Senior Health Officer

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 7.6 million people are internally displaced and 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 4.8 million in hard-to-reach areas. There are 4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. 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. With an annual budget in excess of $140 million and a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1,250 staff in the region, IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, education, women’s protection and empowerment, NFI and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, and livelihood programming.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Senior Health Officer is responsible for the supervision of the IRC partner implementation in North West Syria. S/He will provide support to program daily activities, training, and follow up processes with the IRC implementing partners. S/he will oversee all aspects of supervision, monitoring and capacity building for partner led activities in Idleb and Aleppo Governorates. This post will report directly to the Senior Health Manager.

Major Responsibilities:

Technical Program Management ---------------------------------

- Support the overall coordination, monitoring and reporting of partners and health facilities activities. - Communicate with partners and program stakeholders to provide support and detailed information for the program about facility updates daily. Regular use of traditional communication methods (phone, email, file sharing and paper based exchanges). - Collect, update, lead facilities information and present them to the program, play a major role in collecting information from HSWG to ensure the support for all INGO is not duplicated. - Liaise with key staff to ensure effective planning and implementation of the program’s activity. Identify, strengthen and promote partnerships, dialogue and exchanges; - Provide supervision to the IRC health programming and provide oversight, including design health implementation strategies and approaches in health program implementation in collaboration with the Senior Health Manager; adapt strategies in response to changing contexts, emergency response efforts, and project or funding needs. - Oversee IRC’s partner-led program implementation ensuring sub-award deliverables are completed and necessary support is given to enable health activities; building stronger relationships with partner organizations to facilitate strong collaboration and provide capacity building. - Oversee the implementation of the program implementation and ensure that stated objectives are met, that projects are appropriately monitored, and that reports are written and submitted in a timely manner in collaboration with the program team. - Work in close collaboration with field management teams and other sector departments to ensure proper coordination and implementation of integrated approaches; attend regular site-specific field coordination meetings; provide regular reports to Field Coordinators/Managers as it relates to health activities and needed operational support. - Train partner staff on the correct and accurate submission of health facility reports and follow up with them on security and safety issues that affect programming. - Coordinate with Health Technical Advisors on the health guidance and improvement for the health activities. - Act as Focal point for the health program with the RH Technical Advisor to work on the corrective actions for health program implementation related to the reproductive health component.

General Project & Grant Management ------------------------------------------

- Develop and follow detailed work, procurement and spending plans in relation to project timelines and deliverables; handle course correction plans as informed by progress - Ensure proper and timely implementation of current projects and grants; track and monitor progress and performance against indicators - Handle the budgets for the implementation of the programming in multiple sites and across various grants following spending plans - Write and submit quality monthly/quarterly reports with inputs from the field-based health teams and partners - Work closely with the Partnership Unit on the management of sub-awards to implementing health partners. - Oversee operational partner activities inside Syria and review partners’ progress, narrative, and financial report. - Engage and follow up with Supply Chain, Field Management, and Finance team to ensure effective planning and implementation for smooth program implementation. - On a daily/weekly/monthly basis, provide the Senior Health Manager with tracking/monitoring information, partnership communication summaries and records requiring attention. Provide Senior Health Manager with donor, partner and program summaries. - Maintain and ensure that program information is accurate and up to date, and saved on the O-drive.

Program Quality Assurance -----------------------------

- Oversee quality of care provided in health clinics while developing and implementing quality assurance and routine monitoring activities - Based on analysis of information received from partner activities through the Health Information System team; identify clinic trends and develop mitigation measures to address programmatic gaps and improve overall quality of care

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Senior Health Manager

Position directly Supervises: None

Key Internal Contacts:

Country Program: Health Coordinator, HIS Senior Officer, Pharma Specialist, Community Health Manager, Mental Health Manager, Partnership Unit, Field Management, Protection Coordinator, Humanitarian Access Managers, Health Field staff.

Key External Contacts: IRC’s local partner organizations and health clinics, other NGOs

Qualifications

Education and Work Experience

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in health program management, including health in emergencies—INGO experience required

• Understanding of Syrian context and health care system

Demonstrated Technical Skills

• Strong program and technical knowledge as well as planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills; experience managing projects supported by key humanitarian donors preferred

• Extensive experience working with NGO health partners, health systems strengthening projects, and/or providing technical assistance and support to Ministries of Health in developing or humanitarian country contexts

• Strong and dynamic experiences with both facility and community-based models of programming implemented in insecure and changing humanitarian contexts

• Demonstrated knowledge and skills related to gender sensitive health programming; clinical care for sexual assault survivors, and management of integrated health and women’s protection activities a strong plus

• Understanding of opportunities and challenges associated with implementing direct health programming in addition to experience with supporting local partner-led health programming preferred

• Previous experience with remote program monitoring and management in insecure environments

• Confirmed technical writing skills including reports and proposals

Demonstrated Professional Competencies

• Proven strong interpersonal and intercultural communication with success working both within a team and independently

• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties;

• Previous experience with information management, health data analysis and use of data for program improvement

• Strong time leadership skills with ability to handle competing priorities and deadlines

• Ability to be flexible, adaptable, creative, and innovative in a challenging and fast-moving multicultural environment and promote teamwork.

• English (oral and written) and Arabic fluency required

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint

At IRC - we are 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.

We acknowledge and honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other human demographic.

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.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap. 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, 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.