Consultant, Vouchers for Safe Water Pilot At Evidence Action

Context

Evidence Action aims to launch a Vouchers for Safe Water Pilot in Nimba County, Liberia to provide free chlorine to households through a voucher scheme that is operated at the health facility level.

The premise of the programme is to distribute a booklet of vouchers to pregnant women and women with children under the age of 5 at health facilities and antenatal care (ANC) clinics. Once the booklet has been distributed, the target group can then redeem their voucher once a month at a health facility or ANC clinic and receive a free bottle of liquid chlorine, which they can use to treat their water at home prior to consumption.

The Vouchers for Safe Water Pilot (VSW) has three goals:

• Assess whether we can feasibly and cost-effectively implement the VSW programme at scale and increase chlorination rates among the target population (i.e households with a child under 5 or a pregnant woman)
• Identify areas where the programme implementation model can be improved for greater efficiency, impact, and cost-effectiveness
• Obtain transferable knowledge to supplement pathways to scale in different countries/contexts

The pilot will run for six months, and Evidence Action is seeking to hire a consultant to serve as the County Coordinator for the programme. This role will span 8 to 9 months, covering pre-pilot, pilot, and post-pilot activities.

Job purpose

This position plays a key role in providing technical support and coordination of different stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Vouchers for Safe Water Pilot in Nimba County, Liberia.

Working closely with the Manager, New Programme Development, as well as the Liberia Country Team, S/He will ensure effective planning, coordination, execution and monitoring of programme activities for the duration of the pilot.

Reporting to the Manager, New Programme Development, the consultant will be a highly motivated and flexible individual who applies initiative and is a detail-oriented problem solver. S/He will demonstrate strong technical knowledge as well as programme management and interpersonal skills in coordinating pilot activities and liaising with several government and non-government stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

Quality Program Implementation

• Collaborate with the Manager of New Programme Development to ensure the high-quality implementation of the Vouchers for Safe Water Pilot, adhering to agreed timelines.
• Maintain meticulous attention to detail to ensure all pilot milestones, such as training, enrollment, data collection, delivery of programme materials, and the organization of national and county-level meetings, are completed on schedule.

Stakeholder Coordination and Management

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with County and National Government departments and agencies (WASH Commission, Family Health Division of Ministry of Health, Nimba County and District Health teams, etc.) and other relevant stakeholders for smooth coordination and implementation of pilot activities.
• Organise and coordinate meetings with national and county-level stakeholders on a regular basis, as determined by pilot timelines.
• Support Evidence Action, national and county-level stakeholders in problem-solving and mitigating risks as they arise during the course of the pilot.

Technical Assistance

• Provide technical assistance to County and health facility staff in executing their duties, including developing delivery and training schedules and activity plans.
• Support the comprehensive training of Master Trainers from the County Health Team.
• Supervise on-site health facility training conducted by Master Trainers, ensuring it is completed within stipulated time frames.

Supply Chain Management

• Support the County Health Team in conducting the last-mile delivery of chlorine to health facilities selected for the pilot.
• Oversee the planning and execution of the last-mile delivery of all pilot materials to relevant destinations and ensure adequate tracking of commodities.
• Review stock cards recorded by health facilities as well as the master stock card held by the County Pharmacist.

Behavioural Change Communication

• Oversee the planning and execution of the pilot’s Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) strategy and activities.

Budget Support

• Support the management, tracking, and recording of all disbursements, including allowances, transportation reimbursements, DSA’s, and wages related to pilot activities.
• Ensure all Evidence Action policies are followed related to any financial activities that are conducted

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Oversee the enrollment of participants for the duration of the pilot.
• Conduct spot check visits to health facilities to assess implementation challenges and ensure pilot processes and Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols are adhered to.
• Organize and supervise casual labourers conducting spot check visits to capture data on redemption rates and chlorine stock levels at health facilities.
• Collaborate with and support the monitoring, learning and evaluation (MLE) team in all rounds of data collection, including the Expanded Spot Check Survey, Spot Check Survey, and Baseline, Midline, and Endline surveys.

Reporting

• Record detailed notes, action items, and learnings from all meetings held with pilot actors and submit them to the Manager of New Programme Development.
• Provide weekly reports and updates on pilot deliverables, milestones, challenges, and results to the Manager of New Programme Development.
• Conduct daily check-ins with the Manager of New Programme Development.
• Share updates on implementation challenges as they arise with the Country team and the Manager of New Programme Development.

Key Performance Indicators

Effective stakeholder coordination, programme implementation, supply chain management, team oversight, budget management, reporting, training and knowledge transfer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or Masters in Medicine, Public Health, International Development or Community Development with 5+ years’ work experience in the management and implementation of Health or WASH interventions
• Demonstrated experience of monitoring and evaluation processes and activities is a requirement.
• Experience working on interventions implemented at the health facility level is a great asset.
• Strong project and stakeholder management skills with high dedication to excellence and can complete tasks with minimal supervision
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to multi-task and collaborate with different teams effectively
• A detail-oriented problem solver who applies initiative communicates effectively and maintains a “BIG PICTURE” mindset.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to identify solutions to implementation challenges and act on opportunities for improvement of the pilot
• Strong communication skills and a team player eager to work on a dynamic and fast-paced project
• Experience working with a diverse team across multiple projects
• Alignment with Evidence Action core values

Working conditions

• The position is based in Saniquelle, Nimba County Liberia (relocation will not be provided.)
• This position will require frequent travel to rural healthcare facilities across Nimba County.
• This position is designated for a duration of 8 to 9 months and does not guarantee full-time employment.
• As such, this position does not include benefits. More information will be provided during the interview process.

Physical requirements

• None

Direct reports

• None