Program Advisor, Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Duration of Employment: 9-12 months

PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges.

In partnership with BigWin and MOH PATH is starting implementation of a project that named Early Childhood Development in Conflict affected areas to promote nurturing care for children affected by the conflict in northern Ethiopia. Early recovery strategies begin immediately after the disaster occurs and should include self-sustaining, nationally owned, and resilient processes for post-crisis recovery.

While the emphasis on post-conflict recovery is on reconstructing vandalized health centers and hospitals, it is crucial to revitalize the health extension program which is the backbone of Ethiopia’s primary healthcare system and deliver critical MCH services that have been disrupted by the conflict. It is also essential to strengthen nutrition service delivery and ensure the integration of interventions to promote child development and buffer children affected by the conflict from long-term developmental consequences. When successfully rolled out, this investment is expected to raise awareness and attract additional investment in the early years in the conflicted-affected areas and beyond. It will also provide real-world example that can inform future investments and decision making.

PATH seeks to recruit a Program Advisor for the project-Early Childhood Development (ECD) in conflict affected areas. The incumbent will serve as a member of the central project team, providing technical and program management support to the project and the ECD portfolio of the organization.

Major Duties And Responsibilities

Project management

• Engage in the design, implementation and monitoring of the ECD in conflict affected areas project and other related projects.
• Support the project field staffs in planning, implementation, monitoring and other project management activities.
• Engage in the project learnings documentation and sharing. Involve in research, and assessments.
• Engage in proposal development ensuring that proposals meet funder specifications and deadlines as well as PATH’s quality standards
• Attend and represent PATH at relevant external briefings and meetings.
• Provide additional support as necessary to build the portfolio of PATH Ethiopia and Global ECD team.

Routine health service restoration & integration of ECD interventions in conflict affected areas

• Provide technical assistance to Federal Ministry of Health and Regional Health bureau in promoting system level interventions that help speedy restoration of the routine service and the integration of ECD interventions such as developmental millstones monitoring, counselling on responsive care giving and stimulation and playbox sessions into the MNCHN services in conflict affected areas.
• provide technical and service coordination support to catch-up immunization and integrated community outreach service.
• Provide technical and project management support to regional project coordinator, community ECD associates and public sector staffs to facilitate a speedy restoration of routine health services.
• Lead the support to the primary health system down to the level of health extension workers (HEWs) to successfully integrate developmental monitoring and counselling into routine maternal and child health and nutrition services in conflict affected areas.
• Lead adaptation of the training materials, information, education, and communication (IEC) tools, ECD key messages tool and the ECD counselling cards to the post-conflict context.

Learning through play

• Provide technical guidance in capacity building and establishment of community playgroups for the promotion of learning through play through for early childhood education.
• Oversee distribution of community playgroup kits to the community play groups, and community toymaking forums to make and collect locally appropriate tools.
• Work with other early childhood education partners to collect group games and stories that could be added to the facilitator package.
• Lead efforts to strengthen linkages between the community playgroups and the formal health and protection sector by facilitating birth registration for children and visits by HEWs and health center service providers to conduct deworming, vitamin A supplementation, growth monitoring, monitoring of developmental milestones, and referrals for suspected developmental delays, disabilities, and cases of acute malnutrition.

Parental mental health

• Work with psychiatrist from universities and hospitals to integrate light touch screening and counselling on maternal depression into primary health care.
• Lead integration of appropriate models for provision of psychosocial support into PHCU platforms in conflict affected areas.
• Oversee capacity building and establishment of group-based psychosocial support in the community to build resilience and foster a network of social support.
• Lead capacity building training of health workers and HEWs.

Social and behavioral change communication (SBCC)

• Lead the development and adaptation of targeted SBCC interventions on multiple aspects of nurturing care which might include low-literacy IEC tools, radio/TV spots and radio listening groups and mobile app tools that build on existing government platforms such as Hulu Betena.

Multisectoral and multi-partner alignment and engagement

• Liaise and coordinate with stakeholders for common goals. Work to establish and maintain strong multisectoral and multi-partner alignment and engagement.
• Engage and support creation of strong partners/stakeholders’ coordination forums at national, regional and Woreda level.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Engage in the design of the project M&E framework, tools and system ensuring establishment of result oriented monitoring evaluation and learning system.
• Provide technical assistance to the government counterparts to strengthen their data collection, reporting, and review skills.
• Engage in the documentation and sharing of the lessons learned with a view to expanding the evidence base for supporting nurturing care in conflict affected areas.
• Ensure quarterly progress report is submitted to the government and donors.

Required Skills

Required Experience

• Advanced degree in public health or related field.
• Ten years of relevant work experience in public health with strong skill and knowledge in the field of early childhood development and child health program.
• Experience of working in NGOs
• In-depth knowledge of Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development.
• Excellent understanding of the Ethiopian health sector, primary health care
• Experience in community based maternal, new-born and child health and nutrition
• Experience in ECD, nutrition, child health other related programs in conflict affected areas
• Demonstrated ability to support program planning, implementation, and evaluation
• Demonstrated skills in writing reports for technical and, and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other information processing software.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to work independently with minimal guidance.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic.

You must currently have legal authorization to work in Ethiopia.

PATH is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity is valued.

PATH is an equal opportunity employer. Every qualified applicant will be considered for employment. PATH does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or orientation, genetic information, age, national origin, marital status, disability status, political ideology, military or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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