qualitative data and present interpretation of said resources in concise and appropriate written reports. Extensive knowledge of the country’s infectious disease context including national priorities and challenges in clinical services. Demonstrated knowledge of the overall health sector context. In addition, the jobholder must demonstrate extensive knowledge of Global Health, PMI, PEPFAR, and its current priorities as well as the key aspects of US Government foreign assistance to the country. The jobholder must have professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to the devolution of the health sector and the increasing roles and responsibilities of the Counties within this new formulation.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Demonstrated ability to design and implementation of single/multi center research activities working with different stakeholders are required. Ability to conduct introductory training research tools and processes including the use of research results to inform program improvement. Skills in working effectively with health personnel of diverse cultural backgrounds, negotiating agreements on matters of operations research, evaluations and quality improvement. This position requires experience in a management capacity, political analysis, adherence to ethical standards as well as strong interpersonal and team-building skills.  The ability to serve as an effective liaison with a wide array of individuals and institutions is essential.  The jobholder must possess a familiarity with a wide range of issues, such as operations research, implementation science, program evaluation, public health, community development, economic policy, and democracy and governance.  S/he must be able to prepare clear, substantive reports and briefing papers in English, in a timely manner, and have the ability to develop a thorough understanding of USAID and host-government policies and procedures.  The position requires flexibility, an ability to react to changing systems with sound analyses, and the ability to work under pressure.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

Applicants must submit a resume/cv which describes how their relevant professional experience and education has prepared them to meet the specific challenges of the duties and responsibilities described above.  As part of the interview process, those applicants ranked highest may be required to submit a timed writing sample on a topic provided.  The selection committee may conduct reference checks at any time during the selection process.

Applications that do not meet the required minimum qualifications will not be scored. 

• Prior work experience (30 points)
• Job Knowledge (40 points)
• Skills and abilities (30 points)

Total possible points:  100

Candidates meeting the above required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application and reference checks.   References will be asked to assess the applicant’s technical knowledge, work performance, communication skills, and group dynamics, using the above criteria.   USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the top ranked short-listed applicants.  The interview will be one of the determining factors in the final selection.

HOW TO APPLY

Step 1:  Register in MyJobsInKenya at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 2:  Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages), a copy of your most recent Performance Evaluation Report, and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload to MyJobsInKenya.

                                             OR

External Applicants/Not Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages) and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload to MyJobsInKenya.

Note to Applicants:

1. Applications must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted through myjobsinkenya.com as stated in Section IV.

2. Submissions will only be accepted through myjobsinkenya.com/usaid. Late and Incomplete applications (those that do not contain the applicant’s most current and up to date detailed CV and relevant education certificates) will not be considered for the position. The closing date for receipt of applications is indicated above.

3. USAID provides equal opportunity and equitable treatment for employment of all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.

4. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Any form of canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.

5. USAID DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING) AND DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.