PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health.
A onePATH team comprising of the following programs: Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) Global Program and the PATH Kenya Program is working to strengthen human milk banking in resource limited settings as one innovation for reducing neonatal mortality in Kenya. PATH will collaborate with key stakeholders in Kenya to provide technical assistance for creating advocacy and implementation guidance for the country. The Program Officer will also work in close collaboration with PATH’s core human milk banking team, as well as in-country technical experts, implementation partners and policy makers.
We seek to recruit a Project Coordinator Human Milk Banking who will be responsible for developing and implementing activities, in collaboration with key stakeholders, with the primary goal of establishing systems in Kenya for increasing access to human milk, through enhanced breastfeeding promotion programming and establishment of human milk banking in the country. This will include working with local leaders and implementation partners to develop awareness campaigns, strategies, guidelines and operating procedures specific for the establishment and operation of a human milk bank program in Kenya. This will also include assisting in conducting formative assessment and developing behavior change communication tools and advocacy materials, coordinating meetings and events to enable development of national guidelines and set the stage for mainstreaming of HMBs across multiple sites in Kenya, managing work-plans and budgets, assisting with instituting appropriate monitoring and reporting systems, and documentation and dissemination, and identifying new areas of future business development for expansion of a human milk bank program
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
· Coordinate project activities, including work plans, stakeholder meetings, technical committees, domestic and international travel, timelines, implementation and deliverables.
· Gain expertise of the human milk banking processes and global programs as well as national infant nutrition and newborn care systems, priorities and policies and how human milk banking could be integrated.
· Responsible for working with national technical and policy leaders to develop human milk banking guidance specific for the Kenya context.
· Facilitate collaboration with global human milk bank policy and technical leaders, to inform human milk bank guidance in Kenya.
· Facilitate and lead highly visible stakeholder meetings with senior policy staff to establish human milk banking guidance in Kenya.
· Provide communication with partners and in-country human milk bank advisors through regular travel and phone/email.
· Develop strategic plans as well as long-term strategies for the expanding human milk banking activities in Kenya.
· With the project leaders, donors and stakeholders, facilitate project management and ensure appropriate implementation.
· Proactively manage changes in project scope and create contingency plans in a constantly changing environment.
· Draft project reports, presentations and other documentation with project teams.
· Work on integrated nutrition-neonatal health care conceptualization as required to build out programming, inclusive of human milk banking.
· Work closely with MoH, APHRC and Mama Lucy Hospital to develop standard operating procedures for piloting the HMB in Embakasi County.
· Develop training tools for national and provincial stakeholders and adapt behavior change communication materials as appropriate.
· Work closely with MoH, APHRC and Mama Lucy Hospital to develop national guidelines for mainstreaming HMBs to other locations.
· Coordinate advocacy and awareness meetings and events at the national and county level.
· Contribute to development of annual work-plans, budgets, reports and resource mobilization efforts.
· Contribute to documentation of experience and lessons learned.
· Lead or contribute to identification of future funding mechanisms and writing of proposals for scaling up human milk banking activities in Kenya.
Experience
An MD in newborn care (pediatrics, neonatology) and/or a PhD in nutrition with a focus on neonatal and infant feeding would be useful. A minimum of five, (5) to ten, (10) years’ experience in newborn care related activities, including at health care facilities in Kenya and involving collaboration with officials in the Government of Kenya. Must have managed complex technical projects and participated in international teams. The candidate would be a recognized leader in newborn care and/or infant nutrition in Kenya, as demonstrated through presentations, publications, established networks, and related experience. Strongly prefer experience with project coordination and policy development skills. Experience in managing complex technical projects and working with officials in the Government of Kenya is a vital requirement.
Skills Required
· Infant nutrition and/or newborn care skills are required.
· Ability to work independently, assess priorities and gaps, and manage a variety of activities while collaborating with a broad coalition of health partners.
· Strong organizational and leadership skills, and the ability to think creatively and strategically.
· Ability to work independently as well as in cooperation with a team.
· Ability to quickly synthesize technical information from biomedical and clinical studies and anticipate impact on project plans.
· Ability to thrive in a complex work environment that includes working collaboratively with colleagues based both in Nairobi and abroad.
· Good written and verbal communication skills.
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit your application using http://bit.ly/1R8LuP8
