Grameen Foundation India

Status:            Regular, Project Employee (12 month minimum with possibility of           extension)

Location:        Gurgaon (NCR) or Patna

Date:               September 2011

Job Summary: Grameen Foundation India (GFI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grameen Foundation USA and has been set up with the primary purpose of using microfinance and technology solutions to “enable the poor, especially the poorest, to create a world without poverty.” GFI will provide several products and services in areas of technology, human resources management, social performance management and developing sustainable business models to social enterprises in India.

 

The Technical Project Manager (TPM) will be responsible for designing, implementing, and refining a broad range of mobile health applications to be deployed by NGOs in Bihar, India. The services will be used by front-line health workers and the poor individuals they serve with a goal of addressing a broad range of health issues ranging from maternal and child health to tuberculosis to pneumonia. The applications will be built on Grameen Foundation’s MOTECH platform and Dimagi’s CommCare service in close collaboration with BBC World Service Trust, CARE, World Health Partners, International Finance Corporation, and the Bihar State Health Society.

 

The TPM will work closely with the NGO partners to gather the technical requirements for each service they would like to deploy. The TPM will then develop detailed functional specifications that define common requirements across all organizations as well as requirements unique to each grantee. External integration requirements (e.g. unique identification schemes, integration with national databases, IVR service aggregation) will also be defined. In collaboration with the “Community Health Platform” software development team (MOTECH + CommCare), the TPM will iterate on the technical specifications and develop an implementation plan and timetable. The TPM will also work with the NGO partners to establish a hosting strategy. As the software is being developed, the TPM will validate that the software services delivered are meeting the needs of the NGO partners and assist in designing training programs for use of the software. Once the software service is deployed, the TPM will be the primary point of contact for technical questions and support issues, escalating issues to the software development team as necessary.

Reporting and relationships: The position will report to the Program Manager of the Mobile Health Innovation - Bihar initiative

Availability: The Technical Program Officer is expected to work a standard work week of 40 hours plus additional hours as necessary to get the job done. The position will require some domestic travel (approximately 10% of time).

 

·         Collaborate with NGO partners to define requirements and create detailed technical specifications for the services to be deployed in Bihar.

·         Develop specific use-case scenarios for end-users (e.g. front-line health workers, lab testing facilities, the general public) to identify work-flows and functionality needed to achieve program goals

·         Author a functional specification that defines how the services will operate

·         Coordinate software schedules and deployment with the NGOs and the Community Health Platform Team

·         Research appropriate software technologies to address needs of the system

·         Provide technical subject matter expertise and work closely with partners to ensure effective technical implementation

·         Clearly define success metrics for each release of Bihar software services

·         Prepare summary updates and reports as needed

·         Gain deep understanding of complementary initiatives, global trends in application usage and learning from related experiences and incorporate into implementation strategy

·         Develop recommendations for new applications to implement

·         Write clear and concise technical specifications as required

 

·         Demonstrated experience in managing complex projects (operational and tactical) – with proven ability to work effectively with diverse partners

·         Experience managing outsourced software development efforts

·         Strong user-interface and software design skills

·         Experience shipping commercial software products

·         Knowledge of Java and .NET programming and mySQL databases a strong plus

·         Knowledge of health systems in developing countries is a plus

·         Fluency in oral and written English is required. Hindi language skills required. Deep understanding of information and communication technology – preferably with practical experience in developing countries.

·         Strong, innovative and creative problem solver and strategic thinker

·         Excellent analytical, communication and interpersonal skills

·         An entrepreneurial spirit -- with the ability to think strategically and act tactically

·         Comfort with unstructured problems and ability to manage complexities under pressure

·         Ability to promote knowledge transfer through strong mentoring and team building skills

·         Deep commitment to eradication of poverty and alignment with GFI’s mission and the MOTECH Initiative.

 

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or related technical field preferred; 5+ years of software design and project management experience – ideally with a top consulting firm or technology company with a proven track record of achievement under a range of challenging situations.

 

This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. This position may occasionally require physical effort to lift and transport boxes weighing no more than 50 pounds. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms, residences, or commercial vehicles; e.g., use of safe work place practices with office equipment, and/or avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.

 

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.