BACKGROUND

Willows International (WI) works in close collaboration with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGoZ), through the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the President’s Office Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Departments (PORALGSD), to strengthen and institutionalize sustainable, Government-owned health systems that contribute to improved health outcomes across Zanzibar.

WI’s support is anchored within Zanzibar’s national Community Based Health Program (CBHP), strengthening the systems, structures, capacities, and implementation mechanisms required to translate national policies and strategies into effective community and health-facility services. These include Community Health Workers (CHWs), Health Facility Governing Committees (HFGCs), Field-Based Supervisors (FBS), the Community Health Information System (CHIS), and related coordination, governance, monitoring, and accountability structures.

Working with Government and other partners, WI supports standardized and integrated approaches that strengthen frontline implementation, supportive supervision, community engagement, referral and follow-up, data use, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement. This includes strengthening community-facility linkages and ensuring that evidence and implementation experience inform Government planning, policy, strategy, and decision-making.

Through these efforts, WI supports equitable access to and effective utilization of quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services, including early pregnancy identification, Antenatal Care (ANC), comprehensive family planning, health facility delivery, Comprehensive Post-Abortion Care (cPAC), Postnatal Care (PNC), and other high-impact interventions.

As Zanzibar’s health-system environment evolves, sustained technical engagement, institutional proximity, strong Government relationships, and timely alignment between policy, systems, and implementation remain critical. WI therefore seeks to recruit a Technical Advisor to strengthen Government ownership, institutionalization, strategic alignment, technical coordination, continuity, and timely problem-solving, while maintaining strong integration with WI’s program implementation and management functions.

SCOPE OF THE POSITION

The Technical Advisor will provide technical, programmatic, and strategic support to WI and relevant Government structures, operating at the intersection of Government priorities, policy and strategy, technical systems, evidence, and frontline implementation in Zanzibar.

The position will strengthen implementation, institutionalization, coordination, policy and strategy execution, evidence use, Government ownership, and sustainable delivery of WI-supported community health and health-system interventions.

POSITION SUMMARY

WI seeks a highly competent, strategically minded, results-oriented, and experienced Technical Advisor to provide technical and programmatic support to the WI Zanzibar Program and relevant Government structures involved in community health, RMNCAH, and health systems strengthening.

Working closely with the MOH and maintaining strong integration with WI Program and Management teams, the incumbent will provide responsive, practical, and evidence-informed technical support in planning, implementation, monitoring, review, adaptation, and institutionalization of priority interventions.

The Technical Advisor will strengthen connections between policy and implementation, Government and program systems, evidence and decision-making, and national priorities and frontline realities. The incumbent will proactively identify emerging Government priorities, technical developments, implementation bottlenecks, institutional opportunities, and areas requiring action.

A critical expectation is to establish professional credibility, trust, accessibility, and technical usefulness within Government structures. The incumbent will provide high-quality technical advice and support, including preparation and review of plans, strategies, briefs, concept notes, memoranda, official correspondence, presentations, implementation frameworks, guidelines, reports, meeting materials, and other priority Government and WI technical documents.

The incumbent will simultaneously maintain substantive responsibility for direct WI program implementation and ensure that Government engagements and technical processes translate into concrete actions, deliverables, timelines, and results.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Technical Advisor will be responsible for the following:

1. Government Technical Advisory Support and Institutional Engagement

Provide high-quality and context-responsive technical advice to MOH, PORALGSD, and other relevant Government structures; build trusted professional relationships; maintain regular technical engagement; and support translation of policies, strategies, plans, guidance, and decisions into practical implementation arrangements at national and subnational levels.

1. Program Implementation and Performance

Provide technical and operational support to planning, coordination, implementation, supportive supervision, mentorship, monitoring, and continuous improvement of WI-supported interventions; track agreed deliverables and milestones; identify bottlenecks, emerging priorities, risks, and operational gaps; and facilitate timely corrective actions.

1. Policy, Strategy and Technical Documentation

Support preparation, review, and refinement of Government and WI policies, strategies, implementation plans, guidelines, frameworks, briefs, concept notes, memoranda, correspondence, presentations, reports, meeting materials, and other technical products. Synthesize evidence, implementation experience, and stakeholder inputs into clear and decision-oriented outputs.

1. Strategic Alignment, Advocacy and Policy Influence

Support alignment between WI priorities and evolving Government policies, strategies, systems, and implementation arrangements; identify emerging developments and opportunities; and contribute technical evidence and implementation learning to Government planning, policy, advocacy, and institutionalization processes.

1. Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

Strengthen collaboration among Government departments, WI teams, implementing partners, technical working groups, and other stakeholders; support strategic consultations, meetings, reviews, workshops, and follow-up processes; and represent WI professionally in relevant technical engagements.

1. Evidence, Data Use and Decision Support

Promote effective use of program data, research, implementation evidence, community insights, and operational experience to inform planning, performance improvement, policy dialogue, and decision-making. Support assessments, reviews, documentation of lessons and best practices, and development of actionable recommendations.

1. Community and Digital Health Systems Strengthening

Provide technical support to priority CBHP components, including CHWs, HFGCs, supportive supervision, referrals, community-facility linkages, CHIS, and related implementation structures. Support integration and institutionalization of evidence-based WISE approaches within Government-owned systems, including CHIS optimization, interoperability, and data use.

1. Capacity Strengthening and Institutionalization

Strengthen the competencies, systems, and processes of Government counterparts, frontline teams, supervisors, and other stakeholders through mentorship, technical accompaniment, learning-by-doing, and practical knowledge transfer, with emphasis on sustainable institutional capacity rather than individual dependency.

1. Monitoring, Learning and Strategic Foresight

Maintain awareness of changes in Government priorities, structures, personnel, systems, technical directions, and partner arrangements; assess implications for implementation and sustainability; document lessons, innovations, risks, and opportunities; and support timely adaptation and follow-through.

1. Organizational Representation and Accountability

Maintain strong communication and accountability with WI Management and Program teams; ensure relevant Government developments and commitments are communicated in a timely and actionable manner; uphold WI values, policies, confidentiality, and professional standards; and undertake other complementary responsibilities assigned by WI Management.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate should demonstrate a strong combination of public health expertise, health-systems understanding, Government engagement experience, program implementation capability, strategic thinking, and exceptional technical communication skills.

• Relevant professional background: Advanced academic or professional training in Public Health, Community Health, Health Systems, RMNCAH, Health Policy and Planning, Health Promotion, or another closely related discipline.
• Public health and program experience: Demonstrated senior-level experience in designing, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and improving complex public health, community health, RMNCAH, or health-systems programs.
• Government systems experience: Strong experience working with or providing technical support to Government institutions, preferably Ministries of Health and national or subnational structures. Strong understanding of Zanzibar’s Government, health-system, and community-health environment will be a significant advantage.
• Policy and institutional processes: Demonstrated experience contributing to policies, strategies, plans, guidelines, frameworks, technical briefs, implementation arrangements, and other strategic Government or institutional processes.
• Program implementation and results: Proven ability to translate policies, strategies, workplans, and management priorities into coordinated implementation actions and measurable results, including identifying and resolving bottlenecks.
• Community health and RMNCAH expertise: Strong knowledge and practical experience in community health systems and priority RMNCAH interventions, including comprehensive family planning, ANC, facility delivery, cPAC, PPFP, PNC, and related interventions.
• Advocacy, coordination and stakeholder engagement: Demonstrated experience in strategic engagement, policy dialogue, advocacy, coordination, and relationship management with senior Government officials, technical teams, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Evidence and technical communication: Strong analytical, synthesis, professional writing, presentation, and knowledge-translation skills, with demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality strategic and technical documents for senior audiences and translate evidence into actionable recommendations.
• Capacity strengthening: Demonstrated ability to provide technical mentorship, facilitate learning, and strengthen institutional and frontline implementation capacity.

CORE COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Strategic and systems thinking: Ability to connect policy, institutional, technical, programmatic, and operational dimensions and translate strategy into implementation.
• Technical credibility and professional judgement: Ability to provide evidence-informed, practical, context-sensitive advice that earns confidence among Government and WI stakeholders.
• Relationship building and institutional diplomacy: Exceptional ability to build trusted relationships, navigate institutional dynamics, and engage effectively across different levels of Government.
• Institutional acuity and foresight: Ability to anticipate priorities, sensitivities, opportunities, and risks and exercise appropriate discretion and judgement.
• Initiative, problem-solving and adaptability: Ability to anticipate needs, identify issues early, mobilize appropriate actors, manage competing priorities, and facilitate practical solutions with limited supervision.
• Results orientation and accountability: Strong commitment to translating engagements, decisions, and technical processes into concrete follow-up actions and measurable results.
• Communication, drafting and influence: Excellent written and verbal communication, facilitation, presentation, synthesis, and professional drafting skills, with the ability to influence through technical credibility, persuasion, and constructive engagement rather than formal authority.
• Integrity, discretion and professionalism: Exceptional integrity, confidentiality, maturity, reliability, respect, and ethical conduct when handling sensitive Government and organizational information and relationships.
• Professional fluency in English and Kiswahili, with confidence operating in technical, Government, and community settings.

• Provide high-quality and context-responsive technical advice to MOH, PORALGSD, and other relevant Government structures; build trusted professional relationships; maintain regular technical engagement; and support translation of policies, strategies, plans, guidance, and decisions into practical implementation arrangements at national and subnational levels.
• Provide technical and operational support to planning, coordination, implementation, supportive supervision, mentorship, monitoring, and continuous improvement of WI-supported interventions; track agreed deliverables and milestones; identify bottlenecks, emerging priorities, risks, and operational gaps; and facilitate timely corrective actions.
• Support preparation, review, and refinement of Government and WI policies, strategies, implementation plans, guidelines, frameworks, briefs, concept notes, memoranda, correspondence, presentations, reports, meeting materials, and other technical products. Synthesize evidence, implementation experience, and stakeholder inputs into clear and decision-oriented outputs.
• Support alignment between WI priorities and evolving Government policies, strategies, systems, and implementation arrangements; identify emerging developments and opportunities; and contribute technical evidence and implementation learning to Government planning, policy, advocacy, and institutionalization processes.
• Strengthen collaboration among Government departments, WI teams, implementing partners, technical working groups, and other stakeholders; support strategic consultations, meetings, reviews, workshops, and follow-up processes; and represent WI professionally in relevant technical engagements.
• Promote effective use of program data, research, implementation evidence, community insights, and operational experience to inform planning, performance improvement, policy dialogue, and decision-making. Support assessments, reviews, documentation of lessons and best practices, and development of actionable recommendations.
• Provide technical support to priority CBHP components, including CHWs, HFGCs, supportive supervision, referrals, community-facility linkages, CHIS, and related implementation structures. Support integration and institutionalization of evidence-based WISE approaches within Government-owned systems, including CHIS optimization, interoperability, and data use.
• Strengthen the competencies, systems, and processes of Government counterparts, frontline teams, supervisors, and other stakeholders through mentorship, technical accompaniment, learning-by-doing, and practical knowledge transfer, with emphasis on sustainable institutional capacity rather than individual dependency.
• Maintain awareness of changes in Government priorities, structures, personnel, systems, technical directions, and partner arrangements; assess implications for implementation and sustainability; document lessons, innovations, risks, and opportunities; and support timely adaptation and follow-through.
• Maintain strong communication and accountability with WI Management and Program teams; ensure relevant Government developments and commitments are communicated in a timely and actionable manner; uphold WI values, policies, confidentiality, and professional standards; and undertake other complementary responsibilities assigned by WI Management.

• Strategic and systems thinking
• Technical credibility and professional judgement
• Relationship building and institutional diplomacy
• Institutional acuity and foresight
• Initiative, problem-solving and adaptability
• Results orientation and accountability
• Communication, drafting and influence
• Integrity, discretion and professionalism
• Professional fluency in English and Kiswahili

• Advanced academic or professional training in Public Health, Community Health, Health Systems, RMNCAH, Health Policy and Planning, Health Promotion, or another closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated senior-level experience in designing, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and improving complex public health, community health, RMNCAH, or health-systems programs.
• Strong experience working with or providing technical support to Government institutions, preferably Ministries of Health and national or subnational structures. Strong understanding of Zanzibar’s Government, health-system, and community-health environment will be a significant advantage.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to policies, strategies, plans, guidelines, frameworks, technical briefs, implementation arrangements, and other strategic Government or institutional processes.
• Proven ability to translate policies, strategies, workplans, and management priorities into coordinated implementation actions and measurable results, including identifying and resolving bottlenecks.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in community health systems and priority RMNCAH interventions, including comprehensive family planning, ANC, facility delivery, cPAC, PPFP, PNC, and related interventions.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic engagement, policy dialogue, advocacy, coordination, and relationship management with senior Government officials, technical teams, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, synthesis, professional writing, presentation, and knowledge-translation skills, with demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality strategic and technical documents for senior audiences and translate evidence into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical mentorship, facilitate learning, and strengthen institutional and frontline implementation capacity.