Millennium Challenge Account
The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-Lesotho II) is an entity established by the Government to act as the accountable entity to implement the Compact, with the authority to bind the Government with regard to all Program activities.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) awards eligible countries with fixed-amount, fixed-term (five year) grants (“compacts”) for a defined set of projects aimed at reducing poverty through economic growth. Country ownership of compacts is a core part of MCC’s model and influences a great deal of MCC’s work. MCC supports this through the assembly of a local team of professionals for each compact, typically called a “Millennium Challenge Account” or “MCA”, charged with compact implementation and overseen locally by a Board of Directors. MCC believes that the performance of MCA-Lesotho II staff has a significant impact on the efficiency, effectiveness, quality of compact implementation, and ultimately on the results that the compacts achieve.
Lesotho Compact
The Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact aims to benefit 2.5 million people by growing, strengthening, and organizing the private sector in Lesotho and improving the government’s coordination to deliver critical services necessary to support private sector development. It will achieve this goal through investments in Health System Strengthening and Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture, providing sustainable income for smallholders and increasing climate resilience by replacing rain-fed subsistence farming with irrigated commercial horticulture in select locations. The GOL committed to passing several key reforms that will help make this compact successful, including reforms that address gender equality, working conditions and worker safety, as well as land and water rights. Each of the compact’s four projects focus on overcoming barriers to the economic inclusion of women, youth, and the rural poor.
Position Objective
The Data Transparency Specialist is accountable for the successful implementation of HSS data innovation and transparency activities. The Data Transparency Specialist is responsible to build collaborative relationships with project stakeholders, including grantees, contractors, ministries, bureaus, district leadership, community organizations and others. The Data Transparency Specialist provides oversight of assigned sub-activity budgets, contracts, and/or grants and ensures the judicious management of resources. The Data Transparency Specialist has responsibility for monitoring, tracking and reporting on the progress of Health Data Innovation Hub grantee, sub-grantees or any other grantee/consultant assigned to their portfolio. The Data Transparency Specialist reports directly to the Director, Health Systems Strengthening.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Provide technical advice and guidance, as well as track and monitor the Health Data and Innovation Incubator grant and other contracts and grants as assigned in collaboration with project grantees including the annual awards and any annual grants competitions.
• Based upon assessments of project progress, recommend remedial approaches to better advance and sustain project quality and impact.
• Assess the quality of deliverables for all assigned contracts or grants and recommend them for approval or remediation.
• Provide guidance and feedback to contractor(s) for development of all workplans and M&E frameworks. Recommend for approval all workplans and M&E frameworks for assigned contracts or grants.
• Based upon financial analyses, track (in collaboration with MCA Grants and Finance officer(s) financial reporting for assigned contracts or grants and recommend for approval all invoices.
• Provide required reporting to the MCA HSS Director and MCC for all assigned activities, contracts or grants.
• Provide leadership to relevant project technical working groups as established for assigned procurements/contracts.
• Liaise with other MCA managed HSS compact projects/procurements to ensure their technical integration is appropriate to achieve results.
• Ensure communication and liaison with relevant GoL agencies/entities, development partners and stakeholders.
• Participate in/report to the project steering committee meetings and activities.
• Assist in development and implementation of risk management strategies, referral development and systems for assigned contracts and grants.
• Coordinate effectively with other MCA staff; exchange relevant information; properly identify and manage risks; comply with MCC’s requirements, standards, policies, and guidelines; and incorporate good practices and lessons learned into work.
• Assess the capacity development needs of counterpart ministries or agencies, and support/implement an agreed upon capacity development and knowledge transfer strategy
• Ensure compliance with MCC’s Gender Policy, MCA’s Social and Gender Integration Plan, Counter-Trafficking Policy, MCC’s Sexual Abuse and Harassment in the Workplace Policy, MCA’s Environment and Social Protection Plan and all relevant MCA Policy or Plans in Compact project implementation and monitoring.
Requirements (Education, Experience, Technical Competencies)
• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Computer Science Information Technology, Mathematics, Health Informatics or Data Management or any related degree. Postgraduate qualification will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience working in development, design, and/or implementation of innovative projects/grants, activities or services that use data.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience managing or receiving a grant, contract or consultancy to improve digital innovation and/or data transparency or any grant in the health sector.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience working in the digital ecosystem through designing, implementing or architecting digital information systems including familiarity with modern data bases and information system technologies (Experience does not have to be specific to Health Digital Information Systems.)
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience identifying problems or risks in any aspect of a health system or any grant implementation and self-identifying and initiating effective solutions to mitigate risk or resolve a problem.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience with project/grant implementation, including developing workplans, monitoring progress toward identified results (Monitoring and Evaluation), financial tracking and reporting and maintaining compliance with relevant rules and regulations.
• Ability to develop or manage the development of innovative services or products using data including data challenges.
• Ability to ensure innovative data services or products are offered and created in an inclusive manner, considering all factors that might disadvantage a person from equitable participation or the ability to use a service or product.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize issues, direct conversation toward solutions and address concerns in a limited time frame, considering compact development timelines.
• Ability to write quickly, clearly and succinctly in English (reports, emails, presentations) and present information in public forums.
• Experience working in Lesotho, Southern Africa or low-middle income countries is preferred.
• Experience managing grant competitions and awards or procurements for consulting services is desirable
This Position Description is subject to revisions/updates as necessary to ensure alignment to the organization’s strategic direction and structure. Revisions to the description are subject to applicable Human Resources policies and procedures, and Human Resources maintain official versions of each Position Description.
How to apply
Complete applications must be submitted on-line, on or before 3rd January 2025
Follow the following steps to apply:
Go to: https://mcalesotho.org.ls/jobs/
