Sacred Valley Health Public Health Specialist open position in Peru
Organization Overview: Sacred Valley Health’s mission is to promote health in the underserved communities of Peru’s Sacred Valley. We train and support locally elected community health workers (promotoras de salud) and run health education campaigns in schools and in community meetings. The scope of our health education efforts is made possible by visiting teams of volunteer medical professionals and students from outside of Peru. These groups provide much-needed funds, supplies, and labor, and make possible a rewarding cultural exchange. We are based in Ollantaytambo, Peru, which is midway between Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Position: Public Health Specialist: Sacred Valley Health is seeking a Public Health Specialist to work onsite in Peru and participate in program management, development, and oversight of monitoring and evaluation activities for our promotora training program.
You will design and implement assessment strategies and quality controls, modifying strategies as needed. As part of SVH’s onsite leadership team, you will use M&E metrics to ensure that program direction is responsive to needs that the data indicate, and in alignment with SVH’s mission and vision. You will oversee ongoing data collection in collaboration with our partner communities. In conversation with the ED and Program Director, you will evaluate the impact of SVH’s programs and adjust strategy where appropriate in order to increase impact. Your work may involve interviewing community members and other stakeholders, conducting surveys, entering data, managing databases, performing appropriate statistical analyses and summarizing results with a focus on areas for improvement. You will report to SVH’s Executive Director and Program Director.
Specific Responsibilities:
1. Program development: evaluation and improvement of current programming model; streamlining of current M&E system to improve and expand programming. Application of public health knowledge to guide program while upholding SVH’s mission and vision.
2. Implementation: work with SVH’s Community Coordinators to implement SVH’s M&E efforts in the communities we serve. Make regular community visits, follow up with Community Coordinators, and document progress. Collaborate with Program Director and Peruvian staff to ensure efficiency and high quality programming.
3. Quality control: devise a system to standardize training methods and sequence topics to ensure a high quality learning experience for our community health workers.
4. Monitoring and evaluation: collaborate with other staff members to gather appropriate metrics for program development. Meet every month with M & E Committee, which consists of staff and trustees, to discuss strategy and results.
5. Management and supervision: work directly with Community Coordinators ensuring implementation of project. Organize weekly staff meetings, regular community visits, and documentation of progress. Work directly with the current M&E intern to interview stakeholders and community members
6. Reporting: maintain open and frequent communication with Program Manager and Executive Director in order to share data, and to keep them apprised of successes and challenges. Prepare monthly program updates for M & E Committee to provide a basis for discussion about program assessment and development.
Skills and qualifications:
· Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required, Master’s in Public Health preferred.
· Fluency in Spanish and English
· Experience with public health programming, qualitative and quantitative behavioral research methods, including experience conducting in-depth interviews, leading focus groups, designing and implementing surveys, performing data analysis and appropriate statistical tests
· Knowledge of developing world public health issues such as nutrition, infectious disease epidemiology and access to medical services.
· Proficiency in graduate-level biostatistics
· Proficiency with the use of Excel and SPSS
· Familiarity with principals of ethical community assessment and NGO Code of Conduct
· Excellent written and oral communication skills
· Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively
· Leadership and supervisory skills, including the ability work closely and professionally within a small office, showing flexibility, tolerance, and open-mindedness.
Compensation:
$10,000 for a 12-month contract, in addition to 4 weeks vacation. Health insurance is not provided.
All interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to Keri Baker at Kbaker@sacredvalleyhealth.org before February 23, 2014.
