Health Specialist

Position: Health Specialist – Whole of Syria (WoS)

Location: Amman, Jordan,with travels to the hubs 25% of time

Duration: One year (contingent to availability of fund)

Reports to: WoS Deputy Country Director Programs

About RI:

Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in roughly 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure the well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty. Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Position Summary:

The WoS health specialist will be responsible for overall technical oversight, guidance and advice to RI health teams for quality assurance and for ensuring that project objectives from a technical perspective are on track, which will require him/her to work constructively with health staff in the hubs and technical staff from the global support office/Regional Support Office. The incumbent will provide technical leadership to the health/program team, ensuring all activities are of a high quality and respond to assessed needs. She/he will ensure excellence in project cycle management, support proposal development and strategic planning. This is a senior position with overall technical and quality assurance responsibility. He/she will ensure that internal and local health standards are applied and followed, and will ensure consistency and appropriateness of approaches and methodologies, tools and systems used for all RI health and nutrition programs in Syria, and that technical support and guidance and capacity building is provided to RI and partners health teams.

The WoS health specialist will be accountable for the agreed health outcomes and overall health objective. Reporting to WoS DCD, the WoS health specialist will ensure robust health interventions, update WoS SMT on a day to day health program progress, issues and challenges and support the health hub-based teams in implementing a uniform system for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the RI health interventions.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Technical Support and Management

• In collaboration with the WoS MEAL specialist, provide technical guidance and support to effectively integrate findings and recommendations to improve program quality.
• Development/review and update work plans and support health/program team in budget management according to health sector outputs and results
• Provide day-to-day technical support to health program managers/deputy managers and focal points in the hubs (remote and in person) to complete health sector goals on time and budget spending.
• Routinely evaluate activity progress, conduct on track/off track assessments and determine necessary actions to course correct for each hub where RI implements health program.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of technical program reports that are timely and meet institutional and donor requirements, ensures relevance and accuracy of information and data in line with the proposal, health standards and donor regulations and requirements.
• Work constructively with program/health teams and other support teams to ensure sound administrative practices with regards to record keeping (health data and activity related documentation), compliance with donor regulations, communications, etc.
• Contribute from a technical perspective in the design of the health contingency plan, assessments planning and tools and analysis of information and findings to support the decision-making process.
• Work with the health teams to assess and Improve health information systems and record keeping methods that support data analysis and reports.
• Provide technical guidance and support and review on all medical commodities related functions (providing proper tools for Pharma management, including the identifying and reporting of Pharmaceutical needs of health facilities, consumption and tracking, review purchase request to ensure the requested quantity and quality of items are in line with the standard needs and specifications, and RI and donor regulations)
• Ensure that WoS SMT receive an overarching snapshot of achievements across RI health programs through regular reports and presentations, including trends, challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for program improvements/adaptations
• In coordination with health technical teams of the hubs, ensure the development of a strategic technical plan per health component including but not limited to “Primary Health Care, Secondary Health Care, reproductive health.
• Coordinate with hubs-based technical staff to ensure all medical forms and tools are streamlined and across all health activities for all hubs and appropriate and make revisions as needed.
• Review the short and long-term plans for delivery of project services and guide the program/health staff of the hubs and local partners (where applicable) to improve planning, management, and delivery.
• Support the hubs health/program focal points to ensure the Implementation of/improve health monitoring systems and record keeping methods that support internal and donor reporting as appropriate.
• Support the program/health teams in the hubs (or lead directly where applicable) the clinical audits to assess the status of health and nutrition services, quality of medical supplies and facilities, and on-site health information systems. Provide a summary of recommended areas of improvement, areas of success, and lead the commencement of an action plan with the RI program/health staff and health facility staff (where applicable) to evolve and make positive systems improvements where needed.
• Provide technical direction and support to RI teams during outbreaks of disease or other health emergencies to ensure a rapid response.
• Monitoring and evaluation of program performance is properly undertaken for adjustments, acceleration, and improvement of program delivery. Uniform and standardized systems and processes are followed for data collection, analysis and reporting for all RI health programs.
• Support in consolidating/review all health-related progress reports (internal and external reports including donors’ reports) ensuring compliance to RI and donor reporting requirements.

Strategic direction & Program Development

• Strategic direction and overall technical supervision towards successful implementation of the RI health program, including coordination with RI’s Global Health Director
• Leading/contributing to RI strategies (health unit specific and RI strategies)
• Under guidance from the supervisor, and in coordination with the hub teams, lead the development of Health concept notes and proposal development process in line with RI strategy, including the development of logframes, workplans and monitoring tools to support the implementation, and review all technical indicators and revise definitions based on current standards and donor guidelines.

Capacity Building

• Assess the status of the current health program, structure, functions and standards and devise a health program quality improvement plan in close coordination with health, M&E and program staff (WoS and hubs levels)
• Individual capacity assessment for RI national health/program staff based on project management approach.
• Develop and apply a capacity building plan focused on health technical aspects.
• Set individual capacity building goals/indicators for RI health staff
• Set up health program improvement indicators and implement health program improvement plan
• Work with the hubs-based technical teams to propose and implement capacity building activities aimed at enhancing skills of health facilities staff in the delivery of primary care, secondary care, maternal and child health, reproductive health, etc.
• Conduct travels to the hubs (at least 25% of his/her time) for in person support, capacity building and evaluations on the program quality including tools and documents.

Representation

• Develop and maintain relationships with consortium health partners, health cluster (in coordination with the hubs-based technical managers), NGOs, donors, partners and other stakeholders, with the objective of representing RI, ensuring visibility, raising issues from the field and building a partnership to augment the work of RI.
• Facilitate directly (where applicable) and/or work closely with the health technical teams of the hubs in facilitating donor visits to project sites/offices as appropriate and ensure that up to date program details are transmitted.
• Seek out relevant networks on specific health-related humanitarian aid and advocacy issues.
• Represent RI at Amman based coordination bodies and working groups, meetings, facilitating supportive synergies and overall progress in RI health intervention and avoiding duplication with the work of other agencies (e.g., NGOs, UN, etc.).
• Interface with key donors regarding RI health services, as needed/requested by the supervisor.
• Participate in grants opening, mid-term and close out meetings.

Other tasks and responsibilities as required

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment.

• Advanced medical degree as well as a degree in public health, nutrition or a related field (M.P.H; MSc health policy and Management; MS epidemiology; MS global health, etc.)
• Experience managing grants or donor-funded projects;
• Minimum of seven years professional experience in health program management in emergency response programs, preferably in a conflict setting; including experience with major grants;
• Experience managing and coordinating emergency/rapid responses – outbreaks, population displacement, etc.;
• Advanced skills in technical leadership, coordination, representation, planning, assessment and project management;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required;

· Knowledge of humanitarian principles, Sphere and HAP Standards;

· Strong English language skills (writing and speaking) required;

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, tasks efficiently;
• Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail;
• Previous experience of working in the consortium is highly desirable.

· Experience in the Middle East context desirable

· Experience managing OFDA and ECHO grants

Language Skills:

• Fluency in English (spoken/written), Arabic language is a plus

Professional Standards

Relief International’s Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities.

We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability