Child Health Lead

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Pact is initiating a new activity in Malawi as part of the ACHIEVE project, a global project funded through the U.S. Department of State. The activity in Malawi will focus on supporting the Government of Malawi to provide integrated, high-quality maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition services at community and facility levels. The activity will be implemented in Zomba, Thyolo, Karonga, and Balakadistricts with limited focus also at a national level possible. In close coordination with the Ministry of Health, ACHIEVE will support the availability of integrated, quality lifesaving services to women, newborns, and children at community and facility levels; expand the availability of lifesaving HIV services by strengthening the integration of HIV services in ANC platforms, among others; and strengthen subnational health management teams to plan, manage, monitor, and evaluate their health programs.

The Child Health Lead will serve as ACHIEVE/Malawi’s senior technical lead on Child Health interventions, including IMCI, integrated Community Case Management (iCCM), and immunization interventions.

• Provide technical leadership in the design, coordination, and supervision of project activities aimed at strengthening high-quality, integrated child health, IMCI, iCCM, and immunization interventions focusing on child survival services at facility and community levels.
• Lead the delivery of project activities designed to improve Child Health interventions.
• Oversee project approaches for capacity strengthening for frontline health workers in child health through training, skills building, mentoring, coaching, supportive supervision, and/or other approaches.
• Identify context-specific interventions for child health (including immunization, IMCI, and iCCM) tailored to district needs.
• Strengthen the capacity of District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to plan, finance, and implement child health strategies.
• Provide technical support for the implementation of high-impact child survival interventions, including pneumonia and diarrhea case management.
• Improve Child Health service delivery using Quality Improvement tools and techniques for Child Health.
• Coordinate to identify and address gaps in child health interventions linked to procurement and/or management of commodities and supplies.
• Provide technical guidance, mentorship and coaching, supportive supervision to district-level Technical Officers and District Technical Managers to improve Child health service delivery.
• Ensure collaboration and coordination with government and other key stakeholders to improve quality, coordination, and monitoring of child health activities.
• Monitor implementation of Child Health activities to ensure timely completion of objectives and targets.
• Oversee the development of needed child health technical guidance, tools, job aids, training materials, and/or child health components of project technical deliverables (workplans, reports, etc.).
• Use data to inform and improve decision making on child health interventions and project adjustments, particularly for improving quality of care.
• Represent ACHIEVE in Child Health-related technical working groups and in planning, coordination, and performance review meetings.
• Work closely with the U.S. DOS, government, implementing partners, and other relevant stakeholders to identify, document, and disseminate best practices in child health.

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in nursing and Midwifery, Degree in Public Health, Health Management or relevant health field. Those with advanced post-graduate training in Public Health will have an added advantage.
• At least 5-7 years’ experience delivering, overseeing, and providing technical assistance in maternal and newborn health with a specific focus and expertise in Child Health interventions.
• Experience working at both health facilities and community levels.
• Strong familiarity and technical understanding of Child Health, IMCI, iCCM and immunization programming focusing on implementation of evidence based clinical algorithms, strengthening health system through supportive supervision and empowering communities to improve child health outcomes.
• Experience in integrating Child Health services in MNH care, nutrition, HIV services, and other relevant interventions.
• Experience providing technical assistance, capacity strengthening, supportive supervision, and performance monitoring in child health interventions.
• Demonstrated experience leading successful teams, achieving deliverables on time and within budget, and interacting effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of senior and mid-level public and private sector counterparts, donors, and other key stakeholders.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with government and civil society stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, presentation, communication and reporting skills.
• Sound IT knowledge and skills in word processing, spreadsheet, databases, presentations.
• Ability to work independently, good leadership and communication skills, ability to work with people from all backgrounds.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Ability to speak Chichewa and others local languages.

• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience working directly with clients/patients in a clinical setting.
• Knowledge of USG rules, regulations, and policies.