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, strengthening of the business environment and Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture, 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.
Primary Healthcare (PHC) Activity Manager
Objective of this position
The PHC Activity Manager is accountable for the successful implementation of HSS activities related to improvingdelivery of high-quality primary healthcare services, from initiation to execution to completion. The PHC Activity Manager is responsible to build collaborative relationships with project stakeholders, partners, and will oversee project budgets, contracts, and grants. The Manager ensures the alignment of activity execution with the overall HSS project objectives and the judicious management of its resources. The Manager has overall responsibility for monitoring, tracking and reporting on the progress of all improving primary health care and referral activities and overseeing the performance of the contractors or grantees under the health Systems strengthening arm of the compact. The PHC Manager reports directly to the Director, Health Systems Strengthening.
Primary responsibilities
- Provide technical advice and guidance with regards to PHC service delivery and capacity building, as well as ensuring implementation of quality PHC services in collaboration with the assigned contractors and grantees.
- Monitor progress and manage PHC training, delivery and health system strengthening activities of the compact to ensure goals, objectives, targets and activities are met, as stated in the compacts’ agreed project work plans and log frames for all contractors and grantees.
- Based upon assessments of project progress, recommend remedial approaches to better advance and sustain project quality and impact.
- Assess the quality of deliverables for all assigned contracts or grants and recommend them for approval or remediation.
- Participate 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 analyzedin 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 officer(s) financial reporting for assigned contracts or grants
- Recommend for approval all invoices based on the deliverables and adherence to standard operating procedures as set out in the compacts’ guidelines.
- Provide required reporting to the MCA HSS Director and MCC for all assigned activities, contracts or grants and develop periodic (Monthly/ quarterly) project reports as necessary for the HSS component of the compact.
- Provide leadership and coordinate relevant project technical working groups as established for assigned procurements/contracts.
- Coordinate periodic performance review platforms for all the assigned contractors and grantees and other stakeholders on a monthly basis.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits to the various project sites, ensuring that projects utilize standardized protocols, policies and guidelines, as outlined by the MCC policies and guidelines. Identify technical quality and/or other implementation issues, and provide solutions and follow-up to ensure projects are on track to meet goals and are consistent with established best practices.
- 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 transfer strategy
- 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 Environment and Social Protection Plan and all relevant MCA Policy or Plans in Compact project implementation and monitoring.
Required Competencies
Education
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in public health or any health-related discipline; Master’s degree will be an added advantage
Experience
- A minimum of 7 years of experience leading, administering or managing the delivery of health care services at a hospital, district, department or ministry/organizational level. (Primary health Care/ Public health Care Background)
- 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 of time.
- Experience working in Lesotho, Southern Africa or low-middle income countries.
- Familiar with best practice related to the integration of Gender-Based-Violence (GBV) prevention and treatment of GBV victims across all levels of a health care system.
Skills
- Demonstrated ability to identify and institute best practices regarding referral systems, triage, patient record keeping, developing clinical practice guidelines, and associated standard operating procedures.
- Ability to assess and a PHC system and articulate a vision of what a successful PHC system will be and how that system can be achieved.
- 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.
- Good computer skills in programs such as: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Must be a team player with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure
How to apply
Applications must be submitted online, on or before the 22nd December 2023.
Complete applications must comprise of the following documents:
1. Curriculum vitae containing detailed work experience;
2. Cover letter confirming interest and availability;
3. Soft copies of higher education and professional certificates (if available);
4. 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. However, note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Submit your application online via: https://lesotho-jobs.tenderwell.app . Hard copy applications will not be considered.