Health Manager

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. 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 Manager is responsible for the quality and capacity building of the IRC health implementation in North West Syria.S/he will oversee all aspects of coordination, monitoring and capacity building for direct and partner led activities in Idleb and Aleppo Governorates. S/he will ensure that collaboration and integration between health activities and with other departments such as the Women’s Protection team to lead implementation of integrated activities focused on women’s health and gender based violence (GBV) response services. Under supervision and technical support of the Health Coordinator, the Health Manager will contribute to the strategy and harmonization of programming across Syria, and translating this to partner and direct implemented activities.

Major Responsibilities:

Technical Program Management:

• Provide IRC health programming oversight and supervision, including design health implementation strategies and approaches in health program implementation in collaboration with the Health Coordinator; adapt strategies in response to changing contexts, emergency response efforts, and project or funding needs.
• Review the IRC’s partner and direct led program implementation ensuring technical aspects are followed based on the WHO guidelines, IRC, and Sphere standards.
• Build stronger relationships with partner organizations to facilitate strong collaboration. Liaise with partners and key staff to ensure effective planning and implementation of the health activities.
• Identify, strengthen and promote partnerships, dialogue and exchanges.
• Collaborate with the Health Coordinator, the Community Health Senior Officer, the Pharma Specialist, the MHPSS Manager, and the Deputy Health Manager to ensure one IRC approach is followed for the health implementation.
• Assist in the development and implementation of overall country program health strategies, policies and procedures in compliance with the IRC global standards, including engaging with partners on best practices.
• 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 as it relates to health activities.
• Conduct and oversee needs assessment for health activities to plan and add health activities in the field.
• Develop and maintain working relationships with other health actors in shared implementation areas for effective coordination; assist and represent IRC in any relevant health coordination and cluster meetings.
• Work closely and liaise with the IRC Regional and HQ-based Technical Unit to ensure consistent engagement with the country program to provide technical oversight and adapt the program activities.
• Support in overseeing the technical aspect of the health activities according to the IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework (OEF), Good and Great Standards, technical guidance and organizational global best practices.
• Contribute to participatory and inclusive proposal design and development processes in collaboration with the Health Coordinator, ensuring that projects are data-driven and aligned with the IRC Syria Strategy Action Plan (SAP), and IRC Theories of Change.

General Project & Grant Management:

• Develop and follow detailed work in relation to project timelines and deliverables; manage course correction plans as informed by progress.
• Ensure proper and quality implementation of current health projects and grants.
• Write and submit quality monthly/quarterly reports with inputs from the field-based health teams and partners.
• Actively contribute to and participate in new project design and proposals for program expansion.
• Maintain effective and collaborative relationship with Grants, Field, Partnerships, and Finance Teams.
• On a daily/weekly/monthly basis, provide the Health Coordinator with tracking/monitoring information, partnership communication summaries and records requiring attention. Provide Health coordinator with donor, partner and program summaries.
• Inform design processes that ensure new or adapted programming for the health program focuses on maximizing efficiencies, impact and integrated approaches.
• Assist in the development of IRC health programming, as needs are identified and funding opportunities arise.
• Assist in the development of detailed yet realistic program log frames, work plans, and monitoring tools and support their implementation in coordination with the Health Coordinator, health program team, and the IRC’s technical health units.
• Work closely with MEAL unit to review, identify, and put corrective action measures for the health activities to ensure data-driven decisions are taken and implemented to assure consistent quality of health program.

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 partners’ activities through the HIS team; identify clinic trends and develop mitigation measures to address programmatic gaps and improve overall quality of care.
• Manage health assessments and periodic surveys to identify health gaps in the affected communities and make proposals according with findings.
• Actively participate in new and on-going IRC initiatives, including but not limited to health research projects, supporting beneficiary feedback mechanisms, aligning activities to theories of change, implementing outcome and evidence frameworks, and harmonization of regional health priorities.
• Follow up with the field and partners’ team to ensure health guidance are appropriately implemented and monitored.
• Create and update the IRC quality tools to improve the impact and outcomes of Health programs.

Capacity strengthening:

• Ensure appropriate engagement with IRC partners to review their technical capacity and provide the required support to complete quality program deliverables.
• Design and lead relevant technical workshops and trainings to improve the capacity in coordination and collaboration with partners and field health staff.
• Develop learning materials in coordination with the Health Coordinator, and Technical Unit (TU) to pass it on and deliver it to partners and field staff.
• Develop and implement remote management capacity building approaches to build the strengths of the team in Syria
• Coordinate activities with external actors, as needed including Health Clusters and other coordination mechanism leveraging IRC’s role within the humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Train and provide capacity building for partners and health field staff based on the completed assessment for each health activity,
• Measure and monitor the improvement throughout the implementation.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:Health Coordinator

Position directly Supervises: N/A

Key Internal Contacts:

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

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