Senior Health Coordinator

Freetown, Western Area

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Freetown, Western Area
Grade: Mid level - Mid level
Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Medical Practitioners
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

The IRC has been working in Sierra Leone since 1999, and currently has programs across three core sectors 1) Health 2) Women and Girl’s Protection and Empowerment (WGPE), and 3) Education.

IRC is leading a Consortium of eight partners to implement a DFID funded Saving Lives (Phase II) health programme. The Saving Lives programme seeks to support the Government of Sierra Leone to save women’s and children’s lives by improving the quality, availability and accessibility of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services. This will be achieved by increasing the utilization of quality RMNCAH services through a multifaceted approach that seeks to strengthen quality, expand access, and build the demand for RMNCAH services in Sierra Leone. The Senior Health Coordinator will also manage the IRC Community Health Program.

Scope of work

The Senior Health Coordinator (SHC) will be the focal point for the IRC’s health program in Sierra Leone including IRC’s COVID-19 and Ebola Virus Disease response, providing essential leadership, technical oversight, strategic direction and management. The Senior Health Coordinator will support the development and the management of a complex multi donor portfolio, to support the health system strengthening approach in key identified and prioritized areas where IRC can have maximum impact. The SHC will have 2-5 direct reports, with a team of national staff across four districts and possibly in some expansion districts. The SHC will be supported by the Deputy Director of Programs and a technical advisor from the IRC health unit in New York.

Specific responsibilities

1. Strategic Direction and Technical Oversight

•Lead the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan within the health sector and provide technical guidance to the teams.

•Oversee the implementation of all IRC’s health programs to ensure programs are delivered timely and with high quality.

•Serve as the COVID-19 and Ebola Focal Point for the IRC Sierra Leone Country Program and oversee the management of IRC’s COVID-19 and Ebola prevention and response activities, as well address staff safety concerns related to COVID-19 and Ebola.

•Provide technical support to the health team to ensure programs are on track to achieving the prioritized outcomes, based on available evidence and the IRC SL strategic action plan, and that are in-line with MoHS/GoSL policies.

•Represent the IRC to local communities, government departments, international agencies, local partners and donors as required, and ensure that key strategic information and follow-up points from this forums are communicated and used as necessary for the improvement of the program.

•Represent the IRC health program as a member of the Technical Team for the Health Consortia grants.

2. Identify and Support Business Development of Health Program

•Provide leadership on new program development; actively pursue new program funding opportunities and business development in-line with the program framework and the country program’s strategic outcomes.

•Complete and maintain a stakeholders mapping in-country for key actors, donors, potential partners and other peers agencies.

•Identify and lead the development of proposals and concept notes in accordance with identified needs, the respective donor and internal IRC guidelines.

3. Program Management – grants, budgets, monitoring and implementation plans

•Conduct frequent field visits to assess program quality and progress toward objectives and facilitate collective problem solving with staff and other stakeholders to address challenges identified.

•Oversee implementation to ensure that programs are delivered as designed, based on the budget and timeline, but are also adapted as needed and allowed, based on the evolving context.

•Lead the implementation and monitoring of M&E plans, in coordination with the IRC MEL Coordinator, to ensure data is collected to be able to report timely to donors, MoHS and IRC HQ, and that it is analyzed be able to adapt and improve the program to better achieve the overall outcomes.

•Ensure that all reports required for donors and for IRC New York health unit, are of high quality, and are submitted in a timely manner.

•Ensure project implementation is done according to internal IRC and donor regulations.

•Ensure the development and monitoring of accurate spending plans to ensure the burn rate is line with the activity implementation progress, and that budgets are spent according to the contractual agreement with respective donors.

•Engage in global IRC initiatives (e.g. PCM, Integra, PEERs …etc.)

•Identify gaps in the Health programs and work with the team to develop innovative approaches and mechanisms to address them.

•Ensure that for all new and existing projects, key project management tools including detailed implementation plans, spending plans, and procurement plans are in place and are regularly updated. This includes moving forward the ‘Good & Great Standards’ in accordance with the SL Strategic Action Plan (SAP).

•Regularly review and update the country program COVID-19 and Ebola Virus Disease contingency and response plan in alignment with the in-country context.

•Encourage and initiate cross-sector collaboration for better integration and improved programming around cross-cutting topics such as gender mainstreaming, client responsiveness, etc.

4. Staff Management, Partnership & Capacity Building

•Supervise and provide ongoing support, capacity development and mentoring to the national Snr Health Managers, supporting them to do the same with the staff they supervise, on areas including (but not limited to):

oBudgeting and grants management.

oProject and HR management.

oLeadership, delegation, decision-making, problem solving, strategic planning, and conflict management.

oTechnical performance management support (setting of objectives, appraisals and professional development action plans and follow up).

oMonitoring and evaluation.

•Put sufficient time into capacity building the national Health Project Coordinator to be able to take over the equivalent of the international Health Coordinator role in time.

•Working with partners (particularly local ones) and providing ongoing capacity building and coaching on both technical and project management skills as per IRC’s PEERs requirement

5. Coordination & Representation

•Coordinate effectively with the Consortium Coordination Unit for the Saving Lives consortium, proactively engaging with the Unit to input into program design, adaption and collaboration with consortium partners, as well as supporting synergies with the other IRC Sierra Leone programs.

•Actively identify, build and promote partnerships with INGOs, UN agencies, local and national groups, organizations working on health issues, with the objective of facilitating strong coordination and collaboration.

•Proactively develop and maintain effective working relationships with other key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies (including UNICEF), international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors; maintaining IRC as a key contributor to addressing quality of education in Sierra Leone.

•Actively participate in national level coordination meetings and working groups.

6. Human Resource and Other

•Supervise direct reports in accordance with IRC HR policies.

•As technical lead, participate in the recruitment of national and expat staff as necessary.

•Other duties as assigned by the DDP and/or the Country Director.

Requirements

•A Masters in Public Health, Health System Strengthening, or equivalent. A clinical background is advantageous but not a necessity.

•At least 5 years project management experience in a low resource country, with strong proficiency in project planning, implementation, monitoring and financial management.

•Experience in health system strengthening progamming.

•Experience working in a challenging and low capacity environment.

•Creative and analytical thinking skills, with proven ability to make decisions, and lead in capacity and organizational development.

•Proven experience in successful involvement in new proposal development.

•Demonstrated coordination, networking and relationship building skills with partners including government, donors, INGOs, national and local organisations, UN agencies.

•Demonstrated experience in successfully leading, building and strengthening a program team of a minimum of 30 + staff in a dynamic, challenging and changing context.

•Demonstrated experience in supervising, mentoring and building capacity of staff.

•Strong experience, knowledge and skills in participatory methods, community development and partnership.

•Demonstrated ability to self-motivate, use initiative, be flexible, and actively and productively contribute to program’s success and development.

•Excellent communication, facilitation, interpersonal and influencing skills and ability to lead and work well in a team setting and with multiple team members.

•Strengths in listening, empathy, flexibility, and creativity.

•Previous experience of working in Sierra Leone an advantage

•Fluency in English Language – essential

•Excellent written, budgetary and computer skills

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional 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, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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