FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology — creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories. We are currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of: Project Director
Description:
Alive & Thrive is an initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth and development. Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, is critical to enable all children to lead healthier and more productive lives. Alive & Thrive is scaling up improved infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition through large-scale programs in several countries in Asia and Africa and through strategic technical support and the dissemination of innovations, tools, and lessons worldwide. Alive & Thrive is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of Canada and Ireland.
Alive & Thrive (A&T) Burkina Faso is aimed at supporting the Government to implement proven models for scaling up nutrition with a specific focus on promoting optimal breastfeeding practices. The World Health Organization defines these as:
- Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth
- Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life
- Introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 24 months or beyond.
Program Goal and Objectives:
To improve optimal breastfeeding practices at scale in Burkina Faso through the adaptation of Alive & Thrive’s models and tools developed in phase one (2009-2014) for use in francophone West Africa.
- To increase exclusive breastfeeding to at least 60%over three years in areas reached by Alive & Thrive program activities and/or community radio, estimated to reach approximately one-half of the population.
- To demonstrate how to adapt and apply the Alive & Thrive 4-component model for implementing infant feeding interventions at scale in a country in francophone West Africa.
Program components include the following: Advocacy, Interpersonal Communication and Community Mobilization: Mass Communication and Media and Strategic Use of Data.
Job Summary / Responsibilities:
The Project Director, Alive & Thrive/Burkina Faso will be the lead for all technical and managerial aspects of A&T’s program in Burkina Faso and will be guided by A&T’s HQ team for day to day activities. She/he will ensure technical excellence in the design, implementation, follow up and analysis of the A&T supported activities and will facilitate policy dialogue and stakeholder partnerships with relevant sectors. He/she will facilitate timely program monitoring and oversight to identify and address problems in implementation, make arrangements for visit field sites, travel to program implementation sites, support information exchange within an alliance of pro-IYCF institutions and foster links with other NGOs, UN, bilateral and governmental agencies and academic institutions working in related areas.
Essential Job Functions:
Technical and Program Leadership and Management:
Under the guidance of A&T/HQ,
- Plan, direct, and coordinate A&T country program in Burkina Faso to ensure goals and objectives are accomplished within prescribed time frame and funding parameters.
- Identify opportunities to ensure that A&T’s program in Burkina Faso is scaled up and sustainable. This can be done through policy or partnership initiatives with government and NGO partners at national and regional/local level.
- Facilitate communication among government and implementing partners engaged with A&T to scale up program activities, including quarterly meetings of a national network or alliance of stakeholders committed to scale up breastfeeding interventions in Burkina Faso under the umbrella of the government.
- Develop annual work plans, monitoring plans, and budgets to meet project goals and ensure compliance with FHI360, FHI Solutions, and donor policies.
- Prepare program reports for A&T supported activities in Burkina Faso. Serve as an active participant in A&T team meetings to provide updates, reports and feedback.
- Act as a key link between the Burkina Faso stakeholder and the A&T/HQ team.
- Identify and arrange for short term TA from A&T/HQ to strengthen existing activities of scaling up breastfeeding and related interventions in Burkina Faso. Based on findings from assessments and research, this may involve, arranging for technical support for training activities at various levels, preparing and checking translations and adaptations of A&T materials, facilitating identification and supervision of community mobilization and breastfeeding promotion/support in health services, media and communication activities, development and implementation of supervision and monitoring checklists and ensuring their correct use.
- Facilitate and ensure the development, pre-testing and printing of high quality, field-rested and adapted job aids, supervisory tools, advocacy briefs and IEC materials under the supervision of A&T/HQ.
- Assist other stakeholders engaged in Burkina Faso to scale up breastfeeding and complementary feeding in the strategic use of data to achieve high impact at scale through interventions such as multi-channel communication, community mobilization and advocacy interventions and tools based on past A&T experience, as adapted for Burkina Faso.
- Ensure high quality documentation as per the plans developed by A&T. Identify gaps in knowledge and suggest how to help fill in information gaps to ensure technical quality in A&T’s program components. Identify opportunities for collaborations on studies and data generating activities to promote IYCF learnings. Engage in data review, analysis, as needed.
- Maintain close coordination and dialogue with key stakeholders in the national IYCF alliance, in other sectors, implementers at province and district levels in all regions of the country as well as others in government, NGOs, UN, bilaterals and institutions involved in IYCF and related programs and policy development.
- Facilitate site visits of A&T staff and consultants in Burkina Faso, collaborate with other team members and consultants working with A&T to ensure technical quality and relevance. Identify relevant technical inputs, documents, papers, feedback from Burkina Faso to A&T/HQ.
- Translate relevant A&T learnings and tools from all components in collaboration with other staff and consultants. Assist with development of a dissemination plan and broad dissemination of the A&T program documents to as wide an audience as possible in Burkina Faso. Integrate A&T’s lessons learned and tools into existing national working groups and task forces as appropriate, and manage stakeholder relationships in collaboration with the A&T/HQ team. Help to integrate key IYCF messages/lessons and tools into other health sector, nutrition, poverty alleviation, disaster relief and nutrition programs.
- Provide lessons learned, success stories, and other materials for monthly and quarterly reports for the project. Research and write reports and project materials. Represent the A&T initiative in national and international venues as the senior technical leader of the initiative for Burkina Faso. Provide ongoing technical inputs to A&T supported activities, ensure quality of reports, tools, communications and advocacy materials, and M&E materials to ensure technical soundness and consistency across all components. Advise on how best to document and extract lessons learned from various program components.
- Oversee financial management of the A&T/Burkina Faso program, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, budget monitoring, and compliance with FHI 360 policies and procedures in all financial, contractual, and procurement activities.
- Work closely with the Finance Manager and relevant HQ staff to prepare, track, and monitor annual budgets.
- Supervise A&T Burkina Faso program, operations, administrative staff based in country, as well as locally-hired consultants and any short term assistance.
- Oversee all administrative and logistical aspects of office operations.
- Other tasks as needed.
For information on Alive & Thrive visit www.aliveandthrive.org
Qualifications:
- Medical or social sciences advanced degree (masters or post-graduate level or higher is essential) in public health, behavior change communication, nutrition, medical/nursing sciences or related development studies.
- A minimum of 8 years of experience in design, implementation, management, capacity building related to improving health/nutrition/behavior change indicators including planning and analysis, training and services delivery programs.
- Fluency in written and oral French and English.
- Excellent reputation in teamwork and facilitating dialogue and communications among diverse institutions and sectors
- Skilled in both technical and program management and administrative tasks, and motivated to understand and perform tasks such as fulfilling A&T project planning and reporting requirements in a timely manner
- Demonstrated experience and high acceptability in working with government, NGOs and donors in Burkina Faso or Francophone West Africa.
- Demonstrated experience in successfully working across sectors (other than health) with senior government authorities, academic experts, national health partners, preferably in Burkina Faso or West Africa.
- Proficiency in the use of MS Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc) and the Internet.
This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.
We offer competitive compensation and an outstanding benefit package. Please click here to visit FHI 360's Career Center for a list of all open positions.
FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. FHI 360 is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran with respect to policies, programs, or activities.
We offer competitive compensation and an outstanding benefit package. Please click here to visit FHI 360's Career Center for a list of all open positions.
FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. FHI 360 is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran with respect to policies, programs, or activities.
