Senior Health & Nutrition Coordinator

Bangui

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Bangui
Grade: Mid level - Mid level
Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Nutrition
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

CONTEXT:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) 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, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home

The IRC has been active in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 2006 and has been implementing emergency response programs since early 2013. The IRC has three field offices in Bocaranga (North-West), Kaga-Bandoro (Central-North), and Zemio (far South-East) – in addition to a central office in Bangui. Since 2007, it has built close relationships with local communities, community leaders, local authorities, and other local and international actors. Today, the IRC is one of the leading humanitarian actors working in the prefectures Ouham-Pendé, Nana-Gribizi, and Haut-Mbomou, implementing programs in Health, Women and Child Protection, and Early Recovery & Development. The IRC has demonstrated its ability to successfully implement health and protection programming, improving beneficiaries’ access to healthcare and providing survivors of violence with safe, confidential services to help them recover and reintegrate into their communities. The gained technical expertise, logistical abilities, and local knowledge and understanding has laid the foundation to expand and deepen these services to reach more people and respond to the emergency need at a greater scale as additional funding is secured.

On March 14th 2020, the CAR as many other countries affected by COVID-19 pandemic has registered its first imported COVID-19 case. Since then till November 13th, 2020, the country 4,900 cases including 63 deaths.

The IRC has put in place its contingency plan for mitigation and response to COVID-19 that guides risk categorization/classification and required actions.

The country program is rigorously implementing the measures aimed at reducing the risks of contamination and propagation of COVID-19.

The IRC has developed a program adaptation plan that aims at staff safety, business continuity and prevention of COVID-19 propagation.

The IRC CAR is looking for Senior Health and Nutrition Program coordinator to lead its health and nutrition programs and its effort to ensure staff safety and to curb propagation of covid19 while reinforcing the capacity of health and nutrition country program teams.

Overview of the role:

The Senior Health and Nutrition Coordinator is the focal point for Health and Nutrition programs in CAR. S/he ensures the implementation of quality primary healthcare, maternal and reproductive health and nutrition programs. The IRC has made meaningful contributions towards improving primary and reproductive health care services for IDPs and host communities. Over the last two years, IRC CAR has increased its health program funds with new donors such as GFFO, IOM, Sida and DRA in addition to existing donors including OFDA and private donors. This year, the IRC has started piloting an Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) program in 15 villages in order to inform broader ICCM programming.

The position is based in Bangui with frequent trips to IRC's Health and Nutrition programs throughout IRC CAR field sites.

Responsibilities:

•In collaboration with the DDP, be responsible for the implementation and quality of primary health care (including WASH interventions), reproductive health and iCCM, and Nutrition programs and ensure that stated goals and objectives are met, that projects are appropriately monitored and evaluated, and that reports are written and submitted in a timely manner.

•In coordination with the Monitoring Evaluation and learning (MEAL) team, ensure sound data collection and information management systems are in place for data analysis and to inform programmatic decisions based on identified gaps or areas where programs are underperforming.

•Provide technical support to the health & nutrition programs from program design, proposal development, reporting, monitoring and evaluation ensuring that IRC programs are of high quality and that programs are driven by data and learning, working in conjunction with the Grants and compliance Unit, DDP and the technical units and technical advisors at HQ.

•The Senior Health and Nutrition Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining regular contact with all partners, including the Ministry of health and population, the Health Cluster, UN agencies and other NGOs.

Program Development:

•Develop and implement a country sector strategic plan for IRC CAR, ensuring that program growth is in line with country strategic plans.

•In coordination with the DDP, Program staff, Grants and Compliance Unit and Health Technical Unit design and draft proposals for new programs.

•Explore, jointly with other Program Coordinators, options and opportunities for integration between health and Nutrition and other program sectors( Child Protection, Women Protection and Empowerment as well Economic Recovery and Development)

Program Management and Quality

•Provide technical support to ensure IRC’s Nutrition and Health program in CAR continues to set standards for quality and innovation.

•Provide management leadership to the Health and Nutrition Program Senior Manager and Managers and ensure that the programs is integrated with other sectors, to ensure IRC’s holistic interventions in these areas are in line with best practice and responsive to needs.

•Implement regular Quality control field visit plans to conduct quality assessment of IRC programs

•In collaboration with the EH technical unit, ensure the programming and monitoring of Wash activities in the health centers, including IPC infrastructures.

Reporting

•Review all reports prepared by field staff and provide appropriate comments to ensure good quality reports.

•Provide in timely fashion IRC and donor reports, including lessons learned, and respond to any questions from Grants Unit to meet high level quality reports

Research, Learning and Analysis

•Lead assessments and research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC Nutrition and Health programming with support from the Health Technical Unit

•Work together with UNICEF and WFP local offices, other involved implementing partners as well as with relevant IRC TAs to conduct an operational research on simplified/unified protocol for the management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

•Work closely with IRC’ Technical Units, for the launch and dissemination of research reports on findings

•Support the greater sharing and use of research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, including by contributing to program development and design, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the health and nutrition needs in CAR

•Work closely with the Economic Recovery and Development Coordinator for the integration of Cash programming with the Nutrition program

•Take stock of the recently conducted Infection and Prevention Control (IPC) assessment to reinforce the capacity of the ministry of health in general and mainly of IRC supported health facilities to improve IPC capacity

•Support and closely supervise the pilot project on Integrated Community Case Management of childhood illnesses, document, disseminate lessons learn and use that learning to advise future iCCM programming.

Support the coordination of COVID-19 related activities

•Support the DDP in overseeing the development/update and implementation of IRC RCA COVID-19 preparedness and response plan.

•Support business development around COVID-19 funding opportunities.

•Contribute to the enforcement of COVID-19 related SOPs.

•Participate to risks categorization and implementation of identified required actions.

Budget management

•Responsible for developing program budgets, purchase and spending plans, in collaboration with program managers.

•Review in a participatory manner the budget and actual expenses on a monthly basis.

•Ensure the supporting financial documents provided by program staff are of high quality and timely submitted to Finance department.

•Coordinate with program managers, field coordinators and finance department in Bangui to ensure the field teams have enough and on time financial resources to implement health and nutrition program activities.

•Contribute to the budget forecast, and submit monthly salary allocations to HR and Finance

Coordination & Representation

•As needed and in coordination with other sector leads and country program management, represents IRC in health cluster and other health and nutrition related fora and discussions.

•Regularly coordination with internal program and operational stakeholders, With support from DDP ensure MoU with the ministry of health and population at national and local levels are up to date and valid,

•Ensure reports and or information due to the Ministry of health and Health cluster are timely ready and provided

Staff Management and Development

•Reinforce health and nutrition team on the use of project management tools in coordination with HR and finance including but not limited to program planning, spending plan, procurement plan, BVA analysis, reporting…)

•Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance

•Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.

•Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development.

•Promote staff care and well-being; approve and handle all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.

•Conduct individual one to one meetings with each report every two weeks

•Apply him/herself and lead managers in implementation of IRC guidance for All People Managers.

•Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.

•Ensure that human resources issues are dealt with effectively and efficiently.

•In collaboration with HR Department, handle the leave of health & nutrition program staff to ensure adequate human resources are available to implement activities of the program

Key working relationships

Position Reports to: Deputy Director, Programs

Position directly supervises: Health and Nutrition Senior Manager, Health and Nutrition Managers

Other internal contacts: CD, Grants and Compliance, MEAL, Finance, HR, Supply Chain Economic Recovery and Development, Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection and Regional Technical Advisors

External: Ministry of Health and Nutrition Clusters and Working Groups, peer and partner agencies, donors

Job requirements

•Health professional (MD or RN with a MPH is preferred) with strong public health background.

•Minimum 5 years' experience in coordinating, implementing and leading health and nutrition programs in humanitarian settings. Previous experience in similar context as CAR is an asset.

•Ability to analyze context, conduct health and nutrition assessments and manage program implementation in an insecure, volatile country. Experience of running health projects in an emergency setting is a strong asset.

•Significant experience in designing high quality health, nutrition and reproductive health programs and writing proposals.

•Good finance literacy (ability to draft and managing budgets, forecast and manage expenses)

•Demonstrable experience as a strong facilitator capable of creating a participatory environment

•Experience designing and facilitating trainings and capacity-building exercises

•Flexible work attitude; effective planning and organizing skills

•Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English

•Ability to work under pressure in a very fast paced environment and with full workloads

•Fluent in English and French

•Good digital literacy: MS Word, Excel, and email/internet software.

The work environment:

The Health and Nutrition Senior Program Coordinator will be based in Bangui, in CAR, and will travel throughout the country to field program locations. The security situation in CAR is still unstable, although the signing of the Khartoum peace and reconciliation agreement in February 2019 is still seen as a source of hope for the country to return to peace. The security level remains at 3 (orange phase). The candidate must be prepared to work in insecure environments. This is an unaccompanied position.

Housing: Lodging in CAR and field offices is in shared IRC guesthouses. All IRC sites have electricity (power generators) and internet although some interruptions can be experienced. Food is the individual’s responsibility.

Standards of Professional Conduct:

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality:

IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. 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.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability

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