COVID-19 Response and Partnerships Technical Advisor

Position description

USAID/Mali, through GH-TAMS, is seeking public health candidates to serve as COVID-19 Response and Partnerships Technical Advisor. The consultancy is six-months in duration with a possible extension and will be based in Mali (a possible hybrid arrangement of primarily in-country support and some remote might be possible but will need USAID confirmation).  Start date is approximately first week of July.  

Background 

USAID has supported health programs in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Development for over 60 years. USAID/Mali’s sizable Health program aims to increase Malians’ ability to manage their health system and their own health, from the individual to the national level, with activities focused on maternal and child health, malaria, family planning, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and emerging pandemic threats. 

Mali’s U.S. Government  bilateral assistance includes FY2021 $9M PEPFAR program, $24M PMI program and one of the Agency's largest MNCH programs ($22M). Health systems strengthening investments include laboratory strengthening; routine surveillance; HMIS; and supply chain procurement, logistics and management. Global Health Security human and animal health programming includes IPC; field epidemiology and rapid response training; laboratory biosafety and biosecurity and events-based surveillance. USG's COVID-19 programming includes risk communication and community engagement; COVID-19 prevention, testing and contact tracing support; vaccine preparedness and delivery, including information and logistics systems strengthening; and oxygen landscape mapping and planning technical assistance. Some components of the USG program cover all of Mali (ex. supply chain), most programming is in the center and south.

Mali's Global Fund C19RM Fast Track and Full Funding Requests total 37,313,389 EUR or $42,163,682 USD. The Fast Track Request funds disinfectants and PPE, COVID Diagnostic Tests (PCR & Ag RDTs), COVID-19 prevention and treatment medicines, and Oxygen therapy and supportive hospital equipment including liquid oxygen, consumables, and equipment. The Full Funding Request funds IPC, testing, waste management, case management, oxygen, facility operations, treatment, lab strengthening and consumables, and pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical stock procurement, warehousing, and logistics. Mali's C19RM grant also reinforces the COVID-19 national response with urgent improvements to health and community systems and to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on HIV, TB and malaria programs. The C19RM grant also funds programming for victims of Gender Based Violence and Human Rights abuses.

Mali's $42,163,682 USD Global Fund C19RM grant is implemented by three Primary Recipients: the Government of Mali, Catholic Relief Services, and a local NGO, L’Association de Recherche de Communication et d’Accompagnement à Domicile de personnes Vivant avec le VIH (ARCAD-SIDA). The GoM is directly responsible for the largest portion of the grant (over 80%), followed by CRS (approx. 11%) and ARCAD-SIDA. The capacity of Mali's Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism and oversight bodies is weak and in need of significant technical assistance to ensure funds available are used optimally for both emergency-use now and the ongoing development of systems that will enable countries to respond rapidly and more effectively to future pandemics. 

The COVID-19 Response and Partnerships Technical Advisor will provide coordination, management, and technical support to USAID/Mali’s GHSA and COVID-19 prevention and response program and support the USAID/Mali Health team to facilitate USG, Global Fund, COVAX, World Bank, and other bilateral/multilateral donor coordination and planning to maximize the leverage and impact of all available USG COVID-19 investments.


Role and Responsibilities 

The consultant will serve as a Senior level COVID-19 Response and Partnerships Technical Advisor to work with the USAID/Mali GHSA/ COVID-19 team in the Health Office for six months (possibly twelve if extended). The Advisor will provide coordination, management, and technical  support to USAID/Mali’s GHSA and COVID-19 prevention and response program, and also facilitate USG, Global Fund, COVAX, World Bank, and other bilateral/multilateral donor coordination and planning to maximize the leverage and impact of all available USG COVID-19  investments.

• Provide USAID/Mali with GHSA and COVID-19 technical expertise and with proactive Global Fund and bilateral/multilateral donor coordination to leverage and optimize all investments intended to save lives now and prepare Mali for the next pandemic.  
• Advise on and implement USAID Mali’s Health Office’s strategies for improving GHSA and COVID-19 USG, Global Fund and other bilateral/multilateral donor coordination;
• Establish new and maintain existing relationships with Mali’s transition government and bilateral and multilateral donors (working and high level) on global health security and COVID-19 planning and implementation;
• Convene donors and Mali’s transition government to advance coordinated joint action on priority and emerging issues of importance to saving lives now and building back better;
• Facilitate USAID and USG GHSA and COVID-19 donor coordination record keeping and reporting, including bi-weekly briefers for Health Office and Mission leadership, varied landscape analyses, and topical cables;
• Support the high-quality and timely implementation of Global Funds C19RM grant;
• Ensue strong coordination and synergy between the USG malaria, Community Services (including PEPFAR), and Health Systems Strengthening teams and all GF grants;
• Proactively liaise with the primary GHSA and COVID-19 donor partners and facilitate  iterative impact analyses and program planning and financing working sessions for timely course corrections;
• Support and increase Mali’s transition government’s leadership and visibility in coordinating multiple donors, state and non-state actors in the execution of the National COVID-19 Response Plan;
• Support the institutional strengthening and capacity of the Ministry of Health’s National Institute of Public Health’s Emergency Operations Center; 
• Support USAID/Mali in COVID-19 briefers, fact sheets, memos, taskers and public relations documents;
• Contribute to required COVID-19 planning and reporting documents;
• Review work plans, coordinate with CO/AOs, COR/AORs, and implementing partners, and engage in quality oversight on COVID-19 activities; and
• Provide regular verbal and written reports and advisement to Mission leadership on COVID-19 interventions and monitor COVID-19 trends in Mali and participate in Office leadership discussion on COVID-19 activities.
• Support other USAID/Mali Health Office and COVID-19 / GHSA  priorities as needed including:
• Support  for USAID/Mali COVID-19 supported vaccine roll-out activities; 
• Support epidemiology and infectious disease outbreak response systems strengthening; 
• Support Global Fund procurement and grant management (examples: oversee oxygen supply and usage interventions; advance community and events based surveillance; strengthen real-time digitized COVID-19 and pandemic detection and response information systems); 
• Advise on health systems strengthening portfolio; and
• Contribute to MEL activities. 

Qualifications

• Master’s or advanced degree in public health, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience designing and implementing health sector programs in developing countries, preferably in the areas of infectious disease prevention, response and monitoring. 
• Demonstrated experience working constructively with high-level officials, donors, or political leaders in developing country contexts.
• Experience supporting partner governments to, or directly leading or facilitating, coordination across multilateral and bilateral donor coordination in strategic, programmatic, and financial planning and execution.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship and partnership building. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including experience successfully interacting with host government officials, multilateral organizations, international NGOs, implementing partners, and other stakeholders in a multicultural team environment. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills- fluent in both French and English- including message development, advocacy, diplomatic communications, developing and delivering presentations/briefings, report-writing, and analysis.
• Excellent organizational skills, a track record of rapid start-up, and the ability to keep to a timeline, and work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment..
• Previous experience working with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS is highly desired.

Application instructions

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