JOB DESCRIPTION
Position:
Senior State Program Manager (SSPM)
Grade/Level
C
Project/Unit
Bihar TSU
Reports to:
Head – Strategic Program Management Team
Location:
Patna (Bihar)
Project Duration:
2018 (may be extended till 2020)
Project Background
A Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) was signed between Government of Bihar (GoB) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in 2010, based on which BMGF agreed to provide technical support and assistance to GoB to improve Health and Nutrition outcomes across the State. As part of this MoC, a Technical Support Unit (TSU) was established in 2013 with CARE India as the lead development partner. The Bihar TSU aimed to support the Health and Social Welfare (ICDS) Departments of the GoB in their endeavour to achieve rapid and sustainable change in health and nutrition. The TSU targeting providing specific technical support on Government of India’s (GoI) RMNCHA+A campaign, GoB’s Manav Vikas Mission Goals and KalaAzar elimination goals across the State. This support extends across hierarchies – from State level support to Health Department, ICDS department and State Health Society of Bihar (SHSB), to District and Block level support across all 534 blocks in the State. As a part of the agreement between GoB and BMGF, Bihar TSU has established a State Resource Unit (SRU) and District Resource Units (DRU) in all the districts to provide technical support at district level. The DRU would function as a Platform to enable structured delivering of program intervention and ensure that there is alignment with government priorities. It would help improve utilization/alignment and synergy of resources like DPs at district level. It will also ensure data driven management and bridge communication gaps between State and districts.
Job Summary
Contract/Key Relationships
1
The Senior State Program Manager play roles that are similar to that of State Program Managers, with the additional responsibility of mentoring State Program Managers. The SSPM will be responsible for strategic planning of the overall BTSP as well as for implementation support and analytical program monitoring of all field operations. As an individual leader, the SSPM will play a key role in providing strategic inputs for program design, drawing on operational experience to design and refine implementation approaches, processes and tools, anticipating their feasibility and impact, and designing pilots to test alternative approaches. Individual SSPMs may also be assigned specific leadership responsibilities for discrete tasks and projects. As a member of the SPMT, the SSPM will work closely with peers on the team to collect and collate monitoring data and analyze performance of individual members and DRU teams as a whole, and track progress against plans. S/he will support DRU teams to identify and successfully address operational gaps and challenges. The SSPM is expected to sense lagging indicators and lapsing implementation efforts early and raise timely alarm, as also to help cross fertilize successful ideas and processes.
Reports to senior BTSP leadership Oversees DRU Team Leads and other DRU members Collaborates with SPMT peers and SRU Technical Team Leads Mentors to State Program Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION
Key Responsibilities
The primary duties and responsibilities of the Senior State Program Manager will include the following but not be restricted to: A. Strategic Program Planning and Design i. Provide strategic inputs to the overall design of all intervention approaches of BTSP, at state, district and block levels. ii. Develop and standardize BTSP program guidelines, protocols, tools etc. iii. Develop and test strategies for co-design of implementation approaches with government program leadership at all levels iv. Develop and use analytical frameworks for monitoring progress of all interventions against plans, including key performance indicators related to all program interventions v. Identify internal and external capacity/skill building needs and design ways of responding to these needs in a timely manner vi. Lead development of specific and discrete fresh interventions, as assigned from time to time vii. Mentor State Program Managers in strategic and operational roles B. i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi.
xii. viii. Qualification Experience
&
i.
ii.
2
Support field teams and monitor performance Provide directional support to DRUs in co designing implementation approaches and interventions with district program leadership of health and ICDS departments. Conduct regular supportive supervision and monitoring visits to districts for onsite support to DRU members, traveling at least 60% of the time. Support DRUs in interpreting and adapting directions from SHS/SRU on all key intervention areas. Conduct ongoing/periodic assessments of program outputs and outcomes including causal analysis of progress or lack of progress Identify interventions and approaches that are working well or not working well in different geographies, using objective indicators and analyses Highlight the good practices and facilitate cross learning Support DRUs in ensuring establishment of credibility of priorities and approaches with regional and district leadership of health and ICDS programs Support implementation of capacity/skill building initiatives for DRU staff. Identify inadequacies and irrationalities in generation and use of data at all program levels and guide and support corrective measures Anticipate operational challenges and detect lapses in implementation in time Assess performances of each DRU team and of individual DRU members collaboratively with peers on an ongoing basis and identify corrective measures for shortcomings in time, using standardized performance indicators Assess and identify issues of concern in partnerships with government and development partners at regional, district and block levels Strive to support the professional and personal development of individual members of the DRU MBBS/Medical graduate in AYUSH/Masters in Social Work / Social Science / Public Health/Rural Management/ Hospital Management/MBA/PGDM with over 8- 10 years of Public Health experience, preferably in the area of Maternal and Child Health. Minimum 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience in implementing maternal or child health or nutrition or disease control programs at the State/ Regional
JOB DESCRIPTION iii. iv. Skills & Competencies
i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi.
vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi.
3
Demonstrated experience in advocacy and collaboration with district or higher level administrative authorities Demonstrated experience of efficiently managing a large and diverse team Expertise and experience in large scale programme implementation Demonstrated analytical ability in field operations for complex interventions requiring service provider behavior change Ability to objectively analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative program monitoring and evaluation data Demonstrated rigor in executing tasks, with an eye for detail Strong familiarity with functioning of government systems and procedures, particularly in health and nutrition programs Demonstrated ability in developing innovative capacity building approaches, training modules, planning large scale training programs and ongoing capacity enhancement approaches Willingness and ability to learn and support learning in peers and subordinates Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team environment. Willingness and ability to travel extensively and document observations objectively and efficiently. Demonstrated ability to meet timelines while working on different assignments simultaneously. A team player following model codes of conduct and behavior ensuring gender and rights based approaches at the workplace. High standards of personal integrity and honesty, and ability to set standards for subordinates and peers Demonstrated ability to lead by example Sensitivity to human suffering and desire to act professionally to mitigate it Clarity in verbal and written communication in either Hindi or English Computer proficiency with high level of familiarity with MS office and Internet