Yemen MOMENTUM Round

Title: Director of Local Capacity Development
Location: Aden, Yemen
Position Type: Full-time
Reports to: Chief of Party

Background: 
JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) is a Boston-based public health consulting firm dedicated to providing high quality technical and managerial assistance to public health programs throughout the world. JSI works extensively with national and local governments, NGOs, the private sector, and traditional leaders to expand access to services for vulnerable populations. JSI is committed to improving the health of underserved populations through innovative approaches in a range of public health areas, including HIV, sexual and reproductive health, technical and organizational capacity building, supply chain strengthening, strategic information management, health systems management, and policy development.

JSI anticipates a five-year Yemen MOMENTUM Round, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services, Voluntary Family Planning, and Reproductive Health Care (MNCH/FP/RH) to Scale (MOMENTUM) Annual Program Statement. The Yemen Round will improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes in at least 20 Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) districts by focusing USG assistance on improved access, utilization, and quality of high impact Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) services in selected governorates of the country. The Yemen MOMENTUM Round aims to achieve the following results: 1) Access to and use of evidence-based, quality MNCH/FP/RH information, services/care, and interventions scaled-up, improved and sustained; and 2) Capacity of host-country institutions, local organizations, and providers to deliver evidence-based, quality MNCH/FP/RH services/care improved, institutionalized, measured, documented, and responsive to population needs.
JSI seeks an experienced Director of Local Capacity Development for an anticipated Yemen Round of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services, Voluntary Family Planning, and Reproductive Health Care (MNCH/FP/RH) to Scale (MOMENTUM) Project. This activity will improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes in at least 20 Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) districts by focusing USG assistance on improved access, utilization and quality of high impact Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) services in selected governorates of the country. 
The Director of Local Capacity Development will be a key personnel position based in Aden and supervised by the Chief of Party. This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct technical leadership and assistance in partner capacity development, with a focus on local partner institutions.
• Identify and facilitate the implementation of capacity development best practices based on each partners’ capacity development objective.  These may include organizational and/or technical capacity assessments (OCA/TCA) and methodologies for preparing local partner institutions for transition awards from USAID;
• Provide technical leadership in the adaptation of tools and approaches for cost-effective capacity development and strategies that will contribute to the sustainability of the project;
• Based on each partner organization’s capacity development plans, identify and schedule training, mentoring and other processes that respond to their organizational capacity gaps and objectives;
• As part of capacity building, work to establish professional links between project partners and strengthen relationships between them to work in a one-team approach;
• Develop/contribute to the project activity work plan development and strategy to ensure that capacity development is an integral part of activity design and implementation, and that it is guided by a capacity development strategy;
• Work closely with the finance, operations and programs teams to develop sub grants that emphasize a performance-based approach, capacity strengthening and/or innovation;
• Cultivate strategic relationships with project team members, global and regional institutions, and other stakeholders for the smooth implementation of project activities;
• Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in capacity-building;
• Support the development and realization of local organizations’ resource mobilization, sustainability, and resiliency strategies;
• Serve as a core member of the project leadership team, including collaborating with the project senior management team to ensure adherence to targets, timelines, budget management, and achievement of objectives;
• Carry out other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in public administration, or business administration or public health or any other related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in organizational design and institutional capacity strengthening with an emphasis on capacity development in Yemen or the Middle East;
• Proven technical expertise in a range of effective capacity development methods, including curriculum or assessment tools design and organizational capacity development;
• Previous experience working with local partners, organizations and institutions;
• Experience fostering new and innovative partners into program development;
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills, including the ability to make independent decisions and take initiative;
• Experience designing capacity development programs for USAID;
• Strong familiarity with MNCH/FP/RH programs in Yemen;
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English.