Program Officer - PATH

PATH is looking for a Project Officer to provide support to the Making Every Baby Count Initiative II (MEBCI 2) project, to be implemented in three Regional Hospitals in Ghana. Under the direction of the Project Leader, the Program Officer will provide technical and administrative support to the MEBCI 2 project.  S/he will receive technical directives from the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Advocacy Advisor and interact directly with Kybele Inc. and the Family Health Division, Child Health Department and Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service as well as the heads of target Regional Hospitals in the project regions.

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.

MEBCI 2 project focuses on improving quality advance obstetric and newborn care at the regional hospitals in Ghana. This Four-year project is funded by United Kingdom based Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). MEBCI 2.0 aims at improving obstetric and newborn care staff capacity, establishing multilayered data systems to measure operational processes and impact, and advocate for globally accepted standards for advance newborn care. Key activities in this project include policy advocacy and communication, capacity building, data improvements and knowledge sharing. The project leverages on PATH’s maternal and newborn health care activity in Ghana, following the five-year MEBCI project, which was implemented from 2013 -2018.

Responsibilities:

• Perform a variety of technical and administrative activities in support of implementation of the MEBCI 2- Advance Care Project including assisting with policy advocacy and communication, procurement of essential equipment, devices, and documentation.
• Assist with the development of policy briefs, facts sheets, flyers on policy and other advocacy materials to facilitate changes in policy and program implementation around quality obstetric and newborn care.
• Monitor and gather relevant information on outcomes of advocacy and promotional activities and prepare monthly report on the advocacy component of the MEBCI 2 project.
• Provide administrative and technical support to project management including work planning, implementation, and project monitoring.
• Liaison with PATH Finance and administration officer (PADM) and Advocacy Adviser to ensure project milestones are met for all assigned activities and track project progress
• Liaise with Project lead and Kybele Inc. Project Manager on partner activities and manage relations with partners.
• develop and maintain a good relationship with stakeholders, while linking the project activities and results to the overall PATH vision.
• Assist with documentation and writing project reports.
• Assist advocacy adviser to move project recommendations to policy and programs.
• Assist with development of advocacy and communication materials for policy makers and community awareness creation on advance newborn care including policy briefs, fact sheets, video clips and news items for social and traditional media and document at the GHS, Kybele, and PATH website.
• Perform other activities as directed by PATH and the project donors.

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion and or related disciplines.
• Three to five years of relevant work experience in project management, health advocacy and communication.
• At least three years’ experience in a Project Officer or Project Associate role, preferably on a health-related donor-funded project.
• Demonstrated experience in project monitoring, data collection, workshop organization facilitation and presentation.
• Experience and understanding of the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service working milieu is required.
• Working knowledge of English.
• Results Focused and able to work independently and within a group.
• Ability to coordinate and work with multidisciplinary teams.
• Effective Communication within and outside organization.
• Proficiency in basic computer software (MS Word, MS Excel and spread sheet packages).