Child and Adolescent Health Specialist

The Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) Specialist provides strategic and technical leadership across SCP’s CAH portfolio, working with and reporting to the Portfolio Lead – CAH. The role advances evidence-based programming, knowledge generation, policy influence and national-level technical engagement; strengthens SCP’s technical positioning in child and adolescent health; and contributes to program innovation and resource mobilization. The Specialist maintains a broad and current understanding of maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCHN); adolescent health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR); mental health and psychosocial well-being; health promotion and health literacy; disease prevention; health systems strengthening and continuity of care; and child and adolescent health in humanitarian and public health emergencies.

Requirements

Essential skills, knowledge or experience

• Broad and current technical expertise in child and adolescent health, with demonstrated ability to critically appraise scientific and public health evidence and translate it into program, policy and operational guidance.
  
• Strong experience in CAH program design, technical quality assurance, evidence generation, health systems, policy influence and government engagement.
  
• Demonstrated experience in evidence generation and use, including research, interpretation of epidemiological and program data, technical writing and knowledge products.
  
• Strong technical writing, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including ability to communicate complex health evidence clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
  
• Experience working with government, civil society, technical partners and children and communities using participatory and locally led approaches.
  
• Ability to work across development and humanitarian contexts, collaborate across disciplines, recognize limits of own expertise and mobilize additional specialist support when required.
  

Key Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic Agility - Anticipates emerging health, policy and program trends; connects evidence, external developments and organizational priorities; and translates them into strategic options and recommendations for the CAH portfolio.
  
• Political Savvy - Understands formal and informal decision-making dynamics, stakeholder interests and institutional sensitivities, and uses this understanding appropriately to influence policy, practice and adoption of technically sound and child-centered approaches without relying on positional authority.
  
• Decision Quality - Makes timely, evidence-informed recommendations by weighing the quality and limits of available evidence, risks, alternative options, operational realities and implications for children and the organization, including when information is incomplete or evolving
  

Desirable skills, knowledge or experience

• Experience influencing health policy, strengthening government health systems and supporting adoption or scale-up of evidence-based approaches.
  
• Experience working across one or more priority CAH areas such as MNCHN, nutrition, ASRHR, mental health and psychosocial well-being, health promotion/health literacy, disease prevention and health systems strengthening.
  
• Experience in humanitarian health, outbreak response, Health Cluster or similar humanitarian coordination mechanisms, and/or technical media engagement.
  

Required Education and Qualifications

• Medical Doctor (MD) degree and current or recent professional registration/licensure, with advanced training or demonstrated substantial experience in public health, epidemiology, community health or a closely related field. A postgraduate public health qualification (e.g., MPH) is highly desirable.
  
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in technical leadership, public health programming, health systems, development and/or humanitarian settings, with substantive experience related to child and adolescent health.
  
• Experience working in child-focused or rights-based organizations is highly desirable.
  
  

Benefits

1. Retirement Plan or Performance Completion Benefit
2. Year-end Bonus
3. HMO
4. Employee Assistance Program
5. Life and Accident Insurance
6. Employee Learning and Development
7. Statutory Benefits
8. Time off and Leave of Absences

      • Annual Leave (AL)

      • Sick Leave (SL)

      • Special Privilege Leave (SPL)

      • Govt mandated leaves (Maternity, Paternity, Single Parent, RA 9710)