Senior Health Advisor

The Medical Committee Netherlands-Vietnam (MCNV) works on effective structural improvements in the health situation of groups who need it most in the Vietnamese society and in other Southeast Asian countries.
They are looking for a highly qualified Vietnamese National or an International based in Hanoi for the position of Senior Health Advisor HIV/AIDS team for the comprehensive PMTCT program for especially vulnerable women in remote mountainous areas.

Location:
MCNV representative office, Hanoi with frequent travel (20-30% of the time) to 7 mountainous provinces in North Vietnam

Job summary:
Provide strategic and technical support to MCNV management and implementation and counterparts in all operational and research activities in the areas of HIV program notably: PMTCT, gender, harm reduction, health system reform, multi-level capacity building, multisectoral approaches to HIV/AIDS, action research and evidence based health planning

Strategic and technical support:
- Ensure program follows an evidence based approach in-line with MCNV working principles,
- Develop innovations to improve best practices, document these practices
- Document, scale up and hand-over pilots, advice on up-scaling and applying lessons learned
- Adjust international professional expertise to suit to the Vietnamese socio-political and cultural context
- Monitor, review and advise on all proposed activities
- Identify and propose appropriate technical consultants; coaching consultants working on the project
- Review all documents: reports, training materials, research papers, brochures, flyers for content and functionality and cultural appropriateness.
- Coordinate and liaise between key national and regional level agencies, international donors; international (I)NGO, the leading academic institutions and scholars in areas of expertise. Arrange and participate in meetings of such experts.
- Support national authorities with the documentation of coordination efforts for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in allocation of resources to support the MCNV program and Vietnams PMTCT programs
- Edit and finalize all external and internal reports and recommendations according to deadlines;
- Providing day-to-day general, strategic and specific, practical technical advice to counterparts and MCNV staff in the context of the project;
- Provide hands-on technical, logistic support and coaching whenever needed during the implementation of operations and research until exit level criteria are met
- Share results and experiences with colleagues in the field during; attend and present at working groups
- Supervise and conduct assessments. Develop assessment framework, tools for data collection, data entry and data analysis, and reporting and feedback mechanisms to government counterparts

Management of HIV programs :
- Ensure that technical advice is realistic, fits the local needs and capacities and can be implemented in time, according to cost norms and within the budget,
- Lead, supervise and coach HIV team which includes technical, operational and financial staff using participatory approaches that recognize peoples own responsibilities and ownership;
- Train and coach HIV team and its individual members in technical, administrative and operational aspects of the program
- Supervise and regularly check the overall program administration; hard copies and electronic documents
- Proactive acquisition. Develop proposals, activity plans, budgets for donors, and partners;
- Mobilize and coordinate resources
- Respond to letters, e-mails and phone calls in a timely and efficient fashion
- Write TOR, job descriptions, contracts and recruit staff and consultants
- Assure timely renewal or obtaining of all legal permits and papers to operate the program
- Obtain legal distribution and if applicable copyrights of MCNV HIV/AIDS teams products
- Supervise the quality of the external communication for HIV team. Provide practical and technical assistance to respond to enquiries from media or INGO.

Capacity building and training:
- Analyse training needs at the system, organisational and individual levels of counterparts and MCNV staff.
- Pro-actively identify training institutes and individual experts that can providing training at  multiple levels and for culturally diverse groups
- Develop the content of trainings; agenda, curriculum, training tools, reference materials, hand-outs pre-and post tests for different kinds of target groups.
- Train staff and counterparts to develop training:  agenda, curriculum, training tools, reference materials, hand-outs pre-and post tests for different kinds of target groups.
- Train staff and counterparts in planning and logistical procedures for trainings
- Develop culturally appropriate evaluation and quality control systems for capacity building efforts using coaching and for training courses
- Provide trainings as a lead trainer

Research:
- Identify research needs based on operational program performance
- Supervise recruitment and training of local researchers from various disciplines, including end-beneficiaries
- Supervise all research planning and logistical procedures including clearance for ERB
- Use research process and result to develop concrete interventions that can be done within the program to improve its performance

Consultancy:
- Acquisition, development and implementation of consultancy projects in areas of expertise
- Maintain and develop relationships with external consultants in areas of expertise
- Develop capacity of staff, counterparts, including  a network of peer experts and materials for external consultancy

Others:
- Contribute to MCNV’s strategic organizational development
- Production of high quality communication products including:  documentary films, public service announcements, brochures, leaflets, installations, using participatory approaches and reaching professional media standards
- Develop and implement evidence based advocacy strategies using program results

Requirements:
- Relevant academic education in health related field: for example international or public health, tropical epidemiology, health sciences, or medical anthropology (masters required, PhD preferred)
- At least 7 years of relevant management experience in HIV/AIDS and reproductive   health, preferably combined with harm reduction and with ethnically diverse groups
- Experience in Vietnam
- Knowledge of the evidence-based policy and program planning
- Wide-ranging knowledge and substantial experience in developing training curriculums and tools. Creative innovator with excellent coordination skills,
- Strong problem analysis and problem solving abilities
- Experience with human resource management and leading teams
- Result-oriented working style, ability to meet deadlines, finish products and work systematically
- Experience mobilizing funds and develop proposals for various donors
- Experience working with minority ethnic people and vulnerable populations
- Experience working with civil society groups, especially health related self-help groups
- Fluent in spoken and excellent written English

Preferred:
- 15 years of international experience in HIV/AIDS, harm reduction and ethnic minorities in South-East Asia and transitional economies
- Published author of various international professional and peer reviewed publications;
- Working knowledge of French

Closing date for application: 5 December 2010.

Starting date: January 2011

To apply
Please send a short letter of motivation, a resume, three references, and English writing sample of work that has been written independently to: Ms. Vu Thuy Quynh at: [email protected]