National Senior Software Developer and Advisor for grant and Project management Technical Assistance – LonAdd Consultancy PLC( Recruiter/ 86214)

Information Technology, Science and Technology

LonAdd Consultancy PLC( Recruiter/ 86214)

LonAdd HR Consultancy Plc (www.lonadd.com) is a Recruitment & Outsourcing Company based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with branch offices in Dukem and Hawassa. We are looking to recruit a qualified applicant on behalf of our client.

Background & Purpose of the position:

The Senior IT Advisor is tasked with advancing the digital transformation of the Project and Grant Management functions within the Strategic Affairs Executive Office of the Ministry of Health. This role involves enhancing and digitizing current operations to streamline workflows and improve the effectiveness of grant management, resource mobilization, and interactions with civil society organizations.

The key responsibilities will include the following:

• Innovation and Best Practices Implementation: The Advisor will introduce innovative digital solutions and workflows, drawing on successful practices from other contexts to optimize our internal processes. This involves staying informed about cutting-edge technologies and adapting those that can offer significant benefits within our setup.
• Continuation and Expansion of Digitization Initiatives: The Advisor is expected to not only continue existing digitization efforts but also spearhead the development of user-friendly applications to facilitate access and engagement for all stakeholders. This includes the creation and maintenance of a dynamic database for grant management and a management information system for civil societies, ensuring their seamless integration with the Ministry’s primary management information systems.
• System Development and Enhancement: The role covers extensive system development tasks including coding, deployment, and ongoing administration of existing and new management information systems, with a focus on enhancing capabilities in project management, resource mobilization, and community solidarity.
• Collaboration and Capacity Building: The Advisor will maintain active communication with counterparts in partner organizations and regions, and coordinate with Ministry’s Health Information System Officers and other relevant departments. The role also includes planning and conducting Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions, developing specialized training modules to ensure effective use and understanding of the new systems.
• Problem Solving and Compliance: Critical thinking and advanced problem-solving skills are crucial, as the Advisor will address complex technical challenges to keep systems operational and compliant with the Ministry’s standards and regulations. 

Specific Tasks

The Advisor will be required to perform the following

Requirements Gathering and Analysis

• Conduct Stakeholder Workshops: Engage with stakeholders to gather comprehensive requirements and understand existing workflows and system needs.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Stay updated on digital project and grant management practices to inform system requirements and ensure alignment with industry standards.
• Pain Point Identification: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify inefficiencies and define system requirements that address these issues.

Design and Development

• System Design: Lead the architecture and design of scalable, reliable, and secure software solutions.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on digital project and grant management practices, staying informed about emerging trends, tools, and methodologies in the field.
• Develop and implement digitalization strategies to streamline project and grant management processes, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and best practices.
• Platform Development: Oversee the selection and technical integration of appropriate project management and grant administration platforms.
• Digitalization Strategy Implementation: Develop and implement strategies to digitize and streamline project and grant management processes.

Testing and Deployment

• Quality Assurance: Coordinate with the Quality Assurance team to develop and execute comprehensive test plans, ensuring robustness and functional compliance of the system.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Facilitate UAT with key stakeholders to confirm the system meets all specified requirements.
• System Deployment: Manage the deployment process, including initial launch and post-deployment verification to ensure seamless integration and functionality.
• Have strong experience on UX/UI design, stockholders management and prioritize tasks, and deliver value-added functionality.
• Implement software solutions according to best practices, coding standards, and quality assurance processes.
• Conduct code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and mentor junior developers to promote continuous learning and improvement.
• Participate and lead in all phases of the software development lifecycle, including requirements analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Troubleshoot and debug software issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions to ensure optimal performance and user satisfaction.

Documentation and Capacity Building

• Documentation Development: Create detailed user manuals and technical documentation to support system use and maintenance.
• Training Programs: Develop and conduct training sessions for staff and key stakeholders, including creating supportive training materials.
• Online Help System: Set up and maintain an online help system to provide continuous support and guidance to users.
• Facilitate the use of data through the application of innovative approaches at the national, regional, woreda, partners and executive levels. Design Dashboard reports for different levels for easy follow up of grants. 
• Make grants and project Resource Tracking and Management System easier to all stakeholders according to their level of access.
• Build capacity on health information systems and HITs at different levels through strengthening mentorship and organizing training and workshops.
• Monitor performances by organizing regular virtual and face to face meetings, organizing supervisions, reviewing reports and providing feedbacks. 
• Track performances, document, synthesize and disseminate lessons learned and success stories.

Maintenance and Support

• Ongoing Technical Support: Provide continuous technical support to resolve issues and answer queries to ensure system reliability and user satisfaction.
• System Updates and Performance Monitoring: Regularly update the system with new patches and monitor its performance to maintain and enhance functionality.
• Regular Review and Feedback Sessions: Organize quarterly and annual reviews to evaluate system performance, gather user feedback, and implement necessary improvements.
• Collaborate with the Project Management and Resource Mobilization team to understand existing IT development tools, technologies, and system architecture.
• Work closely with the Quality Assurance team to develop and execute test plans, ensuring thorough testing of system changes before deployment.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance to the Project Management and Resource Mobilization team, assisting with technical evaluations, feasibility assessments, and decision-making processes.
• Submit regular reports to the SAEO as per the Ministry of Health standards;
• Participate in planning and review meetings;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Reporting:

• The Technical Assistance for National Senior Software Developer and Advisor for grant and Project management Technical Assistance will be assigned in the Ministry of health Strategic Affairs lead executive office and will report to Project Management, Resource Mobilization team lead & immunization officer at Client  Ethiopia. 

Expected Deliverables and Time Frame:

The main deliverable from this position will be.

Software Requirements Specification (SRS):

• This document outlines the functional and non-functional requirements of the software. It serves as a blueprint for development.

Software Design Documentation:

• This includes architectural designs, database designs, UI/UX designs, and any other design documents necessary for building the software.

Codebase:

• The actual source code of the software, organized in a version-controlled repository such as Git. This includes both frontend and backend code, scripts, and configuration files.

Executable Software:

• The compiled or interpreted software application that can be deployed and run on the target environment. This could include installers, binaries, or deployment packages.

User Documentation:

• Manuals, guides, or online help documentation that assist users in understanding and using the software effectively.

Testing Documentation:

• Test plans, test cases, and test results documenting the process and outcomes of various testing phases such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing.

Bug/Issue Tracker:

• A system for tracking and managing defects, issues, and enhancements throughout the software development lifecycle.

Deployment Scripts and Instructions:

• Scripts and documentation for deploying the software to various environments, including development, staging, and production.

Training Materials:

• If applicable, training materials for end-users or administrators to learn how to use and manage the software.

Maintenance and Support Plan:

• Documentation outlining how ongoing maintenance, support, and updates will be handled after the software is deployed. Facilitate the use of these developed tools by the team and professionals across the ministry, regions and partners.

Project Documentation:

• Reports, meeting minutes, project plans, and any other documentation related to the management and execution of the software development project.
• Fully operational grant management information system, civil society organizations management digital database Leading the technical implementation of system administration, maintenance, backups and maintaining redundancy. 
• Prepare appropriate reports to the SAEO
• Track performances, document, synthesize and disseminate lessons learned and success stories of the health and nutrition information systems.

Core Competence 

• Excellent management, supervision/mentoring and organizational skills including the ability to handle a variety of assignments sometimes under pressure of deadlines.
• Technical competency: expected to have advanced proficiency in programming languages, frameworks, and tools relevant to their domain. This might include languages like JavaScript, ASP.Net Core, Java, as well as proficiency in frameworks like React, Angular, Spring, or Django.
• Problem-Solving Skills: must be adept at analyzing complex problems and devising effective solutions. This involves breaking down problems into manageable components, identifying patterns, and applying appropriate algorithms and data structures.
• Software Architecture: They should have a deep understanding of software architecture principles and design patterns. This includes knowledge of architectural styles (such as MVC, REST, microservices), scalability, and performance considerations.
• Database Management: Proficiency in working with databases is crucial. This includes knowledge of PostgreSQL and NoSQL databases, database design, optimization techniques, and understanding of ORM frameworks.
• Version Control Systems: should be proficient in using version control systems like Git for managing source code effectively, collaborating with team members, and tracking changes.
• Testing and Debugging: Strong testing skills are essential for ensuring the quality and reliability of software products. This involves writing unit tests, integration tests, and performing debugging to identify and fix issues.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and tools is important for automating the software development process, ensuring rapid and reliable delivery of code changes.
• Documentation Skills: Ability to create clear and comprehensive documentation for code, APIs, and systems is important for facilitating collaboration among team members and ensuring maintainability.
• Communication Skills: often need to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, are crucial for successful collaboration within teams and with clients.
• Leadership and Mentoring: responsible for guiding and mentoring junior team members, providing technical leadership, and fostering a positive and collaborative team culture.
• Adaptability and Learning Agility: Given the rapidly evolving nature of technology, should have a strong appetite for learning new tools, technologies, and best practices to stay current in their field.
• Time Management and Prioritization: Ability to manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines is crucial, especially when working on multiple projects simultaneously or in a fast-paced environment.

Note:

• The consultants will be based at the MoH level.
• The consultant will not be provided lodging and/or meals.
• The consultant will use his/her own materials, i.e., computer/laptop, phone, etc.
• For the duty travel, the consultant will not be provided a rented car by the HR firm and DSA.
• The consultant will be paid monthly by the HR firm upon completion of deliverables as indicated on this TOR and approved by the supervisor.

Policy both parties should be aware of:

• HR firm will manage all the administrative issues and aspects based on HR policies and procedures.
• All remuneration must be within the contract agreement through the HR firm.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both the HR firm and the consultant.
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority over the Client budget

Start date : As soon possible

Education:

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering or another relevant technical field. 
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in a relevant field combined with 8-years of professional experience & 6 year for MSC may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At minimum 8 years of progressive experience in Software Development in a large international organization or corporation is required.
• Proven experience in project management, grant administration, or related fields, with a focus on digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) and grant funding processes, including proposal development, budgeting, and compliance.
• Proven experience in leading software development teams. 
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex issues, propose innovative solutions, and implement them effectively.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a team-oriented environment and interact professionally with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Expertise in web development technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern front-end frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js).
• Experience with database management systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL) and proficiency in writing efficient database queries and stored procedures.
• Expertise and hands-on experiences with the following open-source systems: Comm Care, DHIS2, Open HIE, EMR and GIS platforms
• Expertise and hands-on experiences with database design, data model development, query languages
• Expertise and knowledges on Cloud native application and Microservices
• Experience of working with the government especially with FMoH is highly recommended.
• Experience working effectively with NGO and other partners.
• Good understanding on multi-sectoral nutrition.
• Strong results orientation, proven ability to manage a complex and demanding workload.
• Excellent spoken and written English and Amharic.
• Demonstrated ability to handle detail-oriented tasks and be organized.
• Flexible and ability to work under pressure. 

Technology Skills:

• Application Layer /Programing languages: ASP.Net Core (C#), Angular, Python, HTML, JavaScript, Java
• Database Layer: NoSQL DBs like CouchDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, and PostgreSQL
• Proxy Server/Webserver: Nginx, Apache Tomcat

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and Amharic is required.

Lien