Technical Lead-Health/ASRH at Plan International (Geita, Tanzania)

Technical Lead-Health/ASRH, Geita, Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan has over 80 years’ experience and works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.

Plan International has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our work supports marginalised children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realising their rights. We prioritise working with partners, and ensuring all of our work is evidence based

The Keeping Adolescent Girls in School (KAGIS) project is a 5-year Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) funded project, aiming at addressing key barriers inhibiting adolescent girls from realizing their right to safe, quality and gender-responsive education, with a particular focus on their unique needs and barriers associated with participation in primary and lower-secondary school. The project’s Ultimate Outcome, ‘Adolescent girls realize their rights to safe, quality, gender-responsive education’, will be achieved by employing a three-pronged, rights-based, gender-transformative approach to tackle demand- and supply-side barriers, while strengthening local level governance and building improved linkages between education, health and child protection systems

ROLE PURPOSE

The Technical Lead –ASRH, will serve as lead technical advisor for KAGIS project initiative focusing on the improvement of quality of sexual and reproductive health education and services for adolescents both in and out-of-school in North-western region of Tanzania. He/she will be responsible for the execution and lead in the development, implementation and monitoring of annual work-plans. The technical lead will also ensure ASRH related interventions are evidence-based and align with national and program reproductive health strategic approaches. She/he will unite the team around the learning agenda and documenting results to increase visibility and stimulating cross sector programming for adolescents. The Technical Lead combines strong program technical knowledge with exceptional project and team management skills and the ability to lead by influence. She/he will significantly contribute to Plan International Tanzania’s growing ASRH portfolio through the development of innovative solutions for strengthening ASRHR education and services provision in the project districts.

Dimensions of the Role

•  The post holder leads program design, planning and implementation to ensure ASRH and overall interventions are of high quality, gender transformative and inclusive of children with disabilities.
•  Analyse and assess the relevant political, social and economic trends and provides substantive inputs to project implementation and joint monitoring
•  Implement the project’s ASRH strategy with clear targets
•  Support inter alia the establishment or strengthening of ASRH centres within the framework of government.
•  Assist in the organization of specific activities of the ASRH centres such as out-reach and awareness rising, training of peer educators, health providers and life skills development etc.
•  Provide support to the development and or adaptation of IEC/BCC materials on ASRH, applying a youth participation approach, and monitor effective utilization of these publications in the ASRH centres;
•  Organize workshops and training programs on youth and reproductive health, HIV prevention and general health issues of direct concern to youth and adolescents as stated in the project documents and work plans;
•  Conduct regular supervision and monitoring visits to project sites to ensure smooth implementation of project ASRH activities;
•  Identify and coordinate ASRH national responses in terms of policy needs, resource needs and management need particularly at national level and in the project areas;
•  Provide oversight to local implementing partners, and also work closely with the field offices team, as well as the program director,
•  Ensure local implementing partners is informed and execute project activities aligning to the existing national ASRH strategies and guidelines
•  Ensure all ASRH plans and activities in the project are properly coordinated with the local implementing partners,
•  Lead and coordinate the implementation of ASRH activities in the project areas in close collaboration with the implementing partners and Gender and Inclusion Advisor
•  Ensure conduct of quality trainings on ASRH to targeted health providers and partners towards improving the quality of health facility or outreach services to adolescents
•  Ensure conduct of quality training/orientation on ASRH for project staff and partners
•  Lead and coordinate the development and/ or adapting training materials and tools as necessary.
•  Work closely with the Head of Health and Nutrition to ensure that National Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health agendas

are integrated throughout project interventions

•  Emphasize the importance of normative change at implementation level in order to achieve project outcomes
•  In collaboration with the MERL team, ensure that quality quarterly reports and other documentation of ASRH interventions and activities are well written and submitted in a timely manner.
•  Work in partnership with MERL team in the development of Monitoring plan in line with KAGIS project indicators and Global Strategy Results
•  principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility.
•  Work closely with Project Coordinators/manager to support the design, management and implementation of the planned activities
•  Provide ongoing technical assistance to KAGIS team and implementing partners to ensure project standards are met
•  Performs other project related duties as assigned by the Project Director
•  Performs other SRH organizational duties as assigned by the head of Health and Nutrition

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Technical Leadership

•  Provide leadership in the design of the ASRH interventions for KAGIS project as prioritized in the project document and aligned with government and donor priorities;
•  Implement the project’s ASRH strategy and conduct training to build SRH capacities of staff and partners.
•  Work in partnership with the Head of Health and Nutrition and MERL to ensure that all project plans are complete with outcome level monitoring and evaluation plans; and in close collaboration with relevant government departments for project implementation
•  Ensure the integration of sustainable, approaches into all project activities as appropriate
•  Ensure timely development, review and submission of high-quality narrative reports to the Program Director (monthly, quarterly annual and final)
•  Support implementing partners in planning and implementation of ASRH activities;
•  Coordinate with project leadership and senior management to encourage a culture of learning within project staff.
•  Support planning for and oversight of external evaluations in partnership with program leadership.
•  Participate in the facilitation of project planning sessions, assisting team leaders in the development of their annual plans.

Project Monitoring and Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation

•  Oversee ASRH for all KAGIS related project activities;
•  In coordination with the Monitoring and Evaluation department, ensure that Project teams have access to and are appropriately using routine monitoring and periodic assessment;
•  Draft and/or review scopes of work to hire and manage technical consultants, including review for technical capacities and contract budgets;
•  Support and improve operational systems and structures to ensure effective administrative and logistics support for the project;
•  Liaise closely with the MERL team in the adaptation and use of high-quality project monitoring tools
•  Lead project team and Implementing partners in the capturing ongoing implementation learning
•  Support the project team to apply results-based monitoring and lessons learned to refine activities and implementation.

Strengthen Advocacy efforts and Partnership

•  Contribute to effective partnerships with government’s relevant departments at National, regional and district levels and networking to ensure influencing and close collaboration and ownership of project activities
•  Represent Plan International Tanzania in various ASRH forums, relevant platforms and technical groups at the regional and district levels
•  Work closely with advocacy and communications team in the development of ASRH evidence-based advocacy and influence
•  Provide expert-level guidance and direction to the implementing partners on the planning and implementation of ASRH evidence -based intervention in support of girl’s education

Information Management

•  Collaborate with project staff to translate project learning and results into accessible technical products for global and country stakeholders.
•  Encourage and facilitate the documentation of best practices and lessons learned in KAGIS project, to influence policy formation, deepen capacity, and foster partnerships;
•  Support to develop summative reporting documents for the project for advocacy and promotion of girls’ education;
•  Build and maintain relationships with external and internal partners to enhance their support in keeping girls in school.

Compliance to Global Policies

•  Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for safeguarding children and young people and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEIP) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring Plan and Partner’s staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures

Communications and Working Relationships:

Internal:

•  This position works closely with Programme Unit Manager (high)
•  This position works closely with the project coordinators within the project, program Director (high) and Project Coordinator (high)
•  This position work closely with other Head of Education, Child Protection, and Gender and Inclusion advisor (Medium)
•  This position works closely with their counterpart at Plan International Canada (medium)

External:

•  This position works closely with implementing partner organizations (medium)

Key relationships

•  Plan International Canada
•  Programme Unit and Country Office
•  Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children
•  Senior Head of Program Quality
•  Head of Child Protection, Education, Communications and Gender Advisor
•  Functional networks within Plan

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Required experience and Qualifications

•  University degree in Health-related field, Community Development, Social Sciences preferably with a special focus in Gender Studies. Master’s in Public Health will be an asset ;
•  A minimum of 5 years demonstrated working experience in managing ASRH and/or MNH interventions funded by international donors. Global Affairs Canada will be an added advantage;
•  Demonstrable experience in advocacy, especially around adolescent girls’ rights related issues
•  Demonstrated knowledge of the Tanzanian ASRHR system, key policies and strategies;
•  Proven success in designing, planning, implementing and evaluating ASRHR programs in Africa,
•  This position requires high computer literacy with a full knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
•  Experience with adaptive management and effective feedback loops to ensure the use of data in strategic and programmatic decision-making;
•  Experience in providing remote support or willingness to learn effective remote facilitation and support skills;
•  Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, concept papers and proposals including oral presentation skills;

Behaviours

•  Hardworking with capacity to work independently with minimum supervision
•  Honest, integrity, open and transparent personality.
•  respectful of all groups of people in the community and culturally sensitive
•  Motivated, energetic and strives to develop and support others
•  Result oriented and a team player
•  Adheres to and acts in accordance with Plan’s safeguarding children and young people and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) policies.

Desirable

•  Data-driven, detail-oriented, self-starter with excellent analytic skills
•  Strong program management, presentation, team-building and interpersonal skills
•  Advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills
•  Operate in a high-pressure deadline-driven environment with professionalism
•  Ability to multitask and work under pressure with minimal supervision
•  Managing project with strict reporting deadlines
•  Experience working with children and understanding their special needs.
•  Experience with rights-based approaches in project development and implementation.
•  Experience in civil society capacity building and partnership development
•  Experience managing staff, including demonstrated experience in staff training, coaching and mentoring.

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