Software Program Consultant, Mobile Health Innovation (India)

Grameen Foundation USA (http://www.grameenfoundation.org/) is a global non-profit organization that combines microfinance, new technologies, and innovation to empower the world's poorest people to escape poverty.  The Mobile Health Innovation program at Grameen Foundation develops and deploys services that provide relevant and actionable health information over mobile phones.  The target users of these systems are poor individuals and the healthcare professionals who serve them.  The open-source systems we build are designed to be scaled across multiple countries and multiple health domains working with multiple organizations. 

The Mobile Health Innovations program has developed a software platform called MoTeCH – Mobile Technology for Community Health.  This open source system integrates medical record technology with a rules engine and messaging interface to deliver and collect health information via mobile phones.  The first version of the software platform will ship in mid-2010 in Ghana.  The first demonstration of replication and adaptation of the MoTeCH platform will be in India in late 2010. 

The Mobile Health Innovation program is seeking a Software Program Consultant to drive the design, development, and deployment of a software prototype built on the MoTeCH software platform in India.  This working prototype will be assessed for clinical relevance and impact on health outcomes of HIV patients in India and must be ready for conversion to “production level state” in a subsequent phase.  The main cases expected to be used for the platform are the following:

1. Users can contact the platform with a symptom, upon which (based on the clinical progression guidelines and the individual medical record of the patient) the system will advise whether the symptom can be treated individually (side effect, independent symptom) or whether the patient should return to the clinic (onset of resistance, change of medication).
2. The system will proactively contact patients to solicit self-reported adherence measurement.
3. Users can contact the system when provided with alternate medication, and the system will advise whether the medication is within the medication class prescribed for the patient.
4. The clinicians can track patient progress through the reporting function, which will provide insight into the usages of the system through the functions described above. Even the lack of system usage is useful information about the progress of the patient.

The consultant will use strong technical skills, a proven ability to translate customer needs into software specifications, a strong track record of shipping software products, a solid focus on customer-facing requirements, experience with open source software development, and excellent communication and collaboration skills to develop this prototype.  The consultant will be expected to tackle a broad array of issues from prototyping to technical specification writing to operational deployment to strategy development. 

This consultant will be based in India (most likely Mumbai or Hyderabad) and will work closely with Indian based medical and software partners as well as the US based Mobile Health Innovations team.  This position will require some domestic travel within India and some limited international travel.  The contract will be for a period of 6-12 months.

Contractor Obligations:
• Analyze needs assessment research to identify opportunities and develop functional specification
• Collaborate with external partners to determine scope of functionality for first working prototype and technologies to incorporate into the MoTeCH platform
• Write clear, concise, and detailed technical specifications for use by external software development partners
• Actively manage software development schedules and deployment  -- problem solve and remove barriers as they arise
• Provide technical subject matter expertise and work closely with partners to ensure effective technical implementation
• Clearly define success metrics for each development milestone and phase of implementation
• Prepare summary updates and reports as needed
• Coordinate program activities with implementing organizations in India
• Contribute to architectural discussions and decisions for key strategies and functionality

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Experience managing outsourced software development efforts
• Knowledge of Java and .NET programming and mySQL databases a strong plus
• Fluency in oral and written English is required
• Deep understanding of information and communication technology – preferably with practical experience in developing countries
• Passionate about the work of the Grameen Foundation and the importance of technology in poverty alleviation
• Strong, innovative and creative problem solver and strategic thinker
• Excellent analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
• Comfort with unstructured problems and ability to manage complexities under pressure
• Willingness to travel internationally and domestically
• Written and spoken fluency in English required

Education and experience:
• Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, or related field
• 5 years of project management or similar experience – ideally with a top consulting firm or technology company with a proven track record of achievement under a range of challenging situations (ideally in multiple countries)

Submit cover letter and resume by e-mail to jobs@grameenfoundation.org. Only finalists will be contacted. ***No Calls Please***

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE POSITION.  AS A CONSULTANT YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO GRAMEEN FOUNDATION BENEFITS OR INSURANCES. YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT OF ALL REQUIRED FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL, SELF EMPLOYMENT TAXES AND OTHER SIMILAR TAXES AND FOR OBTAINING APPROPRIATE VISAS AND INSURANCES FOR THE COUNTRIES IN WHICH SERVICES ARE PROVIDED.