Helen Keller

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Technical Advisor, Asia

 Phnom Penh, Cambodia preferred; Other countries in Asia will be considered.

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty.  By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives.  Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Helen Keller is seeking a Technical Advisor with public health expertise in program design, implementation research, program management, and coordination related to health systems and/or food systems for nutrition.  The Advisor will oversee the technical quality of a portfolio of country office nutrition and food systems programs, provide specialized support, and track and ensure the timely delivery of high-quality project deliverables for the assigned portfolio. The Advisor is also expected to actively participate in business and proposal development.

Individuals with Asia continent expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply:  Health Systems for Nutrition, Food Systems for Nutrition, Market-based Interventions for improved nutrition, Food and Nutrition Security, and/or Resilience.

Functional Relationships

Reporting to the Regional Technical Advisor and Technical Support Coordinator, the Technical Advisor will work closely with all members of the global nutrition team to support nutrition, health and food systems projects.  The Advisor will also coordinate with Helen Keller’s finance, operations and compliance teams.

The Technical Advisor will co-supervise senior country office project staff within their assigned portfolio and will liaise with donors and partners. The Advisor will participate in senior level consultation regarding the management of the assigned portfolio of projects.  Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both hierarchically and laterally, are essential to make this structure thrive.

Scope of the Position

Work closely with the global Nutrition team, country office technical and management staff to provide program technical guidance to ensure effective and high-quality design and planning, implementation, monitoring and documentation of that portfolio; and to connect the country teams to additional support, resources, and experts, as needed.  The Advisor will guide and help prepare technical presentations and reports, scientific abstracts, and peer-reviewed publications.  S/he will also provide expert input to new project proposals.

Ideally, the position is based in Cambodia (other Asia countries may be considered) and is expected to be able to travel internationally up to 30% for technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance, planning meetings, and trainings; as well as for meetings with donors and implementing partners; and to attend global scientific and technical meetings.

Specific Responsibilities

Overarching

• As a member of the global program team, participate in planning and direction setting for our programs, lending your unique perspective and expertise to the process.
• Participate in international work groups as assigned to develop global policies and/or optimize systems and procedures.
• Collaborate with local and global colleagues:
  • in the continuous improvement of quality, evidence-based technical tools and guides used to increase capacity of and support to our projects; and
  • to suggest strategic topics for operational research and play an active role in the writing and editing of articles for submission to peer-reviewed publications.
• Produce up-to-date, evidence-based technical and policy briefs, and develop and manage the creation of evidence-based program standards with key stakeholders.
• Model collaboration for your matrixed team: effectively consult and inform colleagues to maximize efficiency and knowledge sharing and integrate guidance and direction from subject matter experts in your department and elsewhere in the global organization to maximize performance.

Technical Advisor

• Act as a technical focal point for an assigned portfolio of projects.
• Provide high-quality technical assistance to assigned portfolio: co-lead program design and development of activities and tools through engagement in the work planning process by contributing strategic thinking as well as detailed implementation planning and budgeting of activities ensuring consistency with project direction and strategy.
• Guide implementation teams to achieve high-quality project deliverables and ensure they meet project objectives and donor requirements.
• Engage with internal and external subject matter experts to solicit timely support as needed.
• Advise country offices on best practices for implementation of program activities, including evaluations to measure the impact of program activities. Document program lessons learned and incorporate findings and learnings into program approaches.
• Develop and/or backstop country office-led research and evaluation activities, as well as the preparation of abstracts and journal articles.
• Work with program colleagues on strategic quality improvement initiatives within the portfolio and monitor progress.
• Meet with donors and implementing partners; represent Helen Keller in international meetings.
• Mentor indirect reports and engage in regular peer to peer performance conversations.
• Contribute to recruitment and ongoing supervision and evaluation of program staff in assigned portfolio and contribute to an atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development.
• Work with staff to achieve goals and ensure accountability to beneficiaries, partners, colleagues and donors by providing ongoing feedback in a context of mutual respect.
• Train in-country staff and partners on topics within area of expertise. Participate in review of training materials and processes.
• Work with the External Relations department and/or the Business Development unit to:
• Brainstorm and implement partnership strategies; and
• Assist country offices with the development of proposals, briefs, and success stories to be shared with internal and external audiences.
• Independently develop documents for review by team, and act as peer editor for colleagues.
• When needed, lead and/or contribute to technical writing and design of concept notes and proposals in technical areas encompassing health systems, food systems, or in areas of specialized expertise.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in public health plus at least 8 years of relevant work experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience. PhD a plus.
• Specific technical expertise and training experience in an area relevant to Helen Keller programming such as Health Systems for nutrition, Food Systems for nutrition, Market-based Interventions for improved nutrition, Food and Nutrition Security and Resilience.
• Experience with research design, data collection, analysis and manuscript preparation, with a particular focus on implementation research.
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis, program monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience translating complex technical material and research findings into dissemination-friendly formats.
• Experience working overseas and in program implementation is required; experience in Asia strongly preferred.
• Understanding of the synergy between the programmatic, operational, and financial components of public health initiatives.
• Experience working with a range of in-country partners, including USAID missions, government, implementing partners and local organizations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and social-emotional intelligence; experience working with cross-cultural teams.
• Ability and willingness to work under pressure with a positive attitude, as a part of a matrixed global team and to see through challenges to find solutions.
• Ability to prioritize workload, assume responsibility for work, and follow tasks through to completion.
• Highly computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft software products, including strong Excel skills, required; use of data analysis software such as STATA is preferred.
• Oral proficiency in English and excellent writing skills are required.
• Ability and willingness to flex work hours to accommodate multiple time zones.
• Ability to undertake international and field travel (approximately 25%).
• Helen Keller requires all staff who travel internationally to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, whether or not they have had COVID.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to HKI.Recruitment@hki.org noting the job title in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

In the spirit of our founder and namesake, Helen Keller is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity in all its forms is fully valued.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.  If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need to request an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us at the email above or call: +1 646-356-1789