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Rice360 NEST Senior Implementation Advisor (Finance)



Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. Rice360 is a co-founding member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality. NEST360 Phase 2 focuses on scaling up collaboration with governments to develop resources and integrate evidence-based solutions into local hospitals and national policies.

Rice360 is seeking a NEST senior implementation advisor, to serve on a team of three domain experts (for implementation, health technology management, and neonatology) that provide insight and support to ensure strategic and operational synergies across the NEST360 primary outcomes with a focus on the longer-term goals of SSNC in sub-Saharan Africa. The NEST senior implementation advisor will work closely with the NEST360 steering committee co-chairs and deputy chair to develop, advise on, and implement NEST360 strategies. With oversight from the NEST steering committee, the NEST senior implementation advisor, will guide the NEST360 team to achieve its objectives and strategic priorities in accordance with and as recommended by the funders coordinating committee (FCC). The NEST senior implementation advisor has a key coordination function between the NEST360 program and relevant partners at the national, regional, and global levels.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate has extensive experience in an academic and/or global non-profit setting managing multi-country implementation of a multi-faceted health program with scale-up through governments in low-resource settings-preferably focused on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child healthcare (RMNCH) within Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and/or Ghana. They would have a record of demonstrated effective collaboration and achievement with health systems strengthening, international alliance engagement, and grant funded, multi-sector projects with academic, government, and private sector partners. They have superior interpersonal-skills and tact when engaging with senior representatives and officials from high-profile international organizations, funding foundations and government agencies. They are highly organized, with a demonstrated ability to multi-task, make prudent decisions using creative problem-solving and sound judgment, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. They also have experience working in a multi-cultural environment and are willing and able to travel internationally, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a full-time position (M-F 8am-5pm) based in Nairobi, Kenya, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams across sub-Saharan Africa, in the US, and the UK.

Hiring Range: $110,400 - $120,000/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience

This position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements

  • Master's Degreein:
    • Public Health, Social Sciences, or related discipline
    • Experience may not be substituted for the education requirement
  • Four (4) years or more of experience in:
    • a field related to implementation and research of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) health systems strengthening and/or complex health care programs for low resource settings
    • a senior coordination role in the implementation, management, and scale-up of complex projects/programs in a low-resource setting, including project planning, scheduling, tracking, team building, and effective communication across a diverse and multi-cultural staff, with demonstrated achievement of programmatic results
    • Education may not be substituted for the experience requirement
  • Profound expertise within the field of study
  • Advanced mastery and extensive understanding of information, knowledge, and publication management
  • Exceptional proficiency in listening, verbal and written communication, as well as research abilities
  • Outstanding problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities, demonstrating keen attention to detail
  • Aptitude for collaborative teamwork, active participation, and motivation of team members
  • Remarkable organizational skills for effective planning and scheduling
  • Comfort and adeptness in making independent decisions

Preferences
  • Doctoral degree in medicine, public health, STEM, social sciences, or related discipline
  • Progressively challenging experience in managing grant-funded multi-country programs/projects, including developing standard operating procedures and guidelines, budgeting, financial compliance, and progress reporting
  • Experience with multi-sector international development programs/projects and in managing large-scale integrated programs/projects in the areas of maternal and neonatal health and/or medical technologies for low-resource settings
  • Experience in sub-Saharan Africa, preferably in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, or Ghana with extensive working knowledge of health systems and public health in low- and middle-income countries
  • Ability to work in a complex and high-paced environment
  • Demonstrated resilience, diplomacy, influence, relationship building, and problem-solving skills in a variety of situations and ability to productively engage and influence cross-functional teams
  • Working knowledge of clinical trials and conducting fieldwork in public health research projects
  • Knowledge of information management, knowledge management, and publication management
  • Demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings
  • Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally
  • Fluency in English
  • Demonstrates Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation

Essential Functions [YNM2]
  • Work with co-leads of relevant NEST360 primary outcomes to: i) implement strategic direction around general implementation and sustainability, as aligned to FCC recommendations, and ii) monitor implementation against the program workplan and key performance indicators;
  • Work closely with the NEST360 implementation director and other members of the NEST360 domain expert team to review program deliverables and oversee overall program progress, as reported by participating organizations and consolidated by supporting members;
  • Provide support to the NEST360 implementation director to identify implementation bottlenecks and challenges, and to assist programmatic teams with troubleshooting;
  • Work closely with the NEST360 implementation director to bring relevant implementation updates and bottlenecks to the steering committee's attention;
  • Coordinate cross-country and cross-area initiatives directly related to NEST360's implementation strategy and goals, e.g. Infrastructure Improvement Fund;
  • Work with other members of the NEST360 domain expert team and co-leads to establish/streamline and manage processes within the program, e.g. communication across work areas, partner management, etc.;
  • Coordinate external partner engagement requests to appropriately address/ redirect partner and track requests as needed;
  • Steer general implementation discussions during meetings with the NEST360 global team, steering committee and the FCC;
  • Engage with global bodies and other external partners on behalf of NEST360 (WHO, UNICEF, etc.) and represent NEST360 at regional/ global events, as needed;
  • Work closely with steering committee and the FCC to design and implement plan for NEST360 to be Africa-led; and
  • Co-lead the phase out and continuity plan for NEST360's key functions and cross-country support beyond Phase 2;

With oversight from the steering committee, the NEST senior implementation advisor will:
  • Where necessary, provide strategic support to the various NEST country program teams along the lines of program implementation.
  • Propose and set relevant meeting agendas (such as FCC and NEST360 global team meetings, etc.);
  • Engage in progress meetings with the FCC every other month;
  • Assist in establishing and interfacing with the NEST360 technical assistance unit, as needed;
  • Work with co-leads of relevant NEST360 primary outcomes to identify and secure continued funding for NEST360-Africa.

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Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. Apply

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