This is a local position. Candidates must have legal authorization to live and work in Lesotho.
The Technical Support Services (TSS) Activity helps USAID/South Africa and Regional Health Office (RHO) to address technical priorities and develop creative, innovative solutions to strategically allocate resources, strengthen connections with partners, and replicate best practices and effective program models. Through the TSS contract, Panagora Group augments capacity by providing technical, operational, and administrative support to USAID’s largest health portfolio. TSS deploys advisors in response to USAID requests for priority work with government stakeholders, implementing partners, and/or other entities. TSS supports Health Office staff and teams to integrate creative solutions into routine work. TSS also provides international and local expertise for surge support, as needed, for USAID Program Cycle requirements, planning, development, outreach, communications, and Health Office human resource functions.
The COVID-19 Program Knowledge Management Specialist (KMS) provides essential support to the USAID Health Office in Lesotho in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the COVID-19 KMS supports the Health Office with the management of all documents, files and other materials related to the implementation and management of COVID-19 activities. The COVID-19 KMS’s tasks may include providing support to staff involved with activity/project design, budgeting, compliance, and monitoring and evaluation, and reporting. The KMS will support the Health Office’s response to requests for information, memos, briefers, among other duties. The COVID-19 KMS may be assigned to support other COVID-19 staff, such as the COVID-19 Coordinator, the Communications Advisor and/or the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) / Strategic Information Advisor.
Requirements
- Master’s degree or local equivalent from an accredited program in Public Health, International Development, Health, Social or Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Biology, Infectious Disease, Medicine, Pharmacy, or Pandemic Threats or Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of relevant public health program management experience.
- A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of public health programming in developing or middle-income countries, with a focus on pandemic threats or infectious diseases or related public health field.
- Level IV fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested. Fluency in Sesotho strongly preferred but not required.
- Knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to managing outbreak response activities and vaccines in the host country, and the problems and policies of the host country from the business, political, civil society, and social perspectives.
- Understand the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of the host country and the region; development problems in the outbreak management sector in the host country and the region; an understanding of the resources, resource constraints, and overall development prospects and priorities of the host country and the region; and, knowledge of USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to health and outbreak response activities, of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities.
- Strong skills in communication, advocacy and networking.
- They must have strong conceptual and analytical skills to be able to quickly grasp and translate new concepts into operational plans and results.
- Exercise flexibility to be able to accept and react to evolving planning and implementation contexts.
- Excellent computer skills including skills with Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing.
- Ability to exercise individual judgement in their roles.
- Offer leadership in reviewing the progress of programs and projects under their responsibility, including performance reports, pipeline management, program implementation reviews, as well as fulfilling other USAID and USG reporting requirements.
- Demonstrate timely decision-making ability and extensive judgment in planning and carrying out tasks, using diplomacy and tact.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Manage and establish systems for the management of all documents, files and other materials related to the implementation and management of COVID-19 activities.
- Support Health staff, including C/AORs and Activity Managers, with document management for activity/project design, budgeting, compliance, and monitoring and evaluation, and reporting.
- Support the Health Office’s response to requests for information, memos, briefers and taskers.
- Support the Health Office and Mission with all reporting documents, progress reports, and other reporting requirements and ad hoc requests for information.
- Support other COVID-19 staff, such as the COVID-19 Coordinator, the Communications Advisor and/or the M&E / Strategic Information Advisor with duties and functions, as requested.
- Support the preparation of materials and logistics for in person or virtual meetings, conferences, training events, VIP visits, launches of project activities, or other events to ensure events run smoothly.
- Support the drafting and/or editing of briefing checklists, speeches, talking points, blogs, social media posts, success stories, press releases and other communications materials as needed by the mission.
- Maintain a repository of COVID-19 publications, fact sheets, and briefers.
- Provide mentorship to interns, as needed
USAID Health Office Lesotho
No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted. Only applicants who include the required application components will be considered.
Panagora Group is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
*Note: Panagora does not offer visa sponsorship at this time.