Job Description

Title: Development Program Specialist (Infectious Diseases Team Lead), FSN – 12

Company Name: USAID Bangladesh

Vacancy: 01

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Full-time

Educational Requirements:
∎ Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health, Infectious disease etc.

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 7 year(s)
∎ The applicants should have experience in the following area(s): Program Management, public health

Job Context:
∎ The Development Program Specialist serves as the Infectious Disease Team Lead for one of the four teams in the Office of Population, Health, Nutrition and Education (OPHNE). The Team Lead manages a team of senior health professionals, at present totaling five. The Team Lead serves as a principal advisor to the Director providing substantive advice and support in the formulation and administration of the infectious disease portfolio of USAID Bangladesh. S/he has a high level of responsibility, visibility, and accountability for competing deadlines. The Team Leader provides overall direction, vision, and prioritization in the area of infectious diseases. The Team Lead is a recognized leader and expert in tuberculosis (TB), global health security including COVID, and neglected tropical diseases as it relates to activities in Bangladesh. The Team Lead provides high-level technical expertise and leadership for conceptualization, development, design, administration, and monitoring of the highly visible and critical USAID/Bangladesh Health programs, which directly impacts the success in achieving USAID’s goals and objectives in the health sector. The Team Lead represents the Mission and the USG at the highest-level in interagency settings for USAID/Bangladesh initiatives in the mentioned technical areas. S/he provides high-level technical and program expertise to the large and complex infectious disease portfolio of the Health Office.
∎ S/he is at the forefront of the Mission’s engagement with national counterparts in the Government of Bangladesh (GOB), health bureaucratic and technical leaders in state governments and the private sector. S/he has extensive knowledge and expertise in management of non-governmental organizations and in working with high level government officials and other donors working to achieve population and health objectives. S/he will coordinate with the GOB, other donors and stakeholders to ensure maximum impact of USAID’s investment. S/he plays a major role in achieving USAID’s priority of leveraging both the public and private sector for improved health. S/he is expected to lead technical discussions; deliver presentations to senior-level GOB and USG officials, and USAID agency leadership; and convey USAID’s policy and program position on a wide range of health and development subjects.
∎ The Specialist is responsible for the administration and management of assigned projects to ensure that objectives are achieved in accordance with program descriptions and work plans. This entails providing technical advice to contractors, grantees, and the staff of OPHNE; monitoring project progress against objectives; ensuring compliance with terms and conditions of agreements; ensuring timeliness of implementation; monitoring budgets, pipelines, accruals and other financial matters. The Specialist will evaluate contractor performance, maintain project records and status reports, prepare necessary project documentation, recommend solutions to problems, and otherwise assist in the day to day management of projects.

Job Responsibilities:
∎ The Specialist exercises independent judgment and manages his/her initiative with only general guidance on a broad range of duties in advancing the infectious disease portfolio. The infectious disease Team Leader’s primary responsibilities are strategic planning and visioning for assisting Bangladesh to achieve the goals and commitments it has made in achieving Universal Health Care coverage; program development – setting direction and priorities; supervision, management and technical oversight; and representation and coordination in relation to the program and projects under the infectious disease portfolio. The Specialist is OPHNE's chief liaison with the Government of Bangladesh in their area of responsibility, and ensures open lines of communication and collaboration with all the government ministries and other stakeholders.
∎ Strategic Planning and Thought Leadership
∎ The Specialist serves as the principal advisor to the Health Office Director as a recognized expert on tuberculosis, global health security including COVID, and neglected tropical diseases in Bangladesh. S/he is responsible for handling many complex issues and dealing with matters of high degrees of difficulty. This includes interpreting and analyzing data and reporting to the PHNE Office as well as Mission and Agency leadership on progress toward achieving national and global goals within the context of program and policy challenges and constraints. The Specialist develops and oversees the implementation of a highly technical program, based on analyses of objectives, resources, comparative advantage, cost effectiveness, and partnership with the GOB and the private sector. S/he collects and analyzes information from a variety of sources and prepares reports for program planning and resource allocation. This includes drawing on extensive field observations, program reviews and reports to suggest solutions. As the Infectious Disease Team Lead, the Specialist has supervision, management and technical oversight responsibility for a broad range of strategic planning, visioning, and policy development activities related to the infectious disease portfolio with an estimated annual budget of over $50 million. S/he is responsible for ensuring that all infectious diseases portfolio projects have impact and are being implemented in a way consistent with USAID/Bangladesh and USAID/Washington objectives and priorities. S/he leads the team in planning for future activities and setting the direction and priorities for USAID investment. S/he is the primary contact for Washington on discussions which lead to decisions on how USG resources should be programmed in the field. S/he is also responsible for ensuring that USG resources are spent in a manner that supports the USG health agenda. S/he leads the negotiations on new activities, both in programmatic and geographic terms. This includes negotiations with high-level host country officials, USAID/Washington, the Embassy and other USG agencies.
∎ Infectious Disease Team Supervision and Technical Oversight
∎ The Specialist provides technical oversight and supervisory guidance for all infectious diseases’ portfolio projects, including project planning and design, project implementation, providing feedback on reports and technical strategies, monitoring the budget, and planning and reviewing project reports and evaluations. S/he forecasts future funding needs based on an analysis of the portfolio’s pipelines and expenditure patterns as well as new priorities and recommendations for annual allocations. S/he provides technical and managerial oversight for the preparation of the infectious disease portions of the annual report, performance monitoring plan, congressional budget request, and other special reports and reviews. S/he drafts correspondences to the GOB, USAID/Washington, and partners as required. Based on implementation oversight and management, s/he reviews reimbursement claims for propriety and validity, and provides the basis for USAID approval and disapproval of payments. In this role, the Specialist will be the main point of contact for collaboration with the USAID/Washington Infectious Disease Office.
∎ The Specialist also works with USG/GHSA Interagency Team in developing GHSA annual action plans, as well as annual progress reports to be submitted to GHSA Washington team and National Security Council. S/he supports the development of USAID/Bangladesh indicators and performance monitoring plan as it relates to GHSA. The Team Lead may additionally serve as an A/COR of projects under the infectious disease portfolio as assigned.
∎ The Specialist acts as the supervisor for four FSN team members and one USPSC, all of whom serve as the A/CORs for the activities in the infectious disease team portfolio. In this capacity, the team leader provides the full range of mentoring, consultative, advisory, and supervisory roles. The supervision of each professional entails developing and implementing key strategic activities relative to the objectives of the team. The Specialist provides inputs for technical oversight of long- and short- term consultants. S/he plans and makes arrangements for program-related technical assistance including identification of specific needs, and in the preparation of scopes of work and budgets.
∎ Representation and Coordination
∎ The Specialist will represent USAID and the USG in high level meetings with other donors and stakeholders, which includes senior level members of the private sector, GOB, leaders of non-governmental organizations, and members of the academic community. In this role, s/he will participate in high-level discussions informing policies and strategies for achieving ambitious country and global health targets.
∎ The Specialist leads and contributes to coordinating efforts across all donors and stakeholders in Bangladesh to avoid overlap of efforts. He/she will act as the liaison for USAID, supporting a variety of stakeholders, including the GOB, in program development and coordination, and solving day-to-day problems. S/he will also be responsible for coordinating efforts with other USG agencies, specifically the State Department, CDC, Department of Defense, US Department of Agriculture, and others as necessary. S/he is also expected to communicate these efforts, solutions, and lessons learned with the USAID/Washington team for knowledge-sharing across missions and bureaus.
∎ C. SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP
∎ Must be able to work with minimal supervision. Mostly works independently under the guidance of the OPHNE Director and/or Deputy Director. Receives direct supervision from the OPHNE Director or his/her designee. Performance is evaluated annually on the basis of achieving work objectives and performance measures.
∎ D. SUPERVISORY CONTROLS
∎ The Specialist supervises four CCNs and one USPSC.

Salary: Tk. 364222 - 660343 (Monthly)

Compensation & Other Benefits:
∎ T/A, Mobile bill, Tour allowance, Medical allowance, Provident fund, Weekly 2 holidays, Insurance, Gratuity
∎ Festival Bonus: 2

Job Source: Bdjobs.com Online Job Posting.

Application Deadline: 30 Dec 2021

Company Information:
∎ 30 Nov 2021
∎ USAID Bangladesh
∎ Address : US Embassy, Baridhara, Dhaka
∎ Web : www.usaid.gov/bd
∎ Business : The largest US agency in the US Embassy, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Category: NGO/Development

: