Job Title: Director – Strategic Government Relations
Organisation: Living Goods (LG)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About US:
Living Goods supports networks of ‘Avon-like’ micro-entrepreneurs who go door-to-door teaching families how to improve their health and wealth while selling affordable, high-impact products like basic medicines, fortified foods, water filters, clean cook stoves, and solar lights. Living Goods seeks nothing less than a disruptive reinvention of distribution in emerging markets, through networks of franchised micro-entrepreneurs who leverage Living Goods’ brand, buying power and mobile marketing tools to deliver vital products at accessible prices to the people who need them most.
Living Goods has proven a cost effective, high-impact community health care model that is changing how government thinks about delivery of frontlinecommunity services. Significantly reducing Under-5 mortality at less than $2 per capita, Living Goods aspires to revolutionize how governments across Africa deliver community health with a goal of not only saving the lives of children and serving millions of underserved, but providing a strong, economic driver to developing countries.
Job Summary: The Director – Strategic Government Relations will develop and drive the strategy to advocate, inform, and deliver a sea change in how the GOU and other governments deliver effective community health care. As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director –Strategic Government Relations will lead strategy development and implementation towards:
- Positioning Living Goods as a leader in community health in Uganda to either directly implement on behalf of the government, and/or support MOH to strengthen and build effective, large-scale community health systems;
- Influencing community health strategy, policy, and planning to increase likelihood of effective, large scale and lasting community health systems; and
- Developing and advocating for increased institutional and government funding towards community health in Uganda.
- Designing and influencing strategies, with global bodies, such as UNICEF or WHO, and international development partners to build an investment case and advocacy plans, and with country Government leaders to incorporate effective community health delivery as a key plank of future investment, ultimately to change key policies and investments in community health to better the lives of millions.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
LG Support of GOU to drive effective community health delivery:
- Design and develop innovative Public-Private Partnerships with government to drive more effective, accountable delivery of community health services.
- Define and strengthen support of local government for effective community health delivery, including assessments of needs, coordination on delivery services, and, with Operations Department, delivery of technical assistance to improve performance.
- With the Country Director, develop and support an In-country Advisory Board of key leaders that can advise, support, and advocate.
Policy Advocacy:
- Steer engagement with global influencing bodies (i.e. UNICEF, World Bank, WHO) to develop influence strategies to drive government focus and investment in community health.
- Lead representation on behalf of Living Goods at national and international meetings and conferences.
- Work closely to support effective implementation of GOU strategies, such as the CHEW strategy, and leverage the LG lessons learned, including need for effective VHT supervision and management, tools and technologies to support high performance, and incentives.
- Engage at the highest level with MOH, including in strategy development, TWGs, and policy design.
- Create and leverage partnerships with other high-impact community health organizations (i.e. Last Mile Health, Muso, UNICEF) to drive national and international policy recommendations.
Funding Influence:
- Work with global organizations to derive research, develop evidence base and models that may be needed to stimulate government focus on and investment in community health.
- Partner with key stakeholders, including senior level members of GOU — MOH, MOF, OPM — to engage in a collaborative design process around the model and investment case for effective community health scale up.
- Advance partnerships with global financiers of health care – UNICEF, BMGF, etc. – that can lead to funding or implementation opportunities.
- Take lead in the development of innovative financing mechanisms, like Payment by Results (PbR) financing that will deliver national impact faster and at lower risk to funders.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant must hold an Advanced degree in a related field.
- At least ten years of senior level experience with close association with GOU and/or government agencies.
- Solid understanding of the intricacies of Uganda’s health system and budgeting process.
- Proven experience networking and influencing across senior government decision-makers and officials.
- Previous experience working with international health agencies or donors, such as UNICEF, WHO, BMGF
- Experience with development and advocacy of economic models to drive systemic change.
- The ideal candidate has worked across senior levels of government, both MOH and MOF, and designed and developed strategy and policy.
- The jobholder should be knowledgeable in healthcare, and passionate about driving innovation in government; understands the government budgeting processes and how to influence and advocate across a breadth of stakeholders.
NB: Preference will be given to Ugandan Nationals.
How to Apply:
All candidates are strongly encouraged to Apply Online at the web link below.