MamaYe County Coordinator – Options Consultancy Services Limited

Organisation background
Options Consultancy Services Limited was established in 1992 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marie Stopes International. We are a consultancy organisation providing technical and management expertise in the health and social sectors to governments and international development partners to transform the health of women and children. We provide information, expertise and influence to governments, health workers, NGOs and businesses to catalyse change so that health services can be accessed by the people who need them most.
Programme background
Evidence for Action – Mama Ye (www.mamaye.org) (E4A-Mama Ye) is a programme managed by Options Consultancy Services and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve maternal and newborn survival through a combined focus on evidence, advocacy and accountability across seven sub-Saharan African countries.
Started in 2012, E4A-Mama Ye has used a combination of evidence and advocacy to drive accountability for maternal and newborn outcomes. E4A-Mama Ye acts as a catalyst for action, using evidence strategically to generate political commitment, strengthen accountability and improve planning and decision making at sub-national and national levels. Advocacy is driven forward under the Mama Ye brand, which is used to augment the visibility and profile of our reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) work and channel the collective energy and investments of other stakeholders committed to improving RMNCAH outcomes. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), E4A-Mama Ye is currently working in Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria, and has recently started operating in Kenya.
Main purpose of job
As the E4A-Mama Ye County Coordinator, Bungoma, you will provide technical support and manage the implementation of the advocacy and accountability activities outlined in the workplan. Through liaison with key partners at the County level and support to government mandated structures you will drive coordination, evidence generation, costing and joint advocacy.

You will:
• Improve the functionality of coordination and accountability mechanisms and strengthen existing structures;
• Support the analysis of data and development of evidence products to effectively communicate data from structures including the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Review (MPDSR) system, HMIS and other sources;
• Mobilise stakeholders (government, civil society, networks) to do targeted advocacy for delivery of RMNCAH (including FP and adolescent health) resource commitments in Kenya;
• Influence funding and policies for RMNCAH including FP access in Bungoma County.
Technical support will be provided to you by Options, specifically the Technical Support Unit, who will help ensure you have the international and national technical support necessary to deliver your objectives. You will report to the E4A-Mama Ye National Coordinator, and work in close coordination with Options’ sister programme, MANI – Maternal and Neonatal Health Improvement programme. You will be based in Bungoma within the MANI programme office.
Main duties
Technical support on RMNCH and co-ordination of technical inputs for Bungoma County
• Support coordination between the county government and partners through improved functioning of the Health Sector Country Coordinating and the County Health Forum;
• Support the county government and relevant partners in strengthening analysis of MPDSR data;
• Collaborate with the Technical Working Group (TWG) for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) to analyse evidence;
• Contribute to the analysis, costing and packaging of evidence to support advocacy and accountability efforts;
• Collaborate with stakeholders (i.e. including media, advocates, CSOs) committed to strengthening evidence, advocacy and accountability in Bungoma;
• Support and coordinate RNMCH advocacy strategies/activities in the County, including advocacy activities ahead of the election calling on politicians to increase resource allocation for health;
• Work in conjunction with relevant partners to build the MNH/ RH/ FP capacity of Kenyan journalists, opinion-formers and decision-makers in line with the E4A-MamYe Kenya workplan.
Delivery of E4A-Mama Ye workplan
• Lead implementation of the Bungoma County E4A-Mama Ye workplan, coordinating activities with MANI, and consultants (and engaging in trouble-shooting where necessary) to support the smooth implementation of the E4A-Mama Ye programme;
• Work with MANI staff to regularly review, respond to and engage in the political context, and planning and budgeting processes, to ensure the successful implementation of the E4A-Mama Ye workplan;
• Take responsibility for ensuring the workplan is delivered on time and to budget and track progress against indicators, in collaboration with the E4A-Mama Ye Technical Advisor;
• Ensure that Bungoma County work informs and reinforces Nairobi County and national level work, and responds to changes at the national level.
Other duties
• Contribute to the development of the Country E4A-Mama Ye workplan and strategy;
• Proactively identify and exploit opportunities for scaling up existing E4A-Mama Ye approaches that have proven to be successful;
• Provide technical input into the proposal development of the E4A-Mama Ye programme for a possible extension, using information about what has worked to date;
• Contribute to keeping the Mama Ye websites up to date with relevant evidence, new stories and blogs.
Person specification
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s in sociology, anthropology, social statistics or a related subject (E)
Postgraduate degree in public health or other relevant subject (D)
Experience:
Considerable experience in RNMCH program implementation at facility and community levels (E)
Significant experience of engagement with government at County level and/ or a background working within government (E)
Experience supporting accountability mechanisms and building and strengthening relationships with CSOs, particularly grassroots/ CBOs (E)
Experience in advocacy and in analysing and presenting data for use in decision-making, action, accountability and/ or advocacy (E)
Experience of packaging and communicating information for different audiences, and on different platforms (e.g. print/web/mobile/broadcast) (E)
Experience leading a team and achieving results in tight deadlines (D)

Skills and attributes:
Strong advocacy skills including the ability to mobilise partners and influence policy change (E)
Proven ability to engage and build relationships with technical and non-technical partners at multiple levels, to ensure high quality deliverables (E)
Strong understanding of government planning and budgeting cycles (E)
Knowledge of Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health (E)
Ability to plan and manage work in a highly organised way and with minimal external supervision (E)
Strong written/ verbal communication skills and effective interpersonal style (E)
M&E expertise (D)
Commitment to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and improving access to FP in Bungoma county (E)

Other requirements:
Commitment to equal opportunities (E)
Excellent command of oral and written English and Kiswahili (E)
Willingness to work full-time in Bungoma county (E)
Please find more information on our website: http://options.co.uk/jobs/e4a-mamaye-county-coordinator-bungoma

HOW TO APPLY:
Please send your cv and cover letter to recruitment@evidence4action.net with the job title in the description. Closing date: 30 April 2017

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