CAMEROON BAPTIST CONVENTION HEALTH BOARD (CBCHB)

Position Title: Policy Advocacy Advisor

Starting Date: January 5th, 2015

Duration of contract: One year, renewable

Application deadline: December 1st, 2014

Organization Description

CBCHB is recruiting a Policy Advocacy Advisor to work with the Local Capacity Initiative project, based in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. The CBCHB is an indigenous non-profit, faith-based health care organization. CBCHB’s medical services started in Cameroon with roots as foreign Mission health service in 1936 and grew steadily until 1975 when it was established as a legal entity in Cameroon. At present, it has six hospitals, 30 health centers, a training school for health personnel and residency programs for doctors, a central pharmacy distribution unit for essential drugs, and over 49 primary health centers in underserved communities in the Northwest, Southwest, Adamawa, West, Center and Littoral regions. CBCHB currently has over 3,000 permanent staff delivering high quality healthcare around the country, In 2011, the CBCHB won a CDC/PEPFAR call for proposal to expand and improve the quality of PMTCT services in two regions of Cameroon-Northwest and Southwest. The project is now in its third year and CBCHB and her partners have successfully scaled up services to over 591 PMTCT sites and improved levels of indicators down the PMTCT cascade.

The CBCHB received funding from PEPFAR to build the capacities of Rural Council and District Management Teams and carry out supervision for sustainable quality HIV and AIDS services in the NW and SW regions. This is a sub project under the HIV Free SW & NW Project supporting objective 7 which requires that CBCHB promotes and does advocacy at all levels to improve program coordination and sustainability. It has a duration of 3 years, and is being implemented in five selected health districts in the SW and five in the NW regions. Within the context of this new project, the Policy Advocacy Advisor shall work on-side alongside Senior CBCHB staff to identify, embed, and institutionalize tools, methodologies, and technical capacity for policy analysis, monitoring, implementation barriers, advocacy and communications, and accountability systems. The staff member will be directly responsible for developing and implementing CBCHB’s policy advocacy strategy, policy monitoring systems and policy advocacy monitoring and evaluation systems.

Job Responsibilities

1. Lead CBCHB’s staff in the development of a policy advocacy strategy based on the needs and priority of staff and CBCHB beneficiaries. Once finalized, lead the implementation of the strategy, and support staff in their understanding of policy advocacy.
2. Support CBCHB leadership and technical staff to identify, embed, and institutionalize tools, methodologies, and technical capacity for policy analysis, monitoring, evaluation of policy implementation barriers, advocacy and communications, and accountability systems.
3. Work with CBCHB leadership to identify concrete steps in national policy process and how best CBCHB can advocate for increased support for improved health services delivery.
4. Identify, review and categorize for use by CBCHB, Government of Cameroon’s processes for regulations development at the national, regional and village level. Support staff understanding of these processes and identify opportunities where CBCHB can advocate for better access to services.
5. Utilize CBCHB data to develop policy solutions and advocacy plans to engage external networks and coalitions to inform and advocate for improved health services, particular for removals of policy barriers related to PMTCT uptake.
6. Support the development of a monitoring and evaluation strategy specifically focused on policy advocacy as well as improve CBCHB’s skills related to data analysis around policy advocacy.
7. Develop communication materials to inform civil society of how to influence national policy and budgeting processes.
8. Document policy dialogue and negotiation strategies and skills and disseminate lessons learned with partners and other stakeholders.
9. Work with CBCHB leadership to identify concrete capacity benchmarks and timelines to be achieved.
10. Identify opportunities to leverage policy advocacy initiatives in all sectors
11. Link CBCHB to additional capacity building resources around policy advocacy.

Qualifications

1. A  minimum of Master’s degree and at least 5 years of experience in policy analysis and advocacy and HIV/AIDS
2. Strong knowledge of the legal policy environment in Cameroon
3. Knowledge of USG PEPFAR programming and indicators
4. Understanding of capacity development, mentoring, and knowledge transfer methodologies
5. Strong interpersonal, writing, presentation, and organizational skills are required
6. Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office
7. Demonstrated problem solving, analytic, financial, and evaluative skills.
8. Effectively and efficiently perform multiple tasks; balance competing priorities within a required timeframe
9. Ability to respond and adapt quickly to changing requirements and competing demands.
10. Ability to take initiative and/or respond independently to situations
11. Fluent written and spoken English is preferred; functional French language skills welcomed.

Interested candidates may apply by emailing their CV/resume and cover letter including salary requirements to hund_ftn@yahoo.fr.