Job ID

2024-6312

Location

ZA-Centurion

Category

International Positions

Employment Status

Full-Time

Under the direction of the Technical Director for a USAID-funded Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (GVAX) / COVID-19 and Global Health Security (GHS) Project in South Africa, the Senior Technical Advisor (STA) will provide leadership and technical oversight, innovations, and value adds to the design and day-to-day management of project implementation. The project includes supporting technical areas in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR), surveillance, epidemiology, vaccines and immunization, medicines and pharmacovigilance, one health, zoonosis, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biosafety and biosecurity, bioinformatics and electronic and digital health systems, health security and health systems strengthening through strategies for effective monitoring pandemic preparedness; working in partnership with key stakeholders contributing towards pandemic resilient health systems for the Government of South Africa (GoSA). The STA will be responsible for making key decisions and solving problems in a timely manner while ensuring the program’s quality and integrity. This includes ensuring optimal technical assistance and guidance to partners, effective organizational management, and communication with stakeholders such as the NDOH, SAHPRA, NICD, Animal/Agriculture/Environmental sector(s), provincial and district officials, and other international and local partners involved in global health security. They will ensure timely and cost-effective project implementation, reporting on activities, and be jointly accountable to the donor for all project deliverables.

• Provides technical leadership and oversight for the implementation of the project in South Africa, including oversight of strategic planning of activities in support of program goals and objectives, determining program priorities, and appropriate initiatives that align with Government of South Africa (GoSA) priorities.
• Assists in coordinating work with team members and their designated counterparts, including the donor, NDOH, SAHPRA, NICD, Animal/Agriculture/Environmental sector(s), civil society and community organizations, and other implementing partners, to ensure effective technical assistance.
• Assesses and analyzes issues that impede progress and develops and tests appropriate strategies for long-term, sustainable resolution, with a focus on local capacity building.
• Actively maintains current knowledge of global health security standards and guidelines and emerging technical innovations and advances.
• Coaches and mentors project technical officers, with a focus on performance improvement, capacity building, and sustainability.
• Works closely with local and global project team members to ensure effective, timely, and coordinated project implementation.
• Actively contributes to annual, quarterly, and monthly planning of activities, including the development and monitoring of workplans and budgets.
• Actively contributes to the development of program documentation and deliverables (including but not limited to annual and semi-annual reports, abstracts, evidence briefs, and communication deliverables) and supports implementation of knowledge management approaches.
• Ensures compliance with Jhpiego, JHU, local South Africa, and donor operational policies and regulations.
• Acts as a representative of the project on behalf of Jhpiego, as needed and appropriate, including presenting progress, achievements, and lessons learned to key stakeholders, including donors, and implementing partners, in public and professional settings.
• Cultivates and builds new partnerships with organizations and stakeholders to increase implementation efficiency.

Teamwork:

• Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills, supporting, coaching, and mentoring supervised staff to promote growth and development.
• Participates fully as a member of the team; supports a positive work environment that promotes quality service to the organization and ensures timely communication of issues/points of interest.
• Supports the team by continuously enhancing knowledge/expertise in assigned functional areas and participates in knowledge transfer within the team.
• Participates in personal performance management and development activities, including cross-training within own team.
• Keeps others informed and up-to-date about the status/progress of projects and all relevant/useful information related to day-to-day activities.
• Stays knowledgeable of practices and procedures and keeps abreast of emerging trends for own functional area.
• Maintains a culture of risk management and control, supported by effective processes in alignment with organizational mission, goals and objectives, and regulatory requirements.

Essential Qualifications

• Health-related background including a Master’s degree with a field of study in veterinary, epidemiology, public health, or infectious diseases.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience working in public health, epidemiology, one health, animal health, or health emergencies, as well as experience in policy development, stakeholder coordination, and field implementation levels.
• Experience working with medium to large-sized donor-funded INGOs; experience working with USAID-funded organizations will be an added advantage.
• In-depth knowledge of the South African public health system and policy environment; including pharmaceutical, medicines, and related substances regulations.
• Familiarity with WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) competencies and Joint External Evaluation (JEE) capacities.

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to demonstrate diplomacy, sensitivity, and respect for confidentiality.
• Effective organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to handle a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner
• Highly motivated, energetic, independent self-starter with strong team orientation.
• Demonstrated use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements and anticipate next steps
• Strong presentation and communication skills, oral and written English language skills
• Proficiency in computer applications including MS Office: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Ability to travel frequently nationally and provincially to support and monitor program activities; and up to 10% travel internationally.

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

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