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 3,000 staff and workers 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 IRC plays a leading role in health sector coordination through the Whole of Syria framework. The WoS Health Sector Co-Lead coordinates humanitarian health action through the two active hub level working groups in Gaziantep, Damascus, and NES Forum coordinating the effort Iraq XB actors operating in North-East Syria. Close engagement with local actors through established coordination structures across the country helps bridge the gap between senior level UN/INGO decision making and the needs and priorities of actors implementing programs inside of Syria.
The Whole of Syria (WOS) Health Sector Co-Lead will work together within the Whole of Syria (WOS) Health Sector Coordination Team (i.e. the WOS Health Sector Coordinator and the WOS Health Sector IMO appointed by WHO) to ensure a harmonized, coherent and complementary approach for the response to the needs of Syrian people delivered through the three health sector/cluster groups working from inside Syria, South Turkey, and North-East Syria. He/She will act in accordance with principles laid out in by the Global Health Cluster, the IASC guidance for Cluster Coordination and the Transformative Agenda protocols.
The Whole of Syria (WOS) Health Sector Co-Lead will report to the IRC Deputy Regional Director, and will sit within the Middle East Team.
Major Responsibilities
The main role of the WoS Health Sector coordinator falls within the six core Cluster Functions: (1) Effective Service Delivery; (2) Inform strategic decision making; (3) Plan and develop strategy; (4) Monitor and evaluate performance; (5) Develop contingency plan/preparedness; and (6) Advocacy.
He/She will be working with the WOS Health Sector Coordinator and the WOS Health Sector Information Officer (both appointed by WHO) to perform the following duties:
•Coordinate with other WoS Sector/Cluster coordinators at the regional level and other regional stakeholders. Contact with hub level stakeholders and existing coordination mechanisms, including international NGOs and the civil society, is done through the relevant health coordinator at the hub level.
•Hold regular inter-hub coordination meetings with the leads/co-leads of the health sector working group/clusters at the hub level every 3 months.
•Ensure health sector/cluster hubs respond in a harmonized, coherent and complimentary manner to the health needs of all Syrians across the country and independently from their location of residence or socio-cultural background.
•Assist in proactively coordinating cross-line and cross-border programming to ensure complementarity of assistance.
•Assist in leading the harmonization of health information management tools and products of the three hubs.
•In coordination with the hubs, identify humanitarian health needs of the target populations by planning and coordinating joint, WoS multi-sectorial assessments, as needed and determined by the Inter Sector Group (ISG).
•Collate from each hub and disseminate common plans of actions and other information related to the health sector in regional sit-reps and/or regular Health Bulletins and other information products.
•Represent the WoS Health Sector at the ISG at the regional level, contribute to jointly identifying critical issues that require multi-sectoral responses, and plan the relevant synergistic interventions with the other clusters concerned.
•Assist in leading joint WoS Health Sector contingency planning for all hazards, in line with health cluster standards for contingency planning.
•Assist in providing support and strategic direction to WOS health cluster/sector in the development of the health sector components of HNO (Humanitarian Needs Overview), PMR (Periodic Monitoring Report), FTS (Financial Tracking Service), HRP (Humanitarian Response Plan), and other interagency planning and funding documents that are part of the IASC Humanitarian Program Cycle.
•Provide surge coordination support to hub level cluster/sectors as required.
•Promote adherence to standards and best practices by all health cluster/sector working group partners in the hubs taking into account the need for local adaption. Promote use of the Global Health Cluster Guide to ensure the application of common approaches, tools and standards.
•Identify urgent training needs in relation to technical standards and protocols for the delivery of key health services to ensure their adoption and uniform application by all Health Sector/Cluster partners in the hubs and coordinate the dissemination of key technical materials and the organization of workshops or in-service training.
•Ensure appropriate links among humanitarian actions and longer-term health sector plans, incorporating specific risk reduction measures.
Key Working Relationships
Position Reports to: Deputy Regional Director
Indirect/Technical Reporting: N/A
Position directly Supervises: NES Health Working Group Coordinator
Key Internal Contacts: Director of Public Affairs, Jordan XB Health Sector-Co-lead, Regional Health TA
Key External Contacts: Whole of Syria Health Sector Coordinator (WHO); Whole of Syria Information Management Officer (WHO/IMMAP); hub level Health Cluster Coordinators, Co-Leads (WHO and co-lead agencies); OCHA Regional and Hub Offices; other WoS Coordinators and Co-leads from different sectors; Health Partners in Lebanon; Donors representatives
