Senior Health Manager (National Position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview / Summary:

IRC provides primary health care and environmental health services in several refugee camps in Thailand. IRC provides preventive and curative health care services in the camps, including primary health care, reproductive health, neonatal care and health education. Clinical services include Outpatient Department (OPD) and Inpatient Department (IPD) care; laboratories supporting IPD / OPD and reproductive health clinics; pharmacy services for essential drugs; community health education, and mental health care. Environmental health services aim to create a healthy living environment for refugees living in the camps through the provision of quality water and sanitation facilities, leading efforts to improve access to chlorinated water, sanitation, and hygiene in the camps.

Under the direct supervision of the Health Coordinator, the Senior Health Manager will be responsible for the Primary Health Care (PHC) programs in refugee camps. (S)He will be the focal point for IRC’s PHC services in the field supporting program implementation to ensure the delivery of high-quality primary healthcare services. The Senior Health Manager is responsible for provision of clinical consultations of complicated cases, decisions on referrals, planning and organizing refresher trainings for clinical, reproductive and child health (RCH) and other refugee health workers, and monitoring of clinical services to improve / maintain the quality of clinical services provided by the refugee health workers. (S)He will be responsible for program strategy, operational, financial, and staffing aspects for the health team, as well as representation with key actors in the field including the Ministry of Public Health, UN agencies and other NGOs. (S)He will assist the Health Coordinator in developing / monitoring assigned budgets and spending plan as necessary, in order to ensure donors obligations. In addition, the Senior Health Manger will assist in disease surveillance activities, outbreak investigation and response, on-time data verification of Health Information System (HIS) reporting.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management

- Oversee the implementation of quality PHC, RCH programs and ensure that program goals, objectives, targets and activities are met, as stated in the donor agreed project work plans and log frames. - Provide technical oversight in terms of project management to the camp-based clinical staff to ensure the implementation of PHC, RCH services run smoothly. - Prepare program work plans in coordination with the Senior Health Coordinator / Health Coordinator and for the PHC, RCH projects. - Conduct regular monitoring visits to the camps, ensuring that projects utilize standardized protocols, policies, and guidelines, as outlined by the Ministry of Public Health and WHO. Identify technical quality and/or other implementation issues and provide solutions and follow-up to ensure projects are on track to meet goals and are consistent with established best practices. - Ensure that the health program is implemented in line with the IRC principles: promoting and protecting rights, participation, capacity building, partnership, and holistic programming.

Clinical & Referral Management

- Provide clinical consultation to severe and complicated cases from Outpatient Department (OPD), Inpatient Department (IPD), Antenatal Care (ANC), Postnatal Care (PNC), delivery room in camp clinics, patient with HIV/TB infection and mental health patients. - Provide screening for referral cases and facilitate the referral processes. Ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment provided according to guidelines in all health facilities. - Provide monitoring and evaluation of the knowledge and skills of clinical and RCH staff, Community Health Workers and provide feedback to improve identified gaps. - Participate in communicable disease surveillance, outbreak investigation and response activities according to guidelines and recommendations of MoPH as needed. - Ensure the utilization of drugs and medical supplies are in line with protocols. Provide technical oversight in reviewing monthly consumption patterns, approving monthly requisition, and facilitate the procurement of drugs and medical supplies.

Staff Supervision & Development

- Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions. - Ensure training and ongoing capacity building opportunities for staff on technical and project management skills. - Conduct regular performance review to direct report staff and ensure regular performance review for all staff under supervision.

Grant Management & Reporting

- Manage and oversee PHC grants, and work with the Senior Health Coordinator and Health Coordinator to develop work, spending and procurement plans for all projects. - Contribute to the development of proposals, budgets and concept notes for future health interventions. - Participate in Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings and relay key messages and guidance to field staff. - Prepare internal and external reports (such as Monthly narrative reports, Donor reports) within agreed deadlines using IRC and donor formats, as required. - Review Budget vs. Actual (BvA) reports on a monthly basis, recommend actions to correct identified problems. - Work closely and coordinate with IRC Operations, Finance and Grant departments to ensure compliance with grant requirements. - Support development and maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control and reporting systems and processes.

Coordination & Representation

- Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors. - Under the guidance of Health Coordinator, Senior Health Manager will perform as a focal point for coordination and represent implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the IRC PHCC activities.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

- Ensure all required donor reports are completed on time and to a high standard. - Oversee the collection and timely reporting of program data and indicators for PHC programs in line with IRC’s guidelines and according to internal and donor requirements, ensuring timely collection and entry of program data. - Participate in the design of robust M&E plans and design/adapt Health Information Systems including surveillance systems for the IRC health programs. - Conduct monthly program data analysis with health staff to discuss progress on grant indicators, disease trends, define action points for how to stay on track with grant requirements, and follow up with those points. - Work with the M&E team to produce and analyze all weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports and ensure timely submission of all such reports.

Emergencies Support

- Coordinate and liaise with stakeholders to collect reliable and actionable information on evolving humanitarian emergencies along Thai-Myanmar border, and report to the management as appropriate. - Support in preparation of emergency respond actions for the people affected by humanitarian emergencies. - Support Emergency Respond Team with the patient referral to secondary and tertiary care centers. - Support Emergency Respond Team with procurement, storage and distribution of medical items and other NFIs.

Other Duties:

- Other duties as reasonably assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Health Coordinator Position directly supervises: Health program staff in Mae Hong Son field office Indirect supervise: Camp-based medical team in Mae Hong Son refugee camps

Other Internal and/or External Contacts:

Internal: Country Director, Deputy Director of Programs, Mae Hong Son Field Coordinator, Senior Health Coordinator, IRC Headquarters Health Technical Advisor(s), IRC health staff in all Thailand sites, Bangkok-based program unit, IRC Women’s Protection and Empowerment program team in all Thailand sites, IRC protection team in all Thailand sites, sub-grants compliance unit; finance unit; Operations / Logistics / Supply Chain unit.

External: Local community-based partner organizations, CCSDPT Health Sub-Committee, Thai Public Health Authorities, non-governmental organizations, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CSC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies engaged with IRC programs.

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

Education: MD or MBBS; Post Graduate Diploma on Family Medicine / Pediatric / Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Work Experience: Minimum five (5) years working experience, of which at least two years in clinical care, care of pregnant women and delivery, and training of health staff, preferably in a primary care setting. Previous work experience in reproductive health in a refugee setting or in developing country is a plus.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

- Strong clinical skills with up-to-date medical knowledge - Able to manage chronic medical conditions with limited resource - Experience working in partnership with local and community-based partners in health services delivery - Good budget management skills - Experience in managing and mentoring multicultural staff and ability to manage sizeable multicultural team delivering assistance involving a wide array of program stakeholders - Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written - Strong writing and analytical skills, including ability to communicate technical matters to a range of audiences - Competent in Windows, MS Office programs, emails and relevant health database (HMIS, DHIS etc.) - Professional demeanors - Experience in implementation of communicable disease outbreaks investigations and response

Language Skills:

- Fluency in English. - Proficiency in Burmese. - Thai, Karen or Karenni is an advantage.

Certificates or Licenses: Valid Medical license.

Working Environment: The position will be based in the IRC office in Mae Hong Son province with frequent travel to refugee camps in Mae Hong Son province. The position will be also required to travel to other IRC field offices as required by supervisor (Mae Sot, Umphang, Sangkhlaburi, Tham Hin, and the Thailand-Myanmar border area).

Standard of Professional Conduct The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.

Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all participants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.