Job Description:
A stable and prosperous Pakistan is a top priority in international development efforts of the UK Government. Empowerment and voice of women, girls and marginalized social groups is vital for these efforts to succeed. Therefore, enabling them to articulate their needs and influence legislation, policies and practices which affect them is at the heart of the UK’s development assistance. Better access to reproductive, maternal, new-born and child health and nutrition is an important entry point to achieve this objective.
Pakistan is off-track to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). DFID Pakistan, therefore, is focusing on reproductive, maternal, new-born and child health (RMNCH) including nutrition to support effective implementation of health sector strategies that will lead to achievement of the health MDGs. DFID has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Pakistan on Provincial Health and Nutrition Programme (PHNP) to achieve RMNCH and nutrition results in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The Project (EVA-BHN):
Within the broader PHNP framework, Futures Group is responsible for the implementation of the Empowerment, Voice and Accountability for Better Health and Nutrition (EVA-BHN) project.
The objective of the project is to increase the demand for better RMNCH services and nutrition and empower citizens to hold the service providers to account. Women, girls and children with the greatest needs and from underserved backgrounds will be prioritized. EVA-BHN will complement the supply-side interventions by increasing demand and strengthening mechanisms for greater and effective citizen participation and monitoring of health services. This includes:
- Influence health legislation, policy, practices, and service delivery through greater pressure and demand from the citizens. The project will work through a combination of empowerment, voice and accountability approaches including, but not limited to, awareness raising and mobilization, advocacy and lobbying, capacity building, coalitions and partnerships.
- Pilot innovative solutions for increasing access of the poor and women and girls to RMNCH and nutrition – with priority to increasing immunisation coverage, skilled birth attendance, modern contraceptive usage, child and mother nutrition, management of common child ailments and usage of primary healthcare facilities, community workers, etc.
These TORs relate to the Project Officer Policy and Advocacy role for the Empowerment, Voice and Accountability for Better Health and Nutrition (EVA-BHN) project.
Outline of the Position
The Project Officer Policy and Advocacy has the overall responsibility for implementation of the Advocacy and Accountability Strategy of the project districts with a particular focus on implementation of the district advocacy plans.
The role holder will be working in a team comprising 2 Project Officers and will be managed by the Provincial Advocacy and Accountability Manager. The incumbent of this position will be required to work in close collaboration with the other technical teams i.e. capacity building, research monitoring and evaluation; and community empowerment. S/he will also closely work with the monitoring and evaluation teams for documentation of the changes/reforms resulting from EVA interventions and the processes that lead to those changes.
SPECIFIC TASKS
Implementation
- District Advocacy Forums (DAFs):
- Establish and organize District Advocacy Forums and facilitate its meetings by undertaking the sub activities that may include and not limited to:
- Identification of key stakeholders
- Lobbying meetings
- Official correspondence
- Agendas development
- Extending invitations
- Doing follow up confirmations
- Post DAF meetings correspondence such as letter of thanks
- Do DAF record keeping including meeting minutes, issues log, attendance records
- Ensure the participation of DAF members
- Facilitate DAF meetings to ensure a constructive and healthy debate environment
- Coordinate with other team members for DAF inputs such as Community Based Monitoring Data
- Maintain liaison with district level stakeholders in general and with DAF members in particular
- Provincial Advocacy Forum (PAF)
- Assist the provincial P&A manager in establishing and organizing PAF meetings
- Undertake follow up and confirmations
- Look after the logistics arrangements in coordination with operations team
- Assist in documentation of proceedings
- District Power Change Analysis
- Undertake regular data collection and collate it for district level Power Change Analysis exercise
- Assist provincial P&A manager in conducting the provincial level PCA
- DAF Capacity Building
- Organize District Level Trainings which will interalia include
- Identification of participants
- Developing agendas
- Ensuring participation
- Collecting feedback
- Providing inputs for improving the design
- Advocacy with Local Government and elected representatives
- The PO will contribute to the roll out of advocacy with local government representatives once the strategy is in place.
- Undertake relevant sessions in the community empowerment trainings in coordination with other teams
- Facilitate the data collection of project such as identification of case studies, most significant change, challenges, success stories etc
- Prepare and submit budgets for DAF and DDIU meetings and support P&A manager for PAF and provincial DDIUs budgets.
- Assist the operations team for disbursement of Refreshment, Mileage Claims and communication cost to the participants of the meetings/trainings
- Performing any other tasks as agreed with the Policy and Advocacy Manager.
Coordination
- Maintain close liaison with the Community Empowerment and Voice and Accountability teams
- Operations and Finance team to ensure the smooth implementation of activities
- Coordinate with community elders, notables and local civil society organisations in the area.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting
- Ensure implementation of M&E systems and tools, and collect case studies
- Support to write monthly and quarterly reports
Person Specifications
- University degree in relevant social sciences
- At least 3 years of experience in humanitarian and/or development settings.
- Demonstrated experience of working in advocacy initiatives
- Ability to communicate effectively in English in both verbal and written.
- Strong problem-solving, negotiation, communication and networking skills
- Strong skills in impact assessment and sharing and learning
- Ability and skills to write concise reports and maintain databases
- Relevant language skills