• Canberra based, Long Term Adviser position, AUD14,026 per month inclusive of superannuation.
• Full-time, 2-year fixed term contract with the possibility of an extension of up to 2-years, subject to budget availability, approval, and performance.
• Apply your expertise to effective use of the significant funds Australia invests in the Global Fund and other investments to address HIV, TB and malaria (and related health priorities), with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

About the Program

Managed by Abt Associates, the Specialist Health Service (SHS) provides strategic input on health to the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The SHS is the primary source from which DFAT accesses health and development expertise and advisory services to improve the quality of health programming across DFAT’s global and regional health portfolio, through enabling access to responsive technical advice and support.

About the Opportunity

The Health Adviser will provide policy and technical health advice to the Global Health Funds section in Canberra, DFAT’s Global Health Division Executive and to Australian missions (posts) including Geneva, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, to advance Australia’s strategic goals as they relate to HIV, TB, malaria and the Global Fund.

Specifically, the position will progress Indo-Pacific interests in Australia’s engagement with the Global Fund – at the Board and its committees, through engagement with the Global Fund Secretariat and through the Global Fund’s Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs).

The position will also advise on program design and support implementation, monitoring and evaluation of DFAT’s regional/country program investments as part of Australia’s Set Aside and engage on policy and program issues with Global Fund and set aside stakeholders.

The position will support DFAT in four key areas:

1. Strategic policy and program advice in support of Australia’s engagement at the Global Fund Board and its Committees.
2. Country-Level engagement with partner governments, posts and in-country stakeholders, and coordination of DFAT activities with Global Fund grants.
3. Design, management, monitoring and evaluation of DFAT’s Set Aside investments.
4. Other policy, program, technical and strategic inputs as required.

The adviser will have the following duties:

Support to Australia’s engagement at the Global Fund Board

• Develop annual Global Fund engagement strategies that define the critical Board priorities for Australia including how those priorities will be prosecuted.
• Support Australia’s Board and Strategy Committee members to engage effectively at Board and Committee meetings. This includes providing them with analysis, strategic policy advice and briefings.
• Through engagement with key contacts and stakeholders, review of committee and board papers and involvement in various Board forums, stay abreast of key issues at the Global Fund Board and Committees, and provide advice on Australia’s interests and priorities.
• Develop relationships and work closely with Canadian and Swiss counterparts as part of the Canada/Switzerland/Australia constituency and the Global Fund Board.

Country-Level Engagement with the Global Fund

• Maintain a strong understanding of Global Fund grants in Southeast Asia and the Pacific and monitor their performance to ensure investments in priority countries are performing well or recommend and support course correction.
• Develop and maintain relationships and regular communication with Geneva-based Global Fund fund-portfolio managers in a sub-set of priority countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Support DFAT Posts to engage effectively with the Global Fund including through participation on Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs).
• Work to identify and progress opportunities where DFAT Posts / bilateral development programs and the Global Fund can work closely together on areas of mutual priority.
• Represent DFAT on the Pacific Regional Coordinating Mechanism.
• Brief Posts as required on Global Fund activities (and Australian funding) and support GHD and Posts with communications material (including social media, media releases, speeches, and other communications products).
• Where Posts are not directly engaging with global health funds in-country, is the senior adviser will be responsible for tracking performance and liaising with the Global Fund secretariat on key issues (in consultation with Post) to ensure investments in our priority countries are performing well or allow for course correction.

Design and management of DFAT’s Set Aside investments

• Manage Australia’s overall set-aside investment portfolio, taking responsibility for strategic framing, tracking progress at portfolio level, and collating, analysing and reporting on overall portfolio performance.
• Directly contract and program manage a sub-set of Set Aside grants to the standards set out in DFAT’s Aid Programming Guide and related DFAT policies and processes. The senior adviser will be accountable for tracking disbursement, performance and progress of investments, and providing early advice on any implementation issues to GHD and post management.
• Ensure on-going and close coordination between Set Aside investments, regional and bilateral DFAT programs, Global Fund grants and relevant activities of other development partners.
• Actively participate in the Global Fund’s Core Donor group that is responsible for global coordination of Set Asides.

Other technical and strategic inputs as required

• Regularly prepare input for ad-hoc internal DFAT briefings, reporting and information requests related to HIV, TB, malaria, health system strengthening and the Global Fund.

About You

Required experience:

• Substantial (10+years) working with multilateral health partners and up to date understanding of contemporary global developments in health.
• Developing country and health program management and delivery experience in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Previous experience working with the Global Fund.

Required qualifications and skills

• Post graduate qualifications in public health, global health, health management or equivalent.

Cultural & language requirements

• Excellent written and spoken English skills.
• Ability to communicate with influence and shape strategic thinking and policy development.
• Ability to cultivate productive working relationships across teams and with partners, including in cross-cultural contexts.
• Post graduate qualifications in public health, global health, health management or equivalent.

Highly desirable

• Previous experience working with DFAT / Australian aid programs.

Applicants must have working rights in Australia. Applicants with Australian citizenship preferred to enable ability to obtain and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 level security clearance.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement for a position. At Abt Associates we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every role requirement, we encourage you to apply in any case. You may be just the right candidate for this or for other roles.

How to Apply

Please submit your application online through the Abt Associates website by clicking Apply Now.

Please then attach your resume/CV and a cover letter (as a single PDF document) addressing how you meet the requirements of this role.

Email us at [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Health Adviser - Global Health Funds enquiry via EthicalJobs for any queries about the position and / or the recruitment process.

We welcome and thank all applications; however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted due to the anticipated volume of submissions. Due to the December shutdown period, the shortlisted candidates will be contacted in mid/late January.

About Us

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader with a proven track record in complex program implementation in the international development sector. We offer bold solutions and technical excellence in Health, Economic Growth, Governance, Research & Evaluation, Environment & Energy, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion. Working with our many partners, we have driven measurable social impact for more than 55 years, to achieve our mission of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. We operate in remote and challenging environments and employ more than 3,700 staff in over 50 countries. For more information about us and what we do, visit our website at www.abtassociates.com

Equity

Abt Associates values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to diversity, equality, racial equity, gender, and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Safeguarding

We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.

A position description is attached.