Health Systems Strengthening Activity Manager at MCA Lesotho II

March 7, 2024

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Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Activity Manager – Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Lesotho II

About MCA

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. government corporation focused on assisting countries dedicated to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in people. In May 2022, MCC signed a five-year agreement (“Compact”) with the Government of Lesotho (GoL) aimed at poverty reduction through inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country.

The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) – Lesotho II, is an entity established by the Government to act as the accountable entity to implement the Compact, with the authority to bind the Government with regard to all program activities.

Lesotho Compact

The Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact aims to benefit 2.5 million people by growing, strengthening, and organizing the private sector in Lesotho and improving the government’s coordination to deliver critical services necessary to support private sector development.

It will achieve this goal through investments in Health System Strengthening (HSS), strengthening of the business environment and Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture (MDIH), providing sustainable income for smallholders and increasing climate resilience by replacing rain-fed subsistence farming with irrigated commercial horticulture in select locations.

The GoL is committed to passing several key reforms that will help make this compact successful, including reforms that address gender equality, working conditions and worker safety, as well as land and water rights. All of the Compact’s projects focus on overcoming barriers to the economic inclusion of women, youth, and the rural poor.

Health System Strengthening (HSS) Project

The objective of the HSS Project is to improve health outcomes by strengthening Lesotho’s primary health care system. This $75 million project will improve primary healthcare services, including gender-based violence services, expand health financial systems and management capacity, and invest in digital health management services.

MCC will create and staff an MCA in Lesotho to provide management oversight to its Health System Strengthening (HSS) Project within the Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact, which will run from 2024-2029.

Position Objective

Under the supervision of the Director, Health Systems Strengthening, the HSS Activity Manager is accountable for the successful implementation of health system reform activities related to organizational structure, financial management, decision-making authority, efficient deployment of human resources, performance management, asset management, etc., from initiation to execution and completion. The HSS Activity Manageris responsible to build collaborative relationships with project stakeholders, partners, and will oversee project budgets, contracts, and grants. The Activity Manager ensures the alignment of activity execution with the overall HSS project objectives and the judicious management of its resources. The ActivityManager has responsibility for monitoring, tracking and reporting on the progress of all health management, organizational and financial system strengthening activities undertaken, and the related contractors or grantees.

Primary Responsibilities

Provide technical advice and guidance, as well as monitor and manage DHMT and other system reform training, delivery and system strengthening progress and activities to ensure achievement of sustainable results in collaboration with all assigned contractors or grantees.
Provide technical advice and guidance, as well as monitor and manage Public Finance Management (PFM) and Health Financing component training, delivery and system strengthening progress and activities to ensure achievement of sustainable results in collaboration with all assigned contractors or grantees.
Recommend remedial approaches to better advance and sustain project quality and impact, based upon assessments of project progress
Assess the quality of deliverables for all assigned contracts or grants and recommend them for approval or remediation.
Provide guidance and feedback to contractor(s) for development of all workplans and M&E frameworks. Recommend for approval all workplans and M&E frameworks for assigned contracts or grants.
Based upon financial analyses, track (in collaboration with MCA procurement and finance officer(s) financial reporting for assigned contracts or grants and recommend for approval all invoices.
Participates and provide guidance and feedback to contractor(s) for development of all workplans and M&E frameworks in coordination with the HSS Director and other team co-workers. Recommend for approval all workplans and M&E frameworks for assigned contracts or grants.
Actively participates and ensure all required reports are completed on time and to a high standards and data is analyzed in collaboration with M&E unit to discuss progress on indicators, disease trends, define action points for how to stay on track with grant requirements, and follow up with those points.
Work with the M&E team to produce and analyze all weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports and ensure timely submission of all such reports.
Support development and maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control and reporting systems and processes for the HSS component.
Facilitate Budget-Expenditure financial analyses and track (in collaboration with MCA procurement and finance officers) financial reporting for assigned contracts or grants.
Provide required reporting to the MCA HSS Director and MCC for all assigned activities, contracts or grants.
Provide leadership to relevant project technical working groups as established for assigned procurements/contracts.
Liaise with other MCA-managed HSS compact projects/procurements to ensure their technical integration as appropriate to achieve results.
Ensure communication and liaison with relevant GoL agencies/entities, development partners and stakeholders.
Participate in/report to the project steering committee meetings and activities.
Assist in development and implementation of risk management strategies, referral development and systems for assigned contracts and grants.
Coordinate effectively with other MCA staff; exchange relevant information; properly identify and manage risks; comply with MCC’s requirements, standards, policies, and guidelines; and incorporate good practices and lessons learned into work.
Assess the capacity development needs of counterpart ministries or agencies, and support/implement an agreed upon capacity development and knowledge transferstrategy.
Ensure compliance with MCC’s Gender Policy, MCA’s Social and Gender Integration Plan, Counter-Trafficking Policy, MCC’s Sexual Abuse and Harassment in the Workplace Policy, MCA’s Environmentand Social Protection Plan, and all relevant MCA Policies or Plans in Compact project implementation and monitoring.

Qualifications and Experience

A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in public health or any health-related discipline; Master’s degree especially in Health System Strengthening will be an added advantage
A minimum of at least 7 years of experience facilitating health system change at the national, ministerial or organizational level resulting in the improved provision of primary health care.
A minimum of 5 years’ experience in public financial management, preferably related to the laws, rules, systems and processes that allocate, spend, account for and/or audit funds for health care.
A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in health systems strengthening project development, design or support.
A minimum of 5 years’ experience identifying problems or risks in any aspect of a health system and self-identifying and initiating effective solutions to mitigate risk or resolve a problem.
A minimum of 3 years of successful technical contract or grant management experience, as evidenced by at least two examples of how the candidate managed a contract or grant (with a minimum value of at least $25K per annum) to successfully produce deliverables or outcomes within a specified period.
Experience working in Lesotho, Southern Africa or low-middle income countries.

Skills and Competencies

Demonstrated ability to design or introduce reforms in systems, procedures, organization and/or law to improve the efficient use of public resources by sub-national structures (e.g., District Health Management Teams, District Councils, etc.).
Ability to lead teams in system mapping, problem and solution identification and iterative problem-solving activities.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize issues, direct conversation toward solutions and address concerns in a limited time frame, considering compact development timelines.
Ability to write quickly, clearly and succinctly in English (reports, emails, presentations) and present information in public forums.

How to apply

Complete applications must be submitted online, on or before Friday March 22^nd, 2024.

Applications should be accompanied by the following documents:

Curriculum vitae containing detailed work experience;
Cover letter confirming interest and availability;
Soft copies of higher education and professional certificates (if available);
A completed online application form (can be accessed from https://lesotho-jobs.tenderwell.app – CV Template MCA Lesotho II)

Only applications that are submitted on or before the deadline will be considered.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Submit your applicationonline via:https://lesotho-jobs.tenderwell.app – Hard copy applications will not be considered.