South Sudan: Health Management Information Systems Specialist

The South-Sudan Health Pooled Fund Programme has been extended for another two years, from April 2016 to March 2018. The two-year programme extension (HPF2) will focus on consolidating gains made during the first phase and laying the ground work for a further phase of support from 2018. HPF2 will continue focusing on Health services delivery and health system strengthening. The objectives of the programme are:

1. To increase the utilisation and quality of health services, with emphasis on maternal and child health: Development Partners (DPs) are to contribute to the improvement of access, use, and quality of Primary Health Care (PHC) services and Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) services.

2. To scale up health promotion and protection interventions so as to empower communities to take charge of their health: DPs were to contribute to increased accountability and effectiveness by working with community mechanisms for improving health and health education.

3. To strengthen institutional functioning, including governance and health system effectiveness, efficiency and equity: DPs will support strengthening key stewardship functions of the MOH including: planning, management, coordination, supervision and monitoring at all levels, in accordance with MOH guidelines and tools that were to be developed.

A robust Health Management Information System (HMIS) is the foundation for planning and managing health services. Without an HMIS in place it is impossible to monitor and evaluate programmes for their achievement towards set results. The redesign of HPF in this second phase provides an opportunity for increased focus on HMIS for informing the integration of all programmes from community level up to county, state and national levels to achieve project results.

The HMIS Specialist will lead specific actions across all counties in the eight former states of EES, WES, CES, WBG, NBG, Warrap, Unity and Lakes to ensure a rigorous system of data collection, compilation, analysis and display throughout both service delivery and in communities – focussing on use of the information collected for planning and managing the health services at local level. The HMIS Specialist will be part of the HSS team of experts and work closely with the M&E Manager.

The approach is likely to include:

· Liaise with programmes so as to identify possible bottlenecks in the successful execution of the HMIS in the eight former states and at national level

· Provide advice re integration of all current vertical programme information data sets into a harmonized HMIS for improved programme planning

· Support the implementation of DHIS2 at national level with customising Dashboards

· Develop national level reports for program managers

· Assess Data Quality and provide feedback

· Assess Use of Information and provide recommendations for training

· Support the implementation/functioning of the Hospital HMIS and identify bottlenecks and make recommendations

· Liaise with HMIS and M&E to ensure smooth overlap and functioning within HPF2

Qualifications and Essential Experience:

· At least a degree in Health Informatics or equivalent, or MPH

· Minimum of 5 years' experience working in HMIS, with at least 2 years working at national level

· Demonstrable technical expertise and working knowledge of the health sector preferably in Africa

· Ability to lead but also work well with diverse team members, NGOs and governments and other stakeholders

· Excellent analytical and reporting skills

· Excellent command of written and spoken English

Desirable:

· Previous working experience in training health workers with low academic levels

· Used to working in the field under difficult conditions

· Experience of working in conflict and post conflict settings

· Knowledge of the aid effectiveness agenda and donor harmonisation

Please send a brief cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) detailing why you think you would be suited to this role and include your annual salary expectation in GBP. Please also send tailored and maximum two-page CV tobdrecruitment@healthpartners-int.co.uk

Applications must be received by 1 December 2016 COB.