Introduction

PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health.

Job Summary

PATH is currently looking for an ECD Project Associate to support routine Brueh Tesfa ECD project activities, maintain implementation of these activities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, integrate missing nurturing care content into COVID-19 prevention efforts, and support interventions to keep health facilities safe for client and service providers during the pandemic. The ECD Project Associate will work closely with the Addis Ababa Regional Health Bureau, sub city health offices, health facilities, COVID-19 emergency response teams at different levels, and other key stakeholders such as the Addis Ababa Women and Children Affairs Bureau. The position will be based in the Addis Ababa Regional Health Bureau.

Key responsibilities for this position include:

Technical support and facilitation

• Contribute to project work planning efforts—including adaptations to project design needed to factor in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Identify government- and partner-led COVID-19 interventions for integration of child development and caregiver mental health content.
• Engage in in development of job aids, IEC/BCC materials that promote child development, caregiver mental health, and COVID-19 prevention and care.
• Conduct capacity building trainings of facility- and community-level service providers to deliver services such as counseling on care for early childhood development, caregiver mental health, and COVID-19 prevention and care.
• Work closely with relevant government staff to reinforce ECD program activities, and COVID-19 prevention and management,
• Support awareness creation and community engagement efforts to maintain essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Provide inputs on child development and caregiver mental health into mass communication materials such as radio spots promoting COVID-19 prevention and care.
• Support health facilities in their efforts to keep service providers and clients safe in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by engaging in the efforts to provide PPE and IPC supplies and monitor their proper utilization.
• Jointly with government staff, provide supportive supervision and mentorship to trained service providers and monitor quality of service delivery.

Planning, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning

• Prepare monthly and quarterly plans and reports.
• Engage in monitoring, evaluation and learning activities—including routine data collection and document good practices/success stories.

Coordination and networking

• Serve as PATH focal point person for the Brueh Tesfa Project in the field.
• Liaise and establish good working relationships with the Addis Ababa Regional Health Bureau, sub city health offices, health facilities, and other relevant actors.
• Participate in regularly scheduled meetings and multisectoral forums at sub city level and represent the project.
• Perform other duties needed for accomplishment of program objectives.

Duration: One year with possibility of extension based on performance and availability of funding

Required Skills:

• Fluency in Amharic and working knowledge of written and spoken English.
• Ability to understand and respect the cultural, and social environment and to work well with staff and local authorities in a diplomatic manner.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills with capacity to solve problems with energy, flexibility, attention to detail, and a positive attitude.
• Proficiency in various technologies (computers, mobile phones, etc.) and proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Ability to plan own work, set priorities, complete work under pressure or when faced with competing demands and report.
• Excellent training and facilitation skills, as well as ability to provide post-training supportive supervision and mentorship to trained service providers.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, nursing, social sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in health service promotion at community level working for either a nongovernmental organization or government institution.
• Excellent knowledge of the Ethiopian health system and of realities of health service delivery at health facility and community levels.
• Awareness of key concepts of COVID-19 transmission, prevention, and care essential.