Senior Special Advisor for MASReP- Project Full Time NEW

The Ministry of Health would like to invite competent and interested applicants for the following position.

• Duty sation; Seqota Declaration Federal Program Delivery Unit (FPDU), Nutrition Coordination Lead Executive Office, MoH
• The assignment will be for a period of 12 months’ contract with the possibility of extension subject to performance up to the project period.
• 89782.00 (Eighty-nine thousand seven hundred eighty-two) ETB

Background

Multi sectoral for Approach Stunting Reduction Project (MASReP) is a nutrition project to be implemented in Ethiopia, specifically, in the area known as Seqota Declaration.The Seqota Declaration area covers 40 woredas of Amhara and Tigray regions found along the Tekeze river basin. The area is characterized by high prevalence of stunting, soil degradation, erratic and lowlevel of rainfall. MASReP is a joint Africa Development Bank(AfDB) and Ethiopian government project which supports the government’s high-level commitment to end stunting in childrenunder two years by 2030. It is a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder project which focuses on Health, Agriculture, Water and Energy, Irrigation and Low Land, Education, Women and Socialaffairs.

Description of the main components of the project

The project has four components.

• Component 1: Climate smart infrastructure development for effective service delivery
• Component 2: Livelihood support and promotion of nutritious foods.
• Component 3: Strengthening institutional system and capacity building.
• Component 4: -Coordination and Project Management

The objective of executing agency is to supervise and implement all activities pertaining to the project. In this regard, the AfDB project appraisal mission team has identified the need to recruit a Project Coordinator/senior special advisor for the coordination and technical leadership of the project.

General Purpose of the Position

The MASReP Project Senior special advisor is responsible for coordinating all the technical and financial aspects of the project at federal level and with the two regional Project Delivery Units (PDUs). He/she will also support the cross functionality, coordination, standardization and quality of the project implementation across sectors. He/she will be expected to coordinate the four components to improve the nutrition status of children under the age of two years. The Project senior special advisor will work closely with senior program manager for overall project management and with the technical program managers/advisors to ensure the project integration across sectors at federal and regional level. The project senior special advisor is expected to track physical implementation against activity plan and budget utilization under the Seqota Declaration Federal Program Delivery Unit. In addition, the Project senior special advisor will manage technical officers and Specialists that the project will hire to ensure quality of program implementations and timely completion of the planned activities. He/she is also expected to form a good working relationship with the government, coordinate with the federal implementing sectors and other partners to ensure the functionality of multi-sectoral nutrition coordination.

Scope of the Assignment

The Project senior special advisor will be a staff member of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) – federal level which is located within the Nutrition coordination Lead Executive office, Ministry of Health and will work collaboratively with Seqota Declaration Program Delivery units both at federal and regional level. Currently, the Ministry of Health (MoH), through the Nutrition coordination office- Seqota Declaration Federal Programme Delivery Unit (FPDU), is managing the multi-sectoral resources allocated by the federal government and other development partners for the operationalization of the SD program. Federal level sector ministries, including Ministry of Finance, Agriculture, Water and Energy, Education, Women and social affairs channel the fund received from the MoH to their respective regional bureaus based on the agreed SD program operational plans. The Federal PDU, which is hosted in Ministry of Health, with the delegation provided from the Deputy Prime Minister Office, is responsible for leading and coordinating the development of costed annual work plan for federal sectors and regions and tracking results. The Nutrition coordination Lead Executive office-

Federal PDU also facilitates the release of fund from MoH to Regional Health Bureaus. The project will be implemented in the Seqota Declaration Regions of Amhara and Tigray with specific emphasis on selected Woredas.

Main Job Duties and Responsibilities

The Project senior special advisor at the Federal Program Delivery Unit (FPDU) will be required to perform the following:

A) Program Planning, Coordination, Monitoring, and Reporting ·

• Develop Implementation Plans: Create annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly implementation plans for the Seqota Declaration MASReP project.
• Ensure Sector-Specific Plans: Ensure that the annual, quarterly, and monthly plans align with specific sectoral target areas
• Quality Improvement Monitoring: Oversee and follow up on the implementation of quality improvement work plans in the target regions and woredas.
• Mapping, Planning, and Monitoring: Collaborate with the Senior Program Manager to ensure the proper mapping, planning, and monitoring of Seqota Declaration components, ensuring quality implementation.
• Timely Plan Review and Submission: Ensure that project plans are reviewed and submitted in a timely manner to the FPDU and Senior Program Manager for approval.
• Sectoral Coordination: Work closely with program managers and advisors to ensure coordination among implementing sectors and partners for quality implementation and timely completion of activities.
• Cross-Cutting Integration: Ensure the integration of gender, SBCC, environmental protection, and multi-sector nutrition interventions (e.g., agriculture, health, WASH) in the target regions and woredas.
• Lead Planning and Reporting Meetings: Facilitate and lead weekly, monthly, and quarterly planning and reporting meetings.
• Support Program Operations: Coordinate with the Senior Program Manager and Regional Program Delivery Unit (RPDU) team to support the technical operations of the project.
• Ensure Multisectoral Nutrition Coordination: Assist the Senior Program Manager in strengthening multisectoral Nutrition Coordination in the operational areas.
• Prepare Reports: Prepare and submit weekly/biweekly updates, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual reports to the Senior Program Manager.
• Documentation of Learnings: Support the MEL Officer in documenting key learnings from program implementation.

B) Capacity Building ·

• Identify Staff Skill Gaps: Identify knowledge and skill gaps among project staff and conduct a training needs assessment.
• Organize Training: Organize training sessions to address identified gaps and ensure staff are equipped with the necessary skills.
• Mentorship and On-the-Job Training: Ensure the provision of appropriate mentoring and on-the-job training for project staff. ·
• Staff Development Strategies: Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into the team-building process.
• Manage Technical Staffing: Ensure that the project has adequate staffing with the appropriate technical responsibilities. ·
• Set Performance Objectives and Goals: Ensure that all project staff set standard and agreed performance objectives, goals, and targets.
• Performance Reviews: Conduct biannual and annual performance reviews using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) tool and submit the results to the Senior Program Manager for approval and submission to the relevant authorities. · Technical Support from Advisors: Ensure that technical managers and advisors regularly support the project, providing necessary guidance and expertise.

C) Budget Planning and Management

• Ensure Resource Allocation: Ensure the appropriate allocation and management of financial and human resources to support project activities effectively.
• Budget Monitoring and Oversight: Work with the Senior Program Manager to monitor

D) Representation and Coordination (Internal and External)

• Coordinate with Partners: ensure smooth communication and alignment with Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and ministry of Finance, coordinate and network with federal and regional-level implementing partners to ensure effective collaboration and timely delivery of activities.
• Support Multisectoral Coordination: Assist the Senior Program Manager in ensuring that multisectoral nutrition coordination functions effectively in the project’s operational areas. · Lead Joint Technical Supervision: Plan, organize, and lead joint technical supportive supervisions to provide responsive support, ensuring quality and timeliness of activities at the regional level. · Internal and External Networking: Build and maintain relationships with both internal stakeholders (e.g., team members, program managers) and external stakeholders (e.g., government officials, implementing partners) to enhance the project’s success 6. Competencies and Critical Success Factors

Functional Competencies -project management technical Expertise:

• Knowledge in the areas of nutrition, public health and international development
• Ability to create, maintain, and review technical documentation such as project plans, requirements specifications, and status reports. ·
• Understanding of the political dynamics in government, civil society and donor community in Ethiopia – at federal and regional levels; and
• Deep knowledge of the project cycle, including project implementation and portfolio management will be an advantage
• Prior experience working in multilateral financial institutions/donor agencies or similar large organizations in the multi- sector project coordination will be an advantage;
• Competence in the use of software applications (Word, Excel); · Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English

Functional Competencies -Development and Operational Effectiveness: ·

• Ability to facilitate strategic planning meetings which centre around results-based management and reporting; ·
• Ability to provide top quality policy advice services on governance issues; and · In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues
• Contribute to the development, review and implementation of the Annual ‘Seqota’ Declaration Implementation Plan to ensure the effective prioritisation of activities critical to the success of the Declaration;
• Contribute to the compilation and dissemination of the quarterly progress reports to key stakeholders; · Ability to provide recommendations to the implementation of multisectoral nutrition interventions, and the monitoring and evaluation assessments; and · Ability to be self-motivated and work with minimal supervision.

Functional Competencies -Teamwork: · Works well with a diverse group of people; · Focuses on impact and results, and responds positively to critical feedback; and · Leads teams in compiling relevant information in reports or presentations for internal and external audiences.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling Government of Ethiopia values and ethical Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting; standards; · Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of the Government of Ethiopia Seqota Declaration; · Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability; and · Treats all people fairly without favoritism 7. Deliverables The main deliverable from this exercise will be reports that track physical implementation against activity plan and budget utilization of the project under the Seqota Declaration Federal Program

Academic Background, work Experience and skills ·

• MPH /MSc in Nutrition, Food Science and Technology, Livelihoods, Agricultural Sciences or other related fields and
• a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in Project Coordination ideally in nutrition or multi-sector work;
• Experience working effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including local governments, community leaders, healthcare providers, partners and donor agencies.
• Good understanding on multi-sectoral nutrition;
• Proven ability to lead a team, with good communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to motivate subordinates through influential negotiation and coaching; · An understanding and commitment to Seqota Declaration Goal and Strategic Objectives and initiatives,
• Strong results orientation, proven ability to manage a complex and demanding workload; ·
• Excellent spoken and written English and Amharic;
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite is a critical requirement ·
• Demonstrated ability to handle detail-oriented tasks and be organized.
• Flexible and ability to work under pressure. · Good knowledge of Seqota Declaration program and MASReP is an asset.

Key working relationships ·

• Nutrition coordination Lead Executive Office, Seqota’ Declaration Program Delivery Unit (both Federal and regional levels);
• · Ministry of Water and Energy, Agriculture, Education, Finance, Women and social affairs and other sectors (at federal level) and regional equivalents (as applicable) · Food and Nutrition coordination platforms at national and sub-national levels. ·
• Regional Food and Nutrition coordination offices; ·
• Programme Managers and advisors, ‘Seqota’ Declaration Program Delivery Unit (Federal and Regional levels); and · AfDB, Big Win Philanthropy, and other funding partners.

Key core competencies

For this vacancy, candidates will be assessed against the following behavioural and technical competencies:

• Analysing the operating environment: Anticipate economic, social, and political developments to keep project related multi-sectoral nutrition interventions relevant and targeted;
• Making effective decisions: Push decision making to the right level within the Delivery Unit;
• Collaborating and partnering: Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests; Manage and negotiate partnership agreements, ensuring all parties are aligned on project goals and outcomes ·
• Communicating: Be visible to staff with the Delivery Units, Food &Nutrition coordination offices (i.e. Federal and Regional levels) AfDB and other key stakeholders, and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work; Foster trust and mutual understanding between AfDB and external partners to maximize project success and
• Technical competencies: Be able to successfully apply data and evidence of interventions and evaluate the risks in the scale up of these interventions.

Performance Evaluation · The Project senior special advisor will develop and agree an annual work plan with the Seqota Declaration Federal Program Delivery Unit Senior Program Manager, Program Managers and advisors and other relevant departments or units at the beginning of the year. He/she will also maintain effective communication with the Nutrition coordination office Lead Executive Officer, providing timely updates on the project’s status, key milestones, risks, and any adjustments to the project plan as needed. And the work of the Project senior special advisor will be reviewed by the FPDU Senior Program Manager Nutrition coordination office Lead executive officer.

Reporting · The Project senior special advisor will report directly to both the Senior Program Manager in the delivery unit and Nutrition coordination office Lead executive officer.