RTI International’s Global Health Division is currently accepting applications for a Technical Director for an anticipated USAID-funded malaria program in Tanzania. Under this activity, USAID/Tanzania will fund malaria case management, malaria in pregnancy (MIP) through quality improvement initiatives and malaria surveillance, MERLA, entomological monitoring, drug efficacy monitoring, and monitoring of other drug-based interventions. RTI anticipates this activity will also seek to improve private sector engagement and strengthening the existing linkages between community health services/ community-level leadership and facilities/District Health Teams that promote malaria prevention, detection, and treatment in households.

The Technical Director will provide primary support to the functions of the Chief of Party (COP) in supervising and assuring the quality of technical activities, including management and oversight of technical staff. With the COP, the Technical Director will be responsible for ensuring that all technical assistance provided under the project is strategic, high quality and supports the achievement of project objectives. The position will be based with RTI in Dar es Salaam and local travel will be required.

Responsibilities

• In close collaboration with COP, provide overall technical leadership and quality assurance for technical assistance and activities necessary to achieve objectives, outputs, services, and products expected under the program.
• Supervise the implementation of integrated delivery and scale up of proven malaria interventions, including vulnerable groups of pregnant women and children under 5 years of age, and other activities required under the Contract to ensure that performance schedules are observed, and outputs are completed according to schedule.
• Oversee activities to improve access to rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and quality artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) at facility and community levels as well as ensure state-wide training and follow-up in the public and private sectors.
• Oversee activities to ensure the provision of MIP services, including consistent delivery of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) – at ANC clinics.
• Support the MSDQI system for comprehensive supervision of malaria service delivery in health facilities
• Work with surveillance data and other health information for decision-making and coach internal project and external stakeholder teams to work with data.
• Provide technical oversight of the work undertaken by subcontractors and grantees.
• Together with the COP, provide direction and support for the preparation of annual work plans and strategies.
• Support COP and project staff with the production of project materials, including the development of policy briefs, technical reports and training materials ensuring technical quality and relevance for programmers and policy makers.
• Liaise with other critical Government of Tanzania and development partners working in malaria such as the Ministry of Health Social Welfare, Gender Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC), National Malaria Control Program, GFTAM, WHO, UNICEF, DFID, SDC, RBM etc.
• Represent RTI in national level technical working groups, committees, and other meetings related to malaria, etc.
• Directly supervise technical team members and help facilitate and coordinate their liaison work with senior counterparts and stakeholders at national and subnational levels.