District Health Security Officer (One Year Contract)

No. of positions: 6

Location: Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as listed below

Pathfinder Overview:

Pathfinder International is a global leader in sexual and reproductive health. We place reproductive health care at the center of all that we do—believing that it is not only a fundamental human right, but is critical for expanding life opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, and paving the way for transformations in environmental stewardship, decreases in population pressures, and innovations in poverty reduction. Pathfinder provides women, men, and adolescents with a range of quality health services—from contraception and maternal care to HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment. Pathfinder strives to strengthen access to family planning, advocate for sound reproductive health policies, and, through all of our work, improve the rights and lives of the people we serve.

Project Overview:

The Building Healthy Families Activity aims to expand access to and utilization of essential health care in Pakistan, including quality family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services, in order to improve health outcomes for some of its most vulnerable populations. BHF operates in Pakistan’s Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, addressing environmental and health barriers to the uptake of integrated FP/MNCH services. BHF takes a health system-strengthening approach to improve FP/MNCH services—prioritizing the strengthening of leadership, governance, frontline human resources, and policies for gender-equitable family health. In addition, it supports the integration of emergency preparedness and response in the public health system. The activity supports and will contribute to the achievement of the Government of Pakistan’s goals of universal access to reproductive health services; increasing rates of skilled delivery attendance; and expanding coverage of essential childhood immunizations.

Job Summary:

The incumbent will support the five-year USAID-funded Building Healthy Families (BHF) program interventions under the COVID activity in the assigned district of Sindh or KP Provinces. The incumbent will have the overall responsibility to support implementation, monitoring and supervision of health security activities in specified district(s) of Sindh and KP provinces, while also ensuring coordination and liaison at District level. In addition, under the guidance of the District Coordinator will manage interventions and maintain inventory of project material, supports operational and financial processes, prepares reports, and records proceedings. The incumbent will help in tracking project health security activities, these will include infection prevention and control and WASH coordination initiatives. They will emphasize the importance of coordinating with the DDSRU in their district to connect with communities and DDSRU.

Key Job Outcomes:

Meeting and Facilitation

• Coordinates, organizes and facilitates one-to-one meetings with key stakeholders to develop follow-up action plans. Invites all stakeholders and ensure their participation in meetings.
• Coordinates visits and organizes meetings of the delegation(s) with the project stakeholders in the district.
• Serve as focal person to coordinate the implementation of field Project activities at the district level.

 Forums and Committees

• Works with BHFA District Coordinator to:
• Support DTC/DHPMT and other forums, including local NGOs to implement health security interventions. Works with the district DTC/DHPMT update them regarding project activities.
• Advocate and liaise with district health, population, environment focal persons to create multisectoral coordination groups.
• Support quarterly meetings for multisectoral groups at the district level.

Maintaining Project Champion Relationships

• Identify, coordinates, and interacts with health security champions in the district to ensure their participation in working groups and advocate with stakeholders for health security initiatives.
• Coordinate work planning for health care providers, and community service provider.

Status Reports

• Prepares and submit reports as required with regular time frequency by Programs Department.
• Coordinate and facilitate payments in the field as committed under agreement after due scrutiny and verification. Maintain record of documents for accounting and audit as required by Finance Department.
• Prepare and submit reports as required (monthly/quarterly) with regular time frequency by Program Department.

District Coordination

• Under the guidance of the BHFA District Coordinator:
• Attends 35% activities of local partners to observe, validate and support in the field.
• Gathers data and information to support project implementation.
• Participates and record minutes of meetings and sends them to Provincial office to update the team on progress of activities.

Data Management

• Ensures health security data is made available to the province on agreed time frames. Should be able to analyze the data in real time for performance management of the districts.
• Maintains pictorial records of all meetings at District level.
• Facilitates Pathfinder and donor during monitoring visits of activities.
• Undertakes other tasks related to the project as assigned.

Required Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or other related discipline.
• 5+ years relevant experience in the development health sector, including the familiarity with NGO/INGO and public sector.

Preferred Education & Work Experience:

• Experience in practical field work in FP MNCH & sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Health practitioners registered with the Pakistan Nursing Council/ Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan.
• Experience in Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health.
• Experience and familiarity with Quality improvement processes.

Minimally Required Job-Specific Competencies:

• Strategies on Policy Issues: Foundational skills in strategic communications with the public sector, private organizations and policy makers about relevant legislation, policies and procedures relating to SRHR.
• Advocacy: Foundational advocacy skills with specific advocacy assignments and tasks in the development sector projects.
• Country Specific Public Health System: Foundational knowledge of countries’ public health systems.
• Specific Public Health System: Foundational knowledge of public health systems.
• Training Design, Development, and Delivery: Foundational knowledge of curriculum design and development. Ability to deliver training to diverse groups.
• Public Health Systems: Foundational knowledge of public health systems.

Preferrable Competencies:

• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Services: Foundational knowledge of family planning and reproductive health principles, practices, and services including strategies and indicators.
• Passion for Sexual and Reproductive Health: Commitment to family planning, reproductive health services, gender, maternal, child health services, and eradication of harmful traditional practices.

 Minimally Required Organizational Competencies:

• PC Applications: Advanced knowledge of MS Outlook, MS Word.
• Project Management Planning and Management: Proven ability to plan and manage cross-functional initiatives.
• Analysis and Sound Judgement: Advanced analytical and troubleshooting skills. Ability to make sound judgments. Ability to improve processes, promote excellence and demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness.
• Languages: Proven ability to write and speak using local language and English language.
• Communication: Advanced oral and written communication skills using different forms of media. Ability to translate complex concepts to individuals at all levels. Ability to speak across a range of technical issues that may be outside the individual’s area of expertise.
• Organization, Planning and Multi-tasking: Advanced organizational and planning skills, project planning and management skills. Proven ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and multi-task with minimal supervision. Proven ability to coordinate activities.
• Self-Management and Teamwork: Ability to work independently or as a member of the team, ability to be detail-oriented and consistently accurate, ability to manage stress effectively in a fast-paced environment, and ability to quickly learn new systems, processes and procedures and adapt local practices to global standards.
• Matrix Management: Ability to thrive in a matrixed organization.
• Confidentiality: Proven ability to maintain confidentiality on work-related issues.

 Other Information:

• This is a contractual position of 1 (one) year only.
• Travel required (45% or less).
• Uses cellular and office phone, laptop or desktop computer.
• This job description format focuses on the main duties of the position and is not intended to list every potential task or assignment.
• Duties can and will change to meet the changing priorities of the department and organization.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer Statement:

Pathfinder International provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Safeguarding and Protection Statement:

Pathfinder is committed to the safeguarding and protection of the people we serve and our staff. We have zero tolerance for any type of behavior that inflicts harm on children, young people, adults, our staff, and partners including sexual abuse, harassment, bullying, and exploitation. We do everything possible to ensure that we recruit only those who are suitable to work with us. We expect that everyone we hire will abide by our safeguarding and related policies and will report any suspected or known violations. This job is subject to a range of vetting checks as legally permitted in the country where they are being hired. By applying, the job applicant acknowledges they understand our intent to verify suitability to work with us.