Senior Technical Advisor-Planning and Coordination/Technical Specialist with Abt Assoc. - Tanzania

Abt Associates is a for-profit government and business research and consulting firm with approximately 1200 employees in the US and over 30 other countries. Our talented staff, which includes experts in fields as diverse as public health, economics, survey research, environment, business strategy, education, international development, urban affairs, and clinical trials, work in small, focused teams. Our clients include U.S federal, state, and local government organizations; foreign governments; international organizations; foundations; nonprofit associations and institutions; and business and industry.

The Senior Technical Advisor- Planning and Coordination will be tasked with increasing and extending the administrative, managerial, and operational capacity of district health systems in Tanzania. The Senior Technical Advisor will assess current managerial and operational efficiencies at the district level, particularly with regards to Local Government Authorities including District Council Health Management Teams. The Senior Technical Advisor will consider specific issues concerning health system efficiency and staffing in each district, and tailor exclusive institutional capacity improvements for each district to improve managerial and operational decisions that advance health outcomes. The Senior Technical Advisor may also work with Local Government Authorities to better their planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation skill-sets, in regards to health programming. The Senior Technical Advisor will be required to coordinate and work with a diverse group of organizations, including the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), district health staff, several international and national development partner organizations, and the USAID mission in order to complete their work. The Senior Technical Advisor will report to project's Country Director, and may be asked to represent the project when the Country Director is absent. *This position is contingent on successful award of a proposal.

Skills Required:

• Master Degree (with 10 years of experience) or PhD (4-6 years of experience) in health management, health systems, business administration, public health or a related field.
• Experience with decentralization, performance improvement approaches and performance based financing is an asset.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated project management and leadership capabilities are required, as are the abilities to lead multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
• Experience working for the Tanzanian government, with regards to capacity building is a strong advantage.
• Previous work experience in Tanzania is required.
• Familiarity and knowledge of working with USAID and PEPFAR partner organizations (both national and international) is strongly encouraged
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of and experience with Swahili is a definite advantage.
• Strong preference for local candidates. No relocation or international benefits/allowances offered.

Please email CVs and cover letters to tanzaniajobs@abtassoc.com with the position title specified in the subject line.

Application deadline is 2nd October 2009