Project Support Specialist

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the Program Management and Partnerships Specialist and the technical guidance of the Director, Health Systems and Services (HSS), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

 a)Provide technical support for the management, coordination, implementation and evaluation of the UHC-Partnership (UHC-P) voluntary contributions for the region of the Americas;

 b)Support the design, development and implementation of the project, including resource mobilization and resource coordination, performance monitoring and assessment, and use of evaluation tools to support the sound management of project funds; provide strategic support and inputs to develop the program of work;

 c)Establish and maintain effective partnerships with all project stakeholders to exchange critical and technical information and resolve implementation issues in the voluntary contributions to ensure results are achieved as planned;

 d)Coordinate with countries, regional technical units and subregional programs as necessary and provide technical quality control for the development of multi-annual and annual work planning for UHC-P voluntary contributions, ensuring fit with donor requirements;

e)Liaise frequently with focal points in countries, regional technical units and subregional programs to coordinate, seek approval for and track ad hoc amendments to the project plans;

f) Develop, update and report on indicators to measure the results frameworks of voluntary contributions;

 g)Coordinate regular technical monitoring on progress of work plans and annual reporting on impact and results, providing guidance on monitoring and reporting tools and quality assurance; 

 h) Provide PAHO’s inputs to the UHC-P Annual Report coordinated from WHO;

 i) Manage funding disbursement and tracking for UHC-P voluntary contributions; 

 j) Monitor the execution of voluntary contribution funds. Prepare monthly and quarterly grant-level budget and implementation reports and analysis and advise the award manager in potential corrective actions;

k) Develop and maintain collaborative project tools such as SharePoint, Teams or online monitoring systems for managing project plans and reports across entities;

l) Provide briefings for senior management on progress and issues for PAHO representation on the Multi-Donor Coordination Committee and the High-Level Steering Committee. Coordinate and prepare presentations for PAHO representation in Live Monitoring with WHO technical teams and UHC-P donors, and for Joint Working Team meetings on technical themes;

m) Organize internal PAHO meetings with participating entities related to the UHC-P contributions, such as for planning, monitoring, reporting and grant updates, preparing presentations, agenda and meeting materials;

 n) Collaborate within the HSS department in the implementation of other large voluntary contributions, as requested;

 o) Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education :

Essential: A bachelor's degree in a health or social science related to the functions of the post from a recognized university.

Desirable: A master's degree in public health, policy and planning, project management, health administration, public administration, management or related field would be an asset. In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.PAHO, considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in one of the following databases:

World Higher Education Database (WHED), list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).The list can be accessed through the link:

Council for Higher Education Accreditation

College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, college navigator to support the validation process.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit:

Experience :

Essential: Five years combined national and international experience in the fields of project management, health planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Desirable: Experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders including international donor agencies would be an asset.

SKILLS :

PAHO Competencies:

Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity. Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others.Creates team spirit; promotes collaboration and open communication in the team; proactively supports others; welcomes team responsibilities and drives team results; promotes knowledge sharing in the team.

Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking / Write Effectively / Share knowledge.Foresees communication needs of audience and targets message accordingly.Facilitates open communication; encourages others to share their views openly and takes time to understand and consider their views.Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

Knowing and Managing Yourself:Remain productive/Continuously learn - Remains objective and focused even in a “changing and moving” environment; continues to display positive behavior when facing some constraints; keeps challenges in perspective. Seeks all relevant information for decision making from a wide range of sources; quickly learns new competencies and skills that expand role capability; shows rapid understanding of new and/or complex information relevant to job.

Producing Results:Work efficiently and independently/ Deliver quality results - Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.

Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well. Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives.Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

Technical Expertise:

·Technical understanding of health systems and services and other technical programs (NCDs, PHE, etc.)

·Practical knowledge of results-based management concepts and tools and their applications.

·Theoretical and practical knowledge of international technical cooperation, with emphasis on the negotiation and management of international cooperation programs and projects.

·Demonstrated project management skills in planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting; strong knowledge of financial analysis, synthesis, and forecasting.

·Ability to develop collaborative working relationships, support resource mobilization and coordinate activities among various internal and external partners.

·Ability to integrate managerial and technical inputs into recommendations for decision-making processes; ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment.

·Excellent organizational and analytic skills.

·Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of Spanish or English with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, in particular spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Visio and Project would be an asset.