Vaga Servisu - Technical Advisor, Social Behavior Change, USAID Integrated Health System Activity - Palladium

 

Technical Advisor, Social Behavior Change, USAID Integrated Health System Activity

PROPEL (Promoting Results and Outcomes through Policy and Economic Levers) Health, a USAID-funded five-year $100 million project awarded to Palladium, aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy development and implementation; adequate, predictable, and sustainable health financing; enhanced government stewardship, transparency, and accountability; and use of evidence-based advocacy approaches at global, national, and subnational levels to promote best practices.  

The USAID Integrated Health System Activity in Timor-Leste (PROPEL Health Timor-Leste) shall aim to work with the Ministry of Health and key local actors to accelerate progress toward building a sustainable and inclusive health system – focusing on strengthening family planning/ reproductive health (FP/RH), maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (MNCAH), and nutrition programs and improving related health outcomes through primary health care-based health system strengthening and demand generation approaches. The USAID Integrated Health System Activity will:   

• Strengthen effective health governance and efficient health financing mechanisms; 

• Provide technical support to generate and utilize timely and reliable information for decision making within the public health system; 
• Enhance management capacities for human resources for health (HRH); and  
• Improve the demand for health services through strengthening institutional capacities for social accountability and promoting health-seeking behavior. 

Position Summary  

The position provides technical support to improve institutional capacities for Social Behavior Change interventions, including the full continuum of SBC activities such as community mobilization and engagement, and healthcare worker interpersonal and counseling skills to improve demand, access and utilization for primary healthcare services with emphasis on Family Planning/ Reproductive Health (FP/RH), Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (MNCAH) and Nutrition. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Strategic Leadership and Policy Development  

• Engage the MOH stakeholders and other implementing partners to develop/update outreach guidelines to encourage proactive outreach services to increase the population with access to full choices about modern contraception, and maternal, newborn health services. 

Capacity Building and Technical Assistance

• Provide technical assistance to the Government (Ministry of Health and Municipal Assemblies) and stakeholders to Improve the institutional capacities and systems of MOH 

• Improve the design, evaluation and implementation of evidence-based Social Behaviour Change interventions based on global best practice that tailors messaging for FP/RH, MNCAH, nutrition, to demonstrate the critical importance of delivering comprehensive, quality healthcare services. 
• Provide technical support on defining the role of and capacity building to ensure frontline providers have the skills and guidelines for respectful, integrated delivery of healthcare services regardless of client’s age, gender, orientation, religion, marital or disability status. This may include development of job descriptions, adapting or revising training curriculum and plans, and co-facilitating training and other capacity building activities such mentoring. 

Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement 

• Support strategies and action plans to improve collaboration and action planning between development partners in Timor Leste including non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations to strengthen the health sector to deliver high impact FP/RH and MNAH interventions. 

• Establish strong relationship with the key Ministry of Health stakeholders to ensure activities are tailored to the specific needs and local context; leverage other government agencies, partners and institutions, and other relevant stakeholders in the health system to collectively support the Government of Timor-Leste to achieve its goals through community engagement and mobilization and social behaviour change. 
• Support the SBC technical working group at the central level to utilize health data, and coordinated partner action plans to improve tailored, segmented, high impact SBC strategies to improve utilization and access to FP/RH, MNCAH and Nutrition services and practices. 

Project Management and Implementation 

• Provide oversight responsibilities, periodic check-ins and capacity strengthening for PROPEL grantees, municipal and village level stakeholders to effectively manage, review and oversee coordinated SBC strategies. 

• Design and co-facilitate learning exchanges to best practices between municipalities, partners and grantees. 
• Contribute to and coordinate with other data use activities to ensure alignment and coherent approaches.  
• Contribute to the formulation of project strategy, work plans and reports. 
• Other duties as assigned by the Country Director. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (master's or PhD) in Public Health, Health Promotion Science, Health Systems Management, Psychology, or related field. 
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in health systems strengthening and/or SBC. 
• Experience working with public health, government stakeholders and systems, development partners, professional associates and other SBC stakeholders.  
• Strong understanding of global best practices in social behaviour change, behavioural economics, and health systems strengthening strategies. 
• History working with the Ministry of Health, and/or donor-funded projects responsible for carrying out social behaviour change is preferred. 
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English and preferably in Tetum. 
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite programs, including Outlook, Word and Excel and preferably experience with SharePoint. 

Company Overview: 

About Palladium - Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value.  We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people's lives. 

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status. 

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. 

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm.” We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process. 

How to apply: Please submit your application via link below 

Apply Now