Regional Advisor, Chronic Severe NCDs in Southern

Job Summary

PEN-Plus (the Package of Essential NCD Interventions – Plus) is an integrated service model for severe chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell, and childhood‑onset heart disease. At present PEN‑Plus is being implemented in more than 14 countries across Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean.

The NCDI Poverty Network is looking for a Regional Advisor for the Southern African region to expand its clinical team to better respond to the large demand from countries to support initiation and expansion of PEN‑Plus services.

This person will also provide frequent virtual support and consultations, create and revise training materials and other resources, contribute to strong communication and knowledge management systems, and participate in global forums and partnerships.

This person will be passionate about social justice and think boldly about expanding care to rural and impoverished populations. This person will be excited to work in a rapidly evolving and creative environment with team members based in many different countries.

Provide routine technical support to PEN‑Plus implementation teams and sites in Southern Africa as well as act as core member of PEN‑Plus global leadership team.

• Travel frequently to country sites to work in person and provide on‑site support for clinics, staff, and teams.
• Clinical mentoring and teaching.
• Technical assistance on program design, clinic workflow, and other PEN‑Plus activities.
• Support data system design, implementation, and data quality.
• Review and adjust budgets as needed.
• Support medication, equipment, and supply chain issues as needed.
• Review results and data with program and clinical teams.
• Ensure implementation reflects PEN‑Plus Programmatic Standards.
• Provide written reports and action items after site visits.
• Liaise with the Communications team as needed for updated content and stories to advocate for and fundraise for PEN‑Plus.

Identify, develop, and manage partnerships to support NCDI Poverty Network activities at national level.

• Engage in national‑level meetings with Ministries of Health, academic colleagues, and other stakeholders to support national operational planning for PEN‑Plus.
• Engage with other in‑country partners and support uniform approaches to PEN‑Plus and strong communication across teams, funders, and stakeholders.
• Provide coordination and technical support for National NCDI Poverty Commissions and PEN‑Plus planning initiatives where PEN‑Plus has not yet been established (may include meeting preparation, facilitation, and/or documentation, coordinating work across partners, and contributing to written reports and presentations).
• Work closely with the Policy Team to support collaboration with key regional or global partners including WHO, UNICEF, Africa CDC, and others, with a focus on activities and partners impacting activities in the assigned countries.

Contribute to technical and clinical work, support, and resources to strengthen the PEN‑Plus model, resources, and partnerships.

• Engage with the technical teams and other Regional Advisors to support PEN‑Plus standardization and sharing of best practices and contextual adaptations.
• Assist in grant reporting and other writing as needed.
• Represent the NCDI Poverty Network and PEN‑Plus externally through presentations and in‑person engagements as needed.
• Support ongoing codification and improvement of PEN‑Plus by creating and/or modifying technical materials (e.g. training, protocols, program documents) and acting as a thought leader in identifying key themes, challenges, and solutions to implementation.
• Proactively participate in comprehensive and high‑quality documentation to support all aspects of program implementation and technical support.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Flexible disposition and able to work in complex environment while maintaining optimistic outlook and collaborative team‑based approach.
• Commitment to social justice and health equity.
• Proven ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders and drive immediate results.
• Exemplary interpersonal communication skills, verbal and written, required…