Regional Program Manager, Amref West Africa Hub At Amref Health Africa

Overview on the Amref Global Health Security Programme

Sub Saharan Africa is experiencing a significant double burden of both communicable d iseases such as tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria which remain the leading causes of mortality and morbidity and non-communicable diseases primarily cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, mental disorders and cancers1.

The African continent continues to face increased threat to Public Health Emergencies including the most recent COVID-19 pandemic which has had a negative impact on the existing public health infrastructure and social economic status of populations in sub Saharan Africa. Public Health Emergencies triggered by population growth and movement, environmental changes and occurrence of zoonotic diseases result in increased demand for diagnostics, care and treatment equipment and supplies, and further exacerbate the strain on limited healthcare professionals needed for care and treatment, disease surveillance and testing

Global Health Security seeks to build strong and resilient public health systems to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, wherever they occur. The Amref GHS Programme coordinated from Nairobi Kenya strengthens capacity of health systems to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging disease threats in the sub Saharan region. To address the increased threat to disease outbreaks, the programme is complementing the efforts of regional partners such as the Africa CDC, national players through the Ministries of Health and other strategic partners to protect lives and livelihoods of people in sub Saharan Africa.

Job Summary

The Manager will be responsible for the overall leadership, management and strategic direction of the SLL programme and will lead multi country teams to achieve the goals of the SLL initiatives housed under this programme for the West African region. This involves the strategic leadership and oversight in design and execution of multi-country SLL programmes, partnerships and programme growth, knowledge management and learning to strengthen SLL in the West Africa region. The role will be based in Dakar, Senegal.

Job Responsibilities

Delivery (60%)

• Lead in the development and design of cutting edge SLL programming strategies and investments in consultation with the Amref leadership, Amref country programmes, and business development unit.
• Provide oversight and technical input in implementation and review of multi-country programmes under the SLL Programme.
• Ensure timely review of multi-country programmes and technical and financial reporting in accordance with donor specific requirements and in compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
• Provide technical input and oversight in development of strategic SLL knowledge products and promote continuous learning to improve SLL efforts across the West Africa Region.
• Provide targeted technical assistance aligned to global, regional, national policy guidelines to country teams implementing SLL programmes.
• Provide technical guidance in Monitoring, Evaluation and
• Learning (MEAL), and evidence generation across countries to inform SLL strategic priorities, continuous quality improvement and development of knowledge products.

Strategic Direction and Leadership (10%)

• Continuously identify, assess, and inform Public Health Emergency priorities in the West Africa region in collaboration with global, regional and national public health stakeholders and in alignment with global standards and regulations such as International Health Regulations and country public health institutes.
• Provide strategic leadership and technical guidance to in- country stakeholders in West Africa for continued alignment to the SLL programme ambition.
• Provide technical input in growth of the SLL programme portfolio and overall management of health initiatives in the West Africa region, advocacy, quality improvement, Knowledge Management, and MEAL.
• Thought Leadership in SLL through written KM products and participation in learning forums.
• Work closely with health policy and advocacy teams to generate evidence that informs SLL priorities in SSA
• Work closely with KM product development team to document promising practices and models to promote learning and responsive programming.

Partnerships Development and programme growth (20%)

• Establish and maintain relations with donors, strategic regional partners such as the African Union, Africa CDC, APHRC, health desks of regional blocks such as the ECOWAS, EAC, SADC as well as national governments, ministries of health, research and policy institutions across West Africa to facilitate collaboration on SLL.
• Develop and sustain partnerships with international, regional and local technical partners to enhance programme development and service delivery.
• Participate in relevant global and regional working groups and committees to position Amref as a key stakeholder in the SLL agenda
• Work closely with Amref country teams for continued alignment on the SLL agenda across Amref.

Human Resources Planning and Management (10%)

• In consultation with Amref country offices and regional partners, determine staffing requirements for successful implementation of regional SLL programmes.
• In consultation with the HR department, lead in review of staff capacities including annual performance appraisals to effectively contribute to the vision of the Amref SLL programme.
• Identify staff development needs and provide coaching and mentoring, as well as link to training and development opportunities, to spur performance.
• Drive the Amref staff culture initiatives to enhance collaboration across the organization.

Required Qualifications and experience

• Advanced degree in Public Health or related field.
• Solid experience leading diverse teams and preferably managing a regional hub.
• Eight (8) years relevant work experience in management of national and regional health programmes
• Demonstrated experience of contributing to national/international public health emergency discourse to influence public health programming.
• Experience and strong reputation working with or liaising with government institutions and multilateral organizations and institutions would be an advantage.
• Demonstrated leadership showing strategic thinking in design and execution of projects, including steering work planning, managing and mentoring colleagues, and overseeing compliant and cost-effective use of resources to deliver on objectives.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of current issues in UHC, Public Health emergencies and GHS.
• Project management skills.
• Strong skills in process facilitation and stakeholder management across diverse groups, including government and development partners.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience working with cross cultural teams.
• Fluency in English including excellent written and verbal communication skills, report writing and presentation skills.