Medical Specialist (MS)
Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with extensive domestic and international travel
Job status: Full time employment
Nationality: Highly preferred from an African country
Touch
Foundation, an NGO working to save lives and relieve human suffering by
strengthening healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa, providing
better access to care and improving the quality of local health systems,
is seeking an outstanding individual to join its team as its Medical
Specialist (MS)
Recommended:
The MS will join a team of highly mission-driven professionals with
diverse backgrounds and experiences, ranging from management consulting
to global public health. The MS will work closely with team members
across all levels and functions, becoming an integral part of Touch’s
commitment to improving health in sub-Saharan Africa.
BACKGROUND
Touch
Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 to help
strengthen healthcare systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Touch was founded
by Lowell Bryan, a former Senior Partner with McKinsey & Co. who
understood that Tanzania faced a daunting healthcare environment, with
declining life expectancy and increasing maternal and infant mortality.
After working to address the dearth of health care workers in Tanzania
(one of the biggest impediments to access to healthcare) through the
successful co-creation of a large medical school in the Lake Zone of
Tanzania, Touch began focusing on others of the most pressing global
health challenges.
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Touch applies a three-phase strategic approach
to bring cost-effective and sustainable solutions to these challenges.
In collaboration with funders, local partners and governments, Touch
designs programs and implements them at a small scale to test their
potential impact. Successful solutions are then scaled up to a national
level, setting the stage to ultimately adapt and replicate them in other
countries facing similar challenges to achieve broader impact.
Touch’s
current programmatic priorities include its program to ensure access to
emergency transport and high-quality care for obstetric and neonatal
emergencies, leading to a reduction in maternal and infant mortality,
and the use of its innovative and data-driven solution to optimize
planning and decision-making around production, deployment and retention
of scarce health workers. Given the private sector background of its
Board members and several members of its staff, Touch is also focused on
developing market-based solutions for portions of the private health
sector to complement the role of the public health system in providing
broader access to care to their population. To date, Touch has
successfully implemented programs in Tanzania, Lesotho, Nigeria,
Mozambique and South Africa.
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Touch’s work is data driven and
evidence based. Its goal is to prove impact of innovative programs by
testing and implementing in Tanzania and then scaling to other African
Countries. Ultimately, Touch intends that its programmatic work be used
as a blueprint for expanding and improving healthcare services across
Sub-Saharan Africa. Touch shares the knowledge and the information
obtained through its work with policy makers and other stakeholders.
Touch’s
budget is in the $6 million range and its funding comes from a variety
of sources, including a cooperative agreement with USAID. Most of its
people work overseas in Africa and other countries with the
administrative and development functions centered in New York City. The
people who work at Touch are very collaborative, focused, and driven to
excel which has contributed to the impact that Touch has made.
Touch Foundation is seeking a hardworking, and experienced professional to become its Medical Specialist. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer, the MS is responsible for the clinical effectiveness of Touch programs. He/she is in charge of Touch’s clinical monitoring and evaluation system and provides expert guidance and input on all of Touch’s programs. The MS is an integral member of the program team, and works closely with Directors, Program and Project Managers, and other program staff. The MS also works closely with Touch’s development team to support funding cultivation, proposal development and communication efforts. As a senior member of the team, the MS must be a detail-oriented professional able to collaborate constructively across teams. Responsibilities of the role may be adapted based upon the identified needs on the ground.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Support the program team by providing clinical guidance on the full spectrum of Touch’s program design and implementation
- Develop, implement and manage monitoring and clinical evaluation across Touch’s programs, and produce program reports
- Regularly present and report to the program leadership on the clinical outcomes of all programs
- In collaboration with Program and Project Managers, liaise with program and government partners to share information and coordinate program clinical activities
- Participate in Touch’s strategic development process, providing input from a clinical perspective on new programs as they are designed
- Work closely with Touch’s fundraising team as needed to support and provide input in the funding cultivation and proposal development process, and assist with communications efforts
- Perform research and write papers and articles on Touch programs and impact for publication as needed
- In collaboration with Directors, Program and Project Managers, establish and maintain collaborative relations with key medical professionals outside of the organization, liaising with groups and government agencies, and representing Touch at conferences, government technical working groups, and other relevant bodies as needed
- Collaborate with the HR department on internal health and safety policies across all countries where Touch has on the ground staff
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Qualifications
- Master of Medicine (MMed) degree required, Master of Public Health (MPH) degree strongly recommended
- Minimum 10 years’ relevant professional experience in clinical medicine, hospital and health system operations, medical education, or a combination of those. A minimum of 3 years’ experience practicing medicine is strongly recommended
- Minimum 3 years’ prior experience in developing countries, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa Skills
- Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and attention to detail
- Solid relationship-building skills and cross-cultural sensitivity: ability to interface with external constituents from a variety of backgrounds
- Good judgment and discretion to represent the Touch Foundation in a highly professional manner, as well as respect for local culture
- Full proficiency in English required, proficiency in Kiswahili preferred
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed to jobs@touchfoundation.org Please put ‘Touch MS” in the subject line of your e-mailed application.
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This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions (as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act) expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of an incumbent. An incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required. Management may at its discretion assign or re-assign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description does not change the at-will employment relationship existing between the organization and its employees.
Touch Foundation, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer (M/F/D/V).
