OPTIONS UK - Technical Officer for Voice and Accountability – Policy Advocacy and Political Engagement

Location: Abuja, Nigeria with frequent travel
Job type: fixed term, two years
Salary: commensurate with experience

Technical Officer for Voice and Accountability – Policy Advocacy and Political Engagement. Part of the DFID-supported Partnerships for Transforming Health Systems 2, Nigeria

Options is recruiting a Technical Officer for Policy Advocacy and Political Engagement to provide technical support to the Voice and Accountability (V&A) component of the Partnership for Transforming Health Systems 2 (PATHS2) programme.

PATHS2, a DFID-funded programme in Nigeria, aims to improve the planning, financing and delivery of sustainable and replicable pro-poor health services for common health problems, focusing on five states and the federal government. Options manages the Voice and Accountability (V&A) component of PATHS2, which focuses on strengthening community participation in the health sector and advocating for community involvement in health policy and budget development.

The Technical Officer will lead the design and implementation of the V&A team’s policy advocacy and political engagement work. S/He will develop strategy and provide technical assistance to the programme in these areas, ensuring work is effectively implemented in the PATHS2 states. The post-holder will monitor and evaluate V&A activities and be responsible for reporting and knowledge sharing.

Key responsibilities include: developing appropriate strategies for the V&A team’s work in policy advocacy and political engagement; providing technical assistance to V&A activities at the state level; developing workplans, terms of reference and budgets; quality assuring technical inputs and reports; supporting monitoring and evaluation and knowledge management of V&A work; developing effective relationships with other DFID programme partners; desk-based research to inform V&A strategy and approach.

Key competencies include: a master's degree in a relevant field; at least four years' work experience in a development organisation in a relevant field; an understanding of issues relating to citizen voice, government accountability and responsiveness in service delivery; excellent computer skills; strong research and report writing skills; excellent written and spoken English; ability to work effectively in a team.

The post is open to Nigerian nationals only and the post-holder must be willing to undertake frequent travel within Nigeria.

Application process
To apply, please send a copy of your CV, and a covering letter outlining how you meet the person specification, to Katharine Boaden at k.boaden@options.co.uk by 10.00am on Monday 10 October 2011. Applications should include Application for Technical Officer as the subject. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for week commencing 17 October 2011. Only those shortlisted for interview will be contacted.