Community Health Assistant

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.

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. 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 health program will contribute to IRC’s larger health strategy in North Syria, responding effectively to the unmet needs of conflict affected Syrian especially IDPs, in North West Syria.  This program will form an integral part of IRC’s community health outreach strategy, filling a gap in existing curative, preventive and promotion health care services through a mobile clinics program and a community health workers (CHWs) network. Mobile clinics staffed with trained health professionals and enthusiastic CHWs will bring health services directly to where mostly needed in urban, sub-urban, and rural areas.

The Community Health Assistant, based in Amman, with the support from the Community Health Manager, will play a vital role in building direct linkages and the supervision of the community health program’s implementation directly and through contracted partners addressing and understanding public health needs and concerns, while remotely overseeing network of community health worker (CHW) activities.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:

Activities, Design and Implementation of Program:

•Follow each program activity inside Syria and guide implementation of partners as well as directly implemented projects. Support the CH Officer in the capacity building of recruited CHWs.

•Provide regular support to IRC and partners in terms of CHWs in the provision of continuous learning and improvement.

•Facilitate remote training and provide guidance to CHWs in data collection and data synchronization.

•Work in collaboration with the Community HealthManager and implementing partners to identify training and capacity building needs while providing support in the selection of appropriate topics.

·Assist in designing culture sensitive IEC Materials.

•Ensure support to our staff  and keep the CHWs continuously informed and updated. Adapt and develop approaches to community health in different functional areas of primary healthcare services that can include; reproductive health, child health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, health information, drug management, infection control, referral systems, protection, SGBV etc

•Liaise with field-based assistants and field workers to identify, monitor, report unmet health and other needs and explore the potential for addressing them.

•Track the quality and timeliness of various partners and immediately raise any concerns with the supervisor for further follow-up. Also, ensure the correct paperwork, reports are documented and filed as required. Keep track of staff attendance, sick leaves and annual leaves.

•Other related duties as assigned.

Supervision & Monitoring:

•   In collaboration with the M&E team, ensure the quality of services provided, accurate data collection and tracking of health promotion activities and client satisfaction surveys.

•     In collaboration with the Community Health Manager ,ensure that the project is strongly monitored and findings are channeled to supervisor for program improvement and futuredevelopment.

Health information System (HIS)

·Ensure accuracy and quality of data collected from different program staff and community health workers

·Conduct biweekly data check, quality audits and analysis followed by the development of an action plan as appropriate.

·Review system functionality and data input from CHWs or clinics and propose improvements.

·Develop data information tool as required with collaboration with Data & Information Management department or MEAL Department.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Community Health Manager

Indirect Reporting:Health Coordinator, Health Information Manager, Senior Health Manager, Medical Commodity Manager.
Other Internal and/or external contacts: Organizations implementing community health activities.

Internal: M&E department, supply chain department and HR department.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  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, and Anti-Retaliation.