Pact seeks a Systems Strengthening Advisor – Fiscal Accountability for the ACHIEVE Zambia program.  ACHIEVE is a five-year, USAID-funded global cooperative agreement with the dual objectives of attaining and sustaining HIV epidemic control among at-risk and hard to reach pregnant and breastfeeding (PBF) women, infants, children, and youth, as well as to mitigate the impact of HIV/ AIDS and prevent HIV transmission among these populations; and supporting the transition of prime funding and implementation to capable local partners in order to meet the PEPFAR goal of 70% of funding to local partners.

ACHIEVE has been funded by USAID in Zambia to implement a four-year activity which aims (1) to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) to improve service outcomes and reduce the incidence of HIV in Vulnerable Children and Adolescents (VCA) and their families to accelerate and maintain epidemic control (2) build the capacity of the MCDSS and community structures to deliver quality social services and provide comprehensive case management for beneficiaries and (3) build MCDSS’s capacity to successfully implement Government-to-Government (G2G) activities in accordance with USAID’s policies and procedures. ACHIEVE will begin Activities in Zambia in December 2020.

The Systems Strengthening Advisor – Fiscal Accountability will provide technical leadership for activities under Objective 3 – Build the capacity of the MCDSS to improve fiscal accountability and to manage USAID G2G funds.  This position will be responsible for leading capacity development interventions with MCDSS at the national and subnational levels, to address issues identified through capacity and risk assessments conducted by ACHIEVE and/or USAID. This position will function as an embedded advisor to provide on-site technical support to MCDSS’ Planning and Information Department (PID), Department of Community Development (DCD) and Department of Social Welfare (DSW).

• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and support to MCDSS to address capacity development priorities and risks related to fiscal accountability and the potential management of USAID G2G funding.
• Lead the design, planning, monitoring and budgeting of activities under project Objective 3 and participate in other project level processes to ensure integration of activities with other project components.
• Lead the adaptation and implementation of capacity development tools (ex. Government Performance Index, Integrated Technical and Organizational Capacity Assessment; Capacity Action Plans) for use with MCDSS units and subnational entities responsible for social welfare service coordination, in line with roles, responsibilities, and performance benchmarks for each body.
• Identify key gaps in MCDSS’s financial, agreement, and program management systems and fiscal accountability and oversee needed processes for improvement, including the development and tracking of related action plans, engaging outside expertise where appropriate.
• Support MCDSS to conduct supportive supervision and monitoring of provincial and district level counterparts, with a focus on skills development of provincial and district level staff to carry out coordination, operational, and technical functions.
• Participate in or ensure high-level project representation and leadership where needed on technical working groups with Government of Zambia and other stakeholders linked to key project initiatives.
• Ensure the completion of all reporting requirements and other deliverables related to the fiscal accountability objective.
• Coordinate with the ACHIEVE HQ staff in the successful programmatic and technical implementation of the fiscal accountability component of the project.
• Facilitate coordination with other relevant in-country initiatives and, as appropriate, other related ACHIEVE buy-ins, Pact projects, or other projects.
• With the Project Director, represent ACHIEVE’s fiscal accountability activities with USAID, PEPFAR, and other partners.
• Provide other direct technical inputs in line with background expertise and project needs.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in a relevant field such as public health, social work, etc.
• At least 8 years of technical advisor-type experience in health systems strengthening, governance, fiscal accountability or capacity development in Zambia.
• Prior experience working with or in collaboration with MCDSS or similar Government of Zambia units.
• Previous experience working on USAID- and/or PEPFAR-funded systems strengthening, technical assistance, OVC or child protection, and/or capacity development projects.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully building and effectively managing diverse teams of employees.
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with government and civil society partners.

• Prior experience working on programs in relevant areas such as USAID PEPFAR funded programs.
• Local candidate preferred.