Job Code: GHFP-09-123 POSTED: Jan 27
Salary: Open
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Employer: Global Health Fellows Program
Type: Fellowship - Experienced
Sector: Advocacy / Non-Profit Categories: Global Health, Operations
Required Education: Masters
Description
Global Health Fellows Program Technical Advisor III:
Senior Family Planning Advisor
Office of Population, Health, and Nutrition, USAID/Bangladesh
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Assignment: Two years fellowship GHFP-09-123
The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) is a five-year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, Management Systems International, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. GHFP is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The goal of GHFP is to improve the effectiveness of USAID Population, Health and Nutrition programs by developing and increasing the capacity of health professionals in Washington, DC and overseas. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of junior, mid and senior level health professionals; a diversity initiative focused on providing internship and mentoring opportunities in international public health to underrepresented communities; and professional and organizational development activities to bolster USAID’s ability to maximize results and strengthen its leadership role in global health.
INTRODUCTION: USAID has supported Bangladesh’s remarkable progress in population and health over the past 30 years. Since the early 1970s, the total fertility rate has declined from 6.3 children per woman to 2.7 in 2007, and the contraceptive prevalence rate has increased from 8 percent to 58 percent. Still, there is an enormous need for family planning services, particularly in low-performing areas of the country. Nearly 60 percent of postpartum women have an unmet need for family planning, and contraceptive discontinuation is high. The unmet family planning need for married women of reproductive age is estimated at 15 percent. Unwanted pregnancy is also very high.
Given the size (150 million) and extraordinary density of the population, and the very low economic status of the majority of the people in the country, the importance of successful population and family planning programs for the overall peace and prosperity of Bangladesh cannot be overstated. Bangladesh’s population is projected to reach 243 million by 2050. And except for a handful of small countries (e.g., Singapore, Hong Kong) Bangladesh has by far the highest population density in the world with over 2,600 persons per square mile. In this context, further strengthening of family planning programs for limiting and spacing births is a very high priority. Improved programs will help couples to reach their desired family size and contribute to reductions in maternal, newborn and child mortality. Improved programs will also contribute to poverty reduction. Per capita income in Bangladesh is around $400, with almost half of the population living on less than $1 a day. If success in reducing population growth is not sustained, substantial poverty reduction will be unattainable.
The USAID/Bangladesh Office of Population Health and Nutrition (OPHN) is responsible for planning and managing all USAID assistance in the areas of population and health, and providing advice to Mission management regarding activities and options in these areas. OPHN is also responsible for integrating USAID-sponsored activities in these areas with the larger Mission and U.S. Government (USG) programs, and for coordinating such activities with those of other donors. USAID’s Population Health and Nutrition program is pursued through a $176 million bilateral agreement titled “US-Bangladesh Health and Population Programs” as defined by the Program Objective Agreement (PROAG) with the Government of Bangladesh (GOB). This PROAG spans the time period from September 30, 2007 to September 30, 2011. The OPHN staff represents the Mission in the Health and Population Donor Consortium and with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and liaises with the Bureau for Global Health and the Asia Bureau of USAID/Washington.
The Senior Family Planning Advisor position is located in the OPHN, USAID/Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In FY 2008, OPHN managed a $37.1 million budget consisting of $17.5 in Family Planning/Reproductive Health (FP/RH) funds; $13.3 million in Maternal and Child Health funds; $3.6 million in TB funds; and $2.7 million in HIV funds. The Senior Family Planning Advisor will advise USAID/Bangladesh on all aspects of family planning and reproductive health, and especially on behavior change communication strategies and activities. S/he will present USAID’s view to the highest government and donor levels and with USAID’s implementing partners, working within the rules and guidelines laid out by the Agency for fellows.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior Family Planning Advisor will provide senior technical expertise and management leadership to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of USAID/Bangladesh’s FP/RH programs, including integration of FP/RH with maternal and neonatal health (MNH) activities and will provide behavior change communication/information, education and communications (BCC) expertise in the design, implementation, coordination and monitoring of FP/RH programs. S/he will provide policy, strategic, technical, programming and budgetary guidance to USAID/Bangladesh, GOB counterparts, and USAID’s implementing partners. S/he will work within the OPHN team and with its implementing and donor partners to ensure that maximum program synergies and targeted results are achieved.
A. Family Planning Advising: S/he will: • Serve as a high level Family Planning advisor to USAID/Bangladesh’s mission management and the Office of Population, Health and Nutrition. • Provide technical, programmatic and results-oriented leadership in all aspects of USAID/Bangladesh’s FPRH programs. • Play a lead role in developing OPHN’s five-year strategic vision in FP/RH, a vision which should reflect opportunities for integration with MNH, scale-up of evidence-based interventions, sustainability and impact on maternal and neonatal mortality and family planning use. • Liaise and coordinate with the GOB, donors, USG agencies, and international and local partners, playing a highly proactive role in repositioning family planning as a preventive health and a socioeconomic development intervention. • Undertake technical reviews of implementing partners’ annual work plans to identify opportunities for application of evidence-based best practices and partner synergies and to avoid duplication of effort.
B. Technical Leadership: As the Mission’s technical expert on FPRH and on BCC, s/he will: • Plan and lead an innovative, sustainable FP/RH-MNH behavior change communication strategy, focused in selected low-performing regions, which includes coordination of inputs and resources of key USAID, GOB and non-USAID partners and identifies synergies and opportunities to achieve impact. • Plan and lead the scaling-up of a FP/RH service delivery strategy to increase access and use in selected low-performing regions focused on applying evidence-based best practices, which includes coordination of inputs and resources of key USAID, GOB and non-USAID partners and identifies synergies and opportunities to achieve impact. • Collaborate with key USAID partners to develop and scale-up in selected low-performing regions a sustainable, integrated, community-based postpartum service delivery model that includes evidence-based messages for improved health of the mother, newborn and infant. • Identify and implement strategies to advance understanding of the value and use of long-acting and permanent methods, especially for women who wish to use family planning to delay their first pregnancy, and/or space their next pregnancy at least two years after a live birth or limit future pregnancies. • Stay current with and review literature and ongoing research activities related to FP and BCC trends. • Liaise regularly with USAID/Washington, Bureau for Global Health colleagues to share lessons and technical information and to apply lessons learned from research and evidence-based best practices in USAID/Bangladesh programs.
C. Programming: S/he will: • Develop strategies and detailed implementation plans for FP/RH and BCC elements under USAID/Bangladesh’s Operational Plan. • Maintain a working knowledge of FP/RH epidemiology and trends and needs. • Work with government officials at all levels to reposition family planning as a preventive health intervention; bring Bangladesh and other data to decision makers on pregnancy delay, spacing and limiting and improved health outcomes, to increase commitment to FP/RH. • Ensure the development of evaluation plans and use of evaluation findings; prepare the FP/RH sections of the Mission’s annual reports. • Work with USAID staff to monitor USAID-funded and non USAID- funded Bangladesh research related to family planning use and behavior change communication. • Through training, mentoring and rigorous monitoring, lead the Mission’s efforts on Family Planning Legislative and Policy Requirements to ensure that FP/RH programs are compliant with relevant and applicable US government FP/RH statutes and regulations. • Fulfill FP/RH related reporting requirements, including periodic updates of the health and population situation in Bangladesh (with the U.S. Embassy); prepare other briefing documents as required.
NOTES: US Residents Only. Employer will assist with relocation costs.
Additional Salary Information: Salary will be based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs.
Requirements
• Master’s degree in public health, reproductive health, social science or other field related to international development • Specialized training in behavioral science/health education preferred • Minimum ten years’ of progressively responsible experience working for an international development or public health organization, with at least three years’ field experience in a developing country context supporting development programs • Demonstrated broad technical knowledge and experience in results-oriented family planning and reproductive health program planning and implementation required • Demonstrated broad technical knowledge and experience in planning, designing, implementing and evaluating behavior change communication programs required • Experience having worked in or with a USAID mission desirable, as well as experience working at the national level with high level officials in a developing country • Ability to independently plan, prioritize, and carry out activities successfully • A high degree of judgment and problems solving skills • Ability to travel regularly to program field sites within Bangladesh and overseas • English fluency required • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work within a team and in a multi-cultural setting required • US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency required • Ability to obtain medical clearance to live and work in Bangladesh
TO APPLY: The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package. Visit the Recruitment section of our website at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/.
All candidates are required to apply through GHFP’s online recruitment system, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All online applications must be submitted by March 1, 2009.
We are proud to be an affirmative action employer.
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