Civil Society Engagement, State Coordinator (Full-time Consultant) – Nigeria Consultancy Full Time

Position: Civil Society Engagement, Rivers State Coordinator (full-time consultant)
Program: HP+ Nigeria Sustainable Health Financing of HIV/AIDS and TB Programs at National and Subnational Levels
Location: Rivers State, Nigeria
Duration: Full-time consultant until June 2020 with possibility of extension.

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 foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.

For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies and most importantly, people’s lives.

Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.

Project Overview:
Health Policy Plus (HP+) is a USAID-funded five-year $185 million project awarded to Palladium in August 2015. HP+ has a mandate across global, country, and subnational levels to strengthen and advance health policy priorities in HIV, family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), and maternal health. It aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy development and implementation, with an emphasis on voluntary, rights-based health programs, and by strengthening in-country partners’ capacity to navigate complex environments for effective policy design, implementation, and financing aligned to their priorities. HP+ provides technical assistance to governments, civil society, and the private sector to effectively engage in domestic resource mobilization (DRM), put in place sustainable financing and accountability mechanisms, and make progress toward global, national, and subnational health goals.

HP+ has been engaged by the USAID Nigeria Office to conceptualize and design activities to improve sustainable financing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and tuberculosis (TB) programs at the national level and in two USAID priority states – Lagos and Kano. These activities will span an initial period of 2 years, will continue efforts started by the Health Finance and Governance (HFG) project and complement current Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV and AIDS Services (SIDHAS) and Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus projects’ activities.

Overall Responsibilities:

• The Civil Society Engagement State Coordinator will be responsible for leading the engagement with key civil society organizations that advocate for proper quality treatment and counseling services for those living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, including – but not limited to – the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NEPHWAN). (S)he will coordinate and work under the guidance of the larger Abuja-based team engaged on diverse HIV activities at the national level.

Key Responsibilities:

• Engage with civil society organizations (CSOs) in the state to assess patients’ financial and non-financial constraints on access to HIV care and services.
• Engage with State representatives – including from the Ministry of Health, and the National and State Agencies for the Control of AIDS (NACA/SACA) – to assess the scope, execution, monitoring and sustainability of policy directives on user fees on their respective states.
• Liaise and support CSOs to advocate for effective reduction or removal of user fees for HIV services across public facilities in the state and provide overall technical assistance.
• Support HP+ in the development of a policy monitoring guide to track progress in the execution of user fee removal policies in the State.
• Coordinate with HP+ to propose and identify potential LGAs and facilities where monitoring guide can be applied.
• Document lessons learned on CSO engagement and user fee removal and make final recommendations so that the monitoring guide can be applied across other states.
• Participate in the design, preparation and facilitation of workshops, meetings and engagements with stakeholders as necessary.
• Other tasks assigned by HP+ Technical Advisors

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• At least two (2) years of experience working with civil society organizations and / or on good governance issues. Demonstrated familiarity with the concepts, methods, and tools related to civil society governance.
• At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in health or health financing with a focus on HIV/AIDS.
• Master’s degree in Public Health, Economics, Statistics, Social Sciences, or other related discipline, preferred. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree and two additional years of relevant experience will also be considered.
• Sound understanding of the HIV epidemic and programs in Nigeria.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Ability to meet tight deadlines and attention to detail.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong English writing, oral communication, and reporting skills.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Ability to take initiative and respond independently to situations.

Interested candidates must specify the cost of their full-time consultancy.

Deadline to apply: January 21, 2020. Please upload resume/CV file saved as “First Name_Last Name”

Tagged as: Civil society, Nigeria