Medical Specialist (MS)
Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with extensive domestic and international travel
Job status: Full time employment
Nationality: Highly preferred from an African country
Touch Foundation, an NGO working to save lives and relieve human suffering by strengthening healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa, providing better access to care and improving the quality of local health systems, is seeking an outstanding individual to join its team as its Medical Specialist (MS).
The MS will join a team of highly mission-driven professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, ranging from management consulting to global public health. The MS will work closely with team members across all levels and functions, becoming an integral part of Touch’s commitment to improving health in sub-Saharan Africa.
BACKGROUND
Touch Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 to help strengthen healthcare systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Touch was founded by Lowell Bryan, a former Senior Partner with McKinsey & Co. who understood that Tanzania faced a daunting healthcare environment, with declining life expectancy and increasing maternal and infant mortality. After working to address the dearth of health care workers in Tanzania (one of the biggest impediments to access to healthcare) through the successful co-creation of a large medical school in the Lake Zone of Tanzania, Touch began focusing on others of the most pressing global health challenges.
Touch applies a three-phase strategic approach to bring cost-effective and sustainable solutions to these challenges. In collaboration with funders, local partners and governments, Touch designs programs and implements them at a small scale to test their potential impact. Successful solutions are then scaled up to a national level, setting the stage to ultimately adapt and replicate them in other countries facing similar challenges to achieve broader impact.
Touch’s current programmatic priorities include its program to ensure access to emergency transport and high-quality care for obstetric and neonatal emergencies, leading to a reduction in maternal and infant mortality, and the use of its innovative and data-driven solution to optimize planning and decision-making around production, deployment and retention of scarce health workers. Given the private sector background of its Board members and several members of its staff, Touch is also focused on developing market-based solutions for portions of the private health sector to complement the role of the public health system in providing broader access to care to their population. To date, Touch has successfully implemented programs in Tanzania, Lesotho, Nigeria, Mozambique and South Africa.
Touch’s work is data driven and evidence based. Its goal is to prove impact of innovative programs by testing and implementing in Tanzania and then scaling to other African Countries. Ultimately, Touch intends that its programmatic work be used as a blueprint for expanding and improving healthcare services across Sub-Saharan Africa. Touch shares the knowledge and the information obtained through its work with policy makers and other stakeholders.
Touch’s budget is in the $6 million range and its funding comes from a variety of sources, including a cooperative agreement with USAID. Most of its people work overseas in Africa and other countries with the administrative and development functions centered in New York City. The people who work at Touch are very collaborative, focused, and driven to excel which has contributed to the impact that Touch has made.
POSITION
Touch Foundation is seeking a hardworking, and experienced professional to become its Medical Specialist. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer, the MS is responsible for the clinical effectiveness of Touch programs. He/she is in charge of Touch’s clinical monitoring and evaluation system and provides expert guidance and input on all of Touch’s programs. The MS is an integral member of the program team, and works closely with Directors, Program and Project Managers, and other program staff. The MS also works closely with Touch’s development team to support funding cultivation, proposal development and communication efforts. As a senior member of the team, the MS must be a detail-oriented professional able to collaborate constructively across teams. Responsibilities of the role may be adapted based upon the identified needs on the ground.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Support the program team by providing clinical guidance on the full spectrum of Touch’s program design and implementation
- Develop, implement and manage monitoring and clinical evaluation across Touch’s programs, and produce program reports
- Regularly present and report to the program leadership on the clinical outcomes of all programs
- In collaboration with Program and Project Managers, liaise with program and government partners to share information and coordinate program clinical activities
- Participate in Touch’s strategic development process, providing input from a clinical perspective on new programs as they are designed
- Work closely with Touch’s fundraising team as needed to support and provide input in the funding cultivation and proposal development process, and assist with communications efforts
- Perform research and write papers and articles on Touch programs and impact for publication as needed
- In collaboration with Directors, Program and Project Managers, establish and maintain collaborative relations with key medical professionals outside of the organization, liaising with groups and government agencies, and representing Touch at conferences, government technical working groups, and other relevant bodies as needed
- Collaborate with the HR department on internal health and safety policies across all countries where Touch has on the ground staff
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Qualifications
- Master of Medicine (MMed) degree required, Master of Public Health (MPH) degree strongly recommended
- Minimum 10 years’ relevant professional experience in clinical medicine, hospital and health system operations, medical education, or a combination of those. A minimum of 3 years’ experience practicing medicine is strongly recommended
- Minimum 3 years’ prior experience in developing countries, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa Skills
- Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and attention to detail
- Solid relationship-building skills and cross-cultural sensitivity: ability to interface with external constituents from a variety of backgrounds
- Good judgment and discretion to represent the Touch Foundation in a highly professional manner, as well as respect for local culture
- Full proficiency in English required, proficiency in Kiswahili preferred
TO APPLY:
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed to jobs@touchfoundation.org. Please put ‘Touch MS” in the subject line of your e-mailed application.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions (as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act) expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of an incumbent. An incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required. Management may at its discretion assign or re-assign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description does not change the at-will employment relationship existing between the organization and its employees.
Touch Foundation, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer (M/F/D/V).