Community Health Manager

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria - more than half of the country's population - are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes, and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection, and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding, and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Community Health Manager will oversee the community health program in North-West Syria. This position is based in Gaziantep.

The Community Health Manager will provide technical guidance to both direct and partner-led activities. S/he will supervise the daily activities of the Community Health Officers and assistants to ensure high-quality service delivery and program implementation. S/he will provide training and mentoring to Community Health staff. S/he is expected to conduct regular assessments of the program and prepare and submit detailed technical monthly reports. The manager will also be expected to promote collaboration between the health facilities and other sectors working at the community level.

Responsibilities:

Implementation of Program:

- Provide strategic direction, leadership, and overall management of community health program in northwest Syria in line with the health strategic plan. - Integrate community health activities within other health sectors, Primary healthcare, reproductive health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, infection control, environmental health, and nutrition. - Provide capacity building for partners and direct community health staff through providing context-specific training, ongoing mentorship, and supportive supervision. - Coordinate with field staff to set up a system to keep track of the day-to-day field activities. - Work jointly with the IRC partners to develop procurement and spending plans that ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the procurement process. - Provide capacity mentorship for partners through regularly assessing and evaluating partners` needs, and designing training and mentorship based on identified needs. - Develop a community health training plan, in coordination with technical experts, and design appropriate training materials, job aids, and IEC materials. - Coordinate with the Health Coordinator, to develop project quality assurance documents including monitoring plans, supervision checklists, program work plans, risk management and mitigation plans, program spending plans, and procurement plans. - Coordinate with supply chain and logistics, to ensure timely supply of materials and tools for CHWs. - Coordinate with implementing partners, establish a referral system that is effective, and ensure continuity of care for acute and emergency cases between mobile clinics, CHWs, and static facilities. - Conduct regular timely community health needs assessments in the program areas of operation to guide the CH program. - Coordinate with the Early Childhood Development department, to efficiently implement the early childhood development component.

Program Quality and Development

- Lead program quality review meetings and ensure that new or adapted programming focused on improving efficiencies, and impact is adopted. - Contribute to the health department's business development through preparing proposal narratives and financial budgets. - Develop standard operating procedures that ensure that the CH health activities adhere to international and national standards. - Introduce innovative Information and Communication Technologies to improve the quality of data collection, analysis, and presentation. - Coordinate with key CH staff to ensure effective planning and implementation of the program's activity. Identify, strengthen, and promote partnerships, and dialogue. - Mentor the team and partner organizations to implement high-quality evidence-based community health programs. - Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews. - Oversee IRC's partner-led program implementation ensuring sub-award commitments are completed and needed support is given to enable timely implementation of activities; build stronger relationships with partner organizations to facilitate strong collaboration and transfer of skills. - As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these guided by the National Staff Employment Policies.

Monitoring and reporting

- Coordinate with the health coordinator, and Health Information System team, develop and or revise data collection, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting tools according to needs. - Oversee the collection of primary data by the CHWs through surveys, listening sessions, interviews, and observations and timely analysis of the data to guide program actions. - Use and adapt IRC quality tools, including gender equality tools, to improve the impact and outcomes of the relevant Health programs. - Provide monthly reports on the program activities directly implemented or through implementing partners. - Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met and that reports are of high quality and submitted on time. - Collaborated with the MEAL team, to implement the program Monitoring and Evaluation systems with attention to improving the effectiveness of systems; ensuring comprehensive output and impact data is collected and disseminated to optimized program quality.

Coordination

- Develop and maintain effective relationships, communications, and partnerships with community leaders and local actors operating in IRC's implementation areas; where possible support strategic partnerships in the field that improve the best use of resources and complement health service delivery to shared catchment areas. - Conduct regular program progress review meetings with CHW program staff as well as other relevant programs and operations focal points. - Effectively represent IRC in the technical cluster meetings and that the program is represented in the relevant sub-sector working group meetings. - Coordinate with Field Management teams to ensure field concerns and challenges are brought to relevant partners for the development of improved standards and procedures. - Coordinate with the Health Technical Advisors covering different components to ensure proper guidance and adaptation to the program implementation.

Qualifications

- Health professional or qualification relevant to the job with a public health background preferred. - Minimum five years’ work experience at community level preferably in public health and in coordinating, implementing, and running community health programs at both NGOs and INGOs levels. - Proven experience in community mobilization, adaptations of health-seeking behaviors initiatives, and awareness-raising activities. - Ability to validate and interpret health data and good analytical and reporting skills. - Proven experience in capacity building and coaching provisions. - Strong understanding of humanitarian principles and standards.

- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to collaborate closely with partner organizations, strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with different types of people, including representation and liaison with external parties. - The ability to work under pressure with competing priorities and deadlines. - Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

- A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct. - Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development. - Validated a sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to effective resolution. - Excellent management and interpersonal skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, in a cross-cultural context. - Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities, and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience. - Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to maximize cooperation and productivity. - Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop, and a sense of humor are a must. - Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

Fluency in English and Arabic are required. Turkish is an asset.

Travel: Up to 15% to field sites in NWS and across Turkey as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Health Coordinator.

Position directly: supervises Community Health Officers.

Key Internal Contacts: Technical advisors, Senior Health Coordinator, Health Coordinator, Senior Health Manager, Health Manager, Senior Health Officer, IM officer, Field Management, and Humanitarian Access and Security Managers in Syria.

Key External Contacts: IRC’s partner organizations, Health Cluster, RCCE Technical Working Group, and other NGOs

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.