PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges.

PATH is home to the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) which works closely with National Malaria Control & Elimination programs in Africa to strengthen data systems and data use to better inform strategies and targeting of resources to reduce burden. Key components of this work are to generate evidence on novel and existing malaria tools to guide decision-makers, and to work with donors to ensure the resources needed to implement these interventions are available.

PATH is currently recruiting a Senior Technical Advisor, to support its malaria elimination portfolio in Ethiopia. The successful applicant will will be seconded to MOH to support the day-to-day management and implementation of MOH’s NMESP 2021-2025 including and implementation of joint MOH/PATH active and upcoming projects, managing relationships with the National Malaria Elimination Program and partners, as well as contributing to donor reports and communication with partners.

Job Summary

The Senior Technical Advisor (STA) position seconded to NMEP/MOH is to effectively consult and support the implementation of NMESP 2021-2025 with especial emphasis to implementation of MACEPA-IV and other PATH’s Malaria elimination related proposals, which are in alignment and harmony with NMEP. The technical advisor will be based at MOH in Addis Ababa with frequent domestic travel to the regional states. The seconded STA will report to multiple supervisors across different leads namely the DPCD Director, NMEP Manager and PATH/MACEPA.

The Senior Technical Advisor for Malaria Elimination (STA) will support to a wide range of program implementation activities and technical assistance for the oversight of the Implementation of MACEPA-IV project, Safe Radical Cure related projects and all other projects leveraged by MACEPA-IV in alignment/harmony with NMEPs work plan.  The position holder will provide technical direction to all technical teams, TWGs under NMEP including multisectoral task forces at higher levels.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Works closely with MOH and other partners to expand and coordinate implementation of national level malaria elimination activities as per National Malaria Elimination Roadmap developed and updated in 2021;
• Supports the set-up of an effective advocacy, social mobilization, and communication system to gain and sustain stakeholders’ commitment and to empower community to fully engage and ensure ownership.
• Liaison MOH/RHB and PFSA (Regional Health Bureau and Pharmaceutical Fund and Supply Agency) through linkage of case management and vector control information to supply quantification and evidence based micro-planning process for equitable anti-malaria commodities and other resources based on the malaria risk.
• Supports the Ministry level capacity building efforts including cascading to regional, zonal, district and community levels using relevant digital tools using renewed training content and approaches.
• Support the use of surveillance data and quality audit at origin including various tiers of the health system to inform decisions and timely responses for an active surveillance system as part of the intervention strategy for establishing malaria free areas.
• Prepare local evidence-based policy brief on safe radical cure for vivax infection, starting with implementation of the feasibility study.
• Encourage research and academic institutions to capitalize on operational research related to the malaria elimination agenda as specified in the NMSP 2021-2025.
• Oversee the implementation of High-Risk Population (HRP) related studies and track for final expectations of the Ministry, including M&E and supportive supervision in the selected sites.
• Works closely with MOH and other partners to review and update the national malaria elimination tools and strategies.
• Works with MOH and other partners to adopt evidence-based policies and plans for malaria elimination including the safe radical cure of vivax malaria.
• Works with MOH and other donor organizations such as PMI, the World Bank, BMGF, DEFID, China CDC and Rotary International to fill outstanding financial and technical gaps to ensure sustained malaria elimination activities.
•  Partners for increased domestic and global resources mobilization for national elimination in Ethiopia; and contributes to the design, development, and operationalization of the resource mobilization strategy for malaria elimination in Ethiopia.
• Contributes to design and development of organizational setup for malaria elimination including the formation of malaria elimination task force and technical working groups at all levels of the tier.
• Supports development of the required national capacity for the elimination program at all levels; and supports the capacity building efforts of the program at regional, zonal, district and community levels and private sectors using relevant tools, training and approaches for relevant stakeholders and program staff in various aspects of optimizing anti-malaria intervention.
• Assembles existing evidence and generate additional priority evidence to inform, strengthen, and update malaria elimination interventions.
• Facilitates shared learning through dissemination of best practices in malaria elimination interventions.
• Monitors implementation status of the public-private mix (PPM) guide for malaria and provides necessary support for its scale-up.
• Assists defining the role of anti-malarial interventions based up on the local determinants of the disease, malaria stratification and risk maps of the country.
• Follows up expansion of the electronic community health information system (eCHIS) as well as the Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM), including the rapid reporting system in elimination designated districts.
• Supports the use of data quality audit at origin of the health system for quality data to inform decisions and responses.
• Supports the ongoing universal diagnosis and treatment by enforcing standard operating procedures and national guidance, including strengthening of the quality control and reference laboratory capacity for Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) and malaria microscopy.
• Assists assessing and defining the role of private sector in the surveillance and management of malaria elimination.
• Supports the implementation of activities in the malaria elimination designated districts, across selected regions through regular monitoring and evaluation, mentorship, and supportive supervision.
• Supports the development of standard procedures for a local surveillance system capable of infection/case detection and response for transmission containment.
• Supports training of health workers for an active surveillance system as part of the intervention strategy for establishing malaria free areas.
• Briefs regularly MOH and partners and submits monthly, quarterly, bi- annual and annual written activity reports.
• Will shoulder other malaria elimination related responsibilities as the project work plan is a living document.