Vacancy: Technical Advisor I - Health

Company Profile

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been working in Ghana since 1958 in Health, Agriculture, Peace Building, Water and Sanitation, Microfinance and Education programs. 

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cherish, preserve and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching as we act to:

• Promote human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies; and,


• Serve Catholics in the United States as they live their faith in solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the world.

CRS Ghana is currently implementing the Developing Acute Care and Emergency Referral Systems (ACERS) Project for a period of three years which commenced in September 2018 and is expected to end in October 2021.

Job Description

Key Working Relationships

• Supervisory:  REST II Project Coordinator


• Internal:  ACERS Chief of Party, Health MEAL staff, Business Development Specialist, Program Quality Manager, WASH Program Manager, Agriculture Program Manager, Head of Operations, Finance Manager, Country Representative.


• External:  Ghana Health Services, peer agencies, donors, private service providers in health sector, local elected and traditional authorities.

Job Summary 

The Technical Advisor (TA) I for Health will provide technical guidance and support to a range of program design and implementation issues in the area of Health in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable in Ghana. 

In addition to new project design/proposal development and the high-quality implementation of health solutions across the health portfolio, the TA for Health will oversee the Rural Emergency Health Service and Transport (REST II)  project, guiding the management of health innovation/learning activities; the development, monitoring and reporting of the Country Program’s learning agenda for health; training and capacity building of staff and partners; and the design and development of marketing materials.  

Job Responsibilities

• Support the development and contribute to the implementation of strategies, standards, tools and best practices in health that effectively engage partners, donors, and Ghana Health Services (GHS). Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, beneficiary accountability and disaster risk reduction where relevant.


• Provide technical solutions to health programming teams for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.


• Lead the development of the technical design and costing for health-related proposals.  Support the process of preparation, design, submission and approval of project concepts and proposals. As needed, act as a technical writer on proposal development teams. Advise project teams on integrating donor strategies, priorities and technical requirements into CRS’ approach.


• Oversee the Rural Emergency Health Service and Transport (REST II) project and provide focused attention to health innovation/learning activities within this project.


• Support the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of a learning agenda for Ghana’s health portfolio and the dissemination/presentation of results; leverage results for new funding and incorporate in new project design.


• Support capacity strengthening initiatives in health programming for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching.


• Support in the preparation of progress and final program reports for donors with attention to data presentation and analysis and in accordance with CRS and donor standards and requirements.


• Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions, participate in forums in the area of health to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.


• Design/develop marketing and branding material for the health program portfolio for diverse audiences external to CRS.

Travel Required:  This position will be based in Tamale, Ghana with approximately 30% travel to Accra for programmatic coordination and representation.

Required Skills or Experience

• Master's Degree in Public Health or health related field required, doctorate degree preferred.


• Minimum of eight years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO.


• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in public health. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.


• Four or more years of experience in program implementation and program management.


• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.


• Experience in project design and proposal development. Experience in writing content for proposals.


• Experience working with local partners; knowledge of capacity strengthening best practices.


• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.


• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

Personal Skills 

• Strong inter-personal, relationship management skills with ability to influence and get support from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.


• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgments.


• Good technical writing skills.


• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills.


• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. 

• Trusting Relationships


• Professional Growth


• Partnership


• Accountability