Job: Capacity Development Specialist

Location: Uganda
Description

Job Ref

13-043-PROP

Job Title

Capacity Development Specialist - Uganda

Job Type

Contract - Fixed Term

Location

Uganda

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Description

Pathfinder Overview

Pathfinder International is a global leader in sexual and reproductive health. We place reproductive health care at the center of all that we do—believing that it is not only a fundamental human right, but is critical for expanding life opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, and paving the way for transformations in environmental stewardship, decreases in population pressures, and innovations in poverty reduction. Pathfinder provides women, men, and adolescents with a range of quality health services—from contraception and maternal care to HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment. Pathfinder strives to strengthen access to family planning, ensure availability of safe abortion services and post-abortion care, advocate for sound reproductive health policies, and, through all of our work, improve the rights and lives of the people we serve.

Program Overview

Pathfinder is seeking a Capacity Development Specialist to provide strategic leadership, management and direction for the Advocacy for Better Health program in Uganda. The goal of the Advocacy for Better Health program is to contribute to improvement in quality, availability and accessibility of health services. The purpose of the program is to increase the citizens’ voice for quality service delivery. The program shall also facilitate community input in developing and delivering better services. It shall lay the foundation for increasing citizen participation in the health sector and foster cooperation among civil society actors on issues of common benefit which shall strengthen the sector over the long term.

Position Purpose

The Capacity Development Specialist provides strategic direction and overall technical leadership for all capacity building activities. S/he works closely with technical staff on the conceptualization, development, implementation, and evaluation of technical assistance, one-on-one mentoring, and small group training sessions in line with the overall program strategy. S/he will ensure that aid effectiveness is maximized and sustainable after program activities have ended.

Key Responsibilities

Development

• Participate in the overall program strategy development by integrating needs for institutional capacity building into program work plans and budget projections.
• Design capacity building strategies, including roll out plans and on-the-job systems and supervisory systems at the community levels
• Develop detailed training curricula for mentoring and training sessions, including participant support material and monitoring and evaluation components.
• Coordinate closely with the Technical Advisors to ensure that training curricula supports all program technical activities.

Implementation

• Provide hands-on technical support to strengthen capacity and resources from the national to local levels.
• Implement technical assistance in a manner that leads to adoption and sustainable use of tools and approaches by building client awareness of current gaps, achieving buy-in on the viability and need for appropriate tools or approaches, and training client staff on the use of these tools or approaches.
• Carry out and monitor strategies to identify and address technical gaps and health system vulnerabilities and ensure improved performance over the life of the Program.
• Develop practical and sustainable tools to strengthen health systems components including management and local level planning, supportive supervision, community-based referral networks, resource mobilization and allocation, budgeting and promoting the use of data for decision making and program enhancement.
• Travel throughout the region to supervise the implementation and ensure overall quality of all project training activities, including preparation and post-training follow-up.
• Identify potential trainers for roll out of training strategies. Facilitate training of trainer’s workshops, and other performance improvement interventions as needed.
• Monitor and evaluate capacity building activities in collaboration with the M&E Specialist.
• Lead the development of Standard Operating Procedure manuals.

Management

• Coordinate with the Finance and Grants Manager to ensure there is sufficient funding for all training activities.
• Develop reports and communications on capacity building activities as requested.
• Identify opportunities to expand the project’s impact and engagement of new clients.
• Ensure an up-to-date training database is maintained of all key stakeholders and participants.
• Provide direction and oversight for institutional capacity technical assistance and training.
• Initiate, establish and maintain collaborative relationships with government counterparts, implementing partner organizations, beneficiary communities and key stakeholders to ensure broad programmatic impact and results.
• Provide support to operationalize health policies, ensure client responsive services and optimal use of government and donor resources.
• Collaborate with host country government agencies including local governments, development partners, and civil society organizations including community based organizations to mobilize commitment and support.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief of Party.

Basic Requirements

• Masters’ degree or higher in Economics, Development Planning or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years demonstrated work experience and skills in Organizational Development.
• Experience of providing advisory services in the area of capacity development.
• Proven experience in development of interventions to improve quality, efficiency and sustainability of civil society and communities in Uganda or other regional countries.
• S/he must possess sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of others at both national and sub-national level.
• Demonstrated ability to design capacity building strategies based on clear needs identification and understanding of the operating context, and experience of working with CSOs, and with national or local governments.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical assistance, one-on-one mentoring, and small group training sessions.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in planning and program/project management for Government/donor initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience with USAID regulations, procedures and reporting requirements.
• Familiarity with public expenditure management and accountability.
• Ability to address rights (women, children, youth and other vulnerable groups) in the design/delivery of influencing work.
• Excellent representational and communication skills, written and oral proficiency in English, and verbal communication skills in one or more local languages.
• Ability to travel throughout Uganda; occasional travel to the US Headquarters may also be necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience as well as comprehensive knowledge of the heath context and structural issues in Uganda including socioeconomic, institutional and policy issues that are related to essential services in population preferred.

Please Note: This position is contingent upon project award and funding.
Pathfinder International is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

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