Job Announcement – Health Project Officer

Title:                                                                     Health Project Officer

Div/Dept:                                                            Project

Location:                                                             Based in Dili, with frequent travel to Liquica              District

Reporting relationship:                                   Program Manager

Estimated start date:                                        July 2017

Summary of the position

The Health Project Officer will oversee the implementation of ChildFund Timor-Leste’s new Maternal and Child Health (MCH) grant project in Liquica District (Health in the Hands of the People: A Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health Project in the district of Liquica, Timor-Leste). This project will be implemented in cooperation with two local partners, Fundasaun Alola and Institutu Nacional da Saude (INS, National Health Institute). This three-year project starts in July 2017, with funding approved on an annual basis.

The Project Officer should have experience managing health projects, and in networking and collaboration with government and non-government stakeholders, as well as strong report writing and communication skills. A basic understanding of maternal and child health issues in Timor-Leste is an advantage.

Background

The overall goal of the Health in the Hands of the People project is to improve MCH among mothers, youth, and children in Liquica District. The project has three main objectives:

1. To enhance community awareness and demand for effective MCH services including pre-natal care, assisted birth delivery, postnatal care, and health positive breastfeeding and infant/child nutrition.
2. To improve the capacity of District and Community health staff and community health volunteers (CHVs) to provide advice, support, and care of pregnant women and infants across the peri-natal period.
3. To increase youth awareness of Sexual and Reproductive Health and healthy decision-making.

To achieve this, the project will work with local partners to ensure that caregivers are aware of effective infant/child and maternal health and nutrition needs, to strengthen the capacity of existing health service providers, and improve the infrastructure and quality of health service delivery to the community. The project also aims to build youth awareness of reproductive health issues and facilitate healthy decision-making on issues affecting their reproductive health, relationships, and self-esteem.

Major duties and responsibilities

1. Take the lead in project management, including coordination of implementing partners, community-based participants, and government stakeholders.

• Where required, provide technical assistance to partner staff in implementing project activities.
• Monitor project progress in terms of achieving targeted outputs, assess program effectiveness, and recommend program modification.
• Serve as liaison between project partners and ChildFund Timor-Leste on project performance and quality improvement of the health project based on findings from monitoring visits.
• Monitor and evaluate the project to ensure high quality programming in terms of outcomes and impact.
• Assist Program Manager with preparation of quarterly and annual reporting of project progress.
• Work with ChildFund Timor-Leste Programs team to document best practices, lessons learned, and challenges of health projects to meet donor and ChildFund requirements.
• Assist the Program Manager as requested in resource mobilization: concept development and proposal writing for new health grants.
• Represent ChildFund Timor-Leste in meetings with government bodies, NGOs/partners, and networks of key stakeholders related to health programming.

• Assist in surveys and data analysis to monitor and evaluate the project.
• Participate in regular coordination meetings with ChildFund Timor-Leste staff, in-service training, and continuing education programs as required.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Program Manager or the Country Director

Qualifications and experience

The following knowledge, skills, and abilities may be acquired through a combination of formal schooling, self-education, prior experience, or on-the-job training.  Essential qualifications and experience include:

The candidate must hold a University Degree or Higher Diploma in Health or health related courses; a postgraduate degree (MPH, MSc) in health-related field will be an advantage.

• 3+ years’ experience in working in the human service or social services and/or with a non-profit agency, preferably a community-based organization; previous work with MoH is an advantage
• Report writing skill is required. Training in Public Health is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in community health issues is required, especially Maternal and Child Health.
• Computer proficiency in general office software applications (i.e. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
• Demonstrated experience with the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of programs
• High level written and oral communication skills in both Tetun and English
• Good oral/written communication and organizational skills
• Must be able to travel to the program locations in the field, i.e., Liquica District.

  Method of application

  All interested candidates should submit a cover letter in English describing their suitability following the above required qualifications and experiences. The candidate should include a recent CV and names of three traceable referees with their contact details. All applications should be addressed to Human Resources Officer, ChildFund Timor-Leste, Rua Governador Lacerda de Maia, Vila Verde, Dili or email to [email protected] and [email protected]. All applications must be received by ChildFund not later than 23 June 2017. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. 

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