Project Associate (BHC)

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.

Position Description

Background

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), is a health care consulting and research organization dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities in the U.S. and around the world. JSI's mission is to improve the health of underserved people and communities and to provide a place where people of passion and commitment can pursue this cause. For 35 years, Boston-based JSI and its affiliates have provided high-quality technical and managerial assistance to public health programs worldwide. JSI has implemented projects in 106 countries, and currently operates from eight U.S. and 81 international offices, with more than 500 U.S.-based professionals and 1,600 host country staff. In Nepal, JSI has worked for 40 years, with recent project focusing on strengthening health systems in the areas of vaccination, health supply chain, family health and environmental health, to increase access to lifesaving services and commodities that improve the health and nutrition of women and children.

Project Overview

The Building Healthy Cities (BHC) project aims to embed a health equity lens into city policies, planning, and services while improving data flow for existing Smart Cities in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal. Health and Smart Cities planning are related; decisions about transport, environment, sanitation, education, recreation, information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, and the built environment can have a major impact on health, despite being outside of the health sector. When this decision-making is harmonized, it can improve access to health services, decrease lifestyle and environmental risk factors for poor nutrition and non-communicable diseases, reduce speed of transmission during infectious disease outbreaks, and increase availability of usable data for urban health decision-making. 

Building Healthy Cities will be working in special partnership with Kathmandu to support roll out of their Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Action Plan (KVAP). BHC activities will begin to 1) develop a local network of governmental support for the implementation of this plan and support them to design, budget, and implement the plan, and 2) develop content and create an informational campaign on key interventions or concepts related to the KVAP which are relevant for maternal and child health to increase community awareness of the severity of this issue. It is anticipated that BHC’s engagement is an entry point for an upcoming USAID KVAP support project with a longer-term engagement. 

In support of Activity 1 this project will:

• Complete a brief review of KVAP for maternal and child health impacts, and for where health partners may need to be more explicitly included in the implementation process.
• Work with Department of Environment to define how many and in what way the 18 municipalities of the Kathmandu Valley will be engaged to provide technical assistance. 
• Conduct introductory meetings with key city stakeholders to share activity plans, gauge interest, and assess communication formats suitable for the current COVID-19 context. These meetings may be split into national, municipal, and non-governmental meetings, especially if these meetings need to be held in non-traditional formats due to COVID-19 restrictions. 
• Identify ways for municipalities to achieve quick results based on available resources, with a focus on actions relating to increasing environmental health and equitable access to improved air quality for mothers and children. For example, there are no defined outputs or target indicators in the KVAP, aside from reducing air pollution toward the level of accepted national guidelines. BHC can help stakeholders define more specific goals that will help to prioritize their activities and identify how the entire activity list may unintentionally interact to support or detract from specific goals.
• Facilitate coordination and cooperation across relevant stakeholders through participatory systems mapping exercises, in particular how relevant health authorities can be most effectively engaged for successful implementation of the KVAP. BHC will adjust this  process to focus on how the existing defined activities interact, help or hinder progress toward goals, determine what stakeholders could feasibly expect as tangible outputs/targets, and what needs to be mitigated to ensure a successful implementation. This process will include identification of, and engagement with, local non-profit, academic, and private sector allies who could amplify the effectiveness of this Action Plan. 
• Support municipalities in creating long-term strategies for implementing the Action Plan, including how to more explicitly incorporate health goals in the implementation plans. 

Furthermore, in support of Activity 2 it is envisaged that this project will also engage and develop content for local media, who can help relay messaging about air pollution and health to the broader public. At the conclusion of this activity, a workshop will be organized for municipalities to share results, network, and learn. 

Job Summary

Based in Kathmandu, the Project Associate will be supporting the BHC operations in the city. S/He will support the Senior Project Officer in communicating about the project in Kathmandu and supporting the community outreach activities. The Project Associate will be a member of a team of three local staff, under the direction of the Deputy Project Director with terminal oversight provided by the BHC Project Director and technical connections to other global staff. 

Responsibilities: 

• Identify effective communication mechanisms to ensure proper brand identification at the city level and increase visibility of BHC work and success stories at both local and national level. 
• Assist in preparation of technical and financial reports (quarterly, semiannual, annual and end-of-project) to the Deputy Project Director and Project Director.  
• Attend BHC staff meetings on regular basis to share and receive information across country teams. 
• Organize meetings/workshops relating to the BHC project.
• Identify and manage contracts with local providers for printing of BHC materials, catering, and visual design support.
• Comply with rules and regulations of the Project Authorities and comply with local laws.
• Support collection of project monitoring data such as budgets, reports, datasets, and the like. 
• Provide basic analytical support for city project monitoring data. 

Qualifications and Skills

JSI seeks a results-oriented individual with the ability to produce high-quality deliverables, manage multiple concurrent tasks, and meet tight deadlines with attention to detail. The successful candidate is required to have:

• College degree in any of the following fields: Public Health, Environmental Health, Urban Planning, Public Planning, Sociology, Social Work, or related fields. 
• Experience of working in public health/urban development/air pollution/environmental health or related fields desirable.
• Experience with media outlet connections, social media expertise, and/or graphic design highly desirable.
• Some experience with qualitative research is preferred but not required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office required. 
• Fluent in English and Nepalese, both written and oral. 
• Based in Kathmandu (Nepal) or willing to relocate to Kathmandu.

Instruction for application: Please send your CV and cover letter to kushal_acharya@np.jsi.com with the position title on the subject line by September 19, 2020. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

“JSI is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer committed to workplace diversity. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, genetic information, political affiliation, or military status (special disabled veterans or veteran status) in any employment decisions”.