Senior Health Manager

Program Brief

Founded in 1933, International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure and wishing to advance on a path of development.

IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC is growing its programming to cover education and livelihoods/DRR, as well as its geographic foot print in the host community and to other parts of the country.

Purpose (please specify purpose of the positions in 3 points or a general statement):

In conjunction with the Senior Program Coordinator, the Senior Health Manager will be responsible for Host Community Health programs in Cox’s Bazaar. (S)He will be the focal point for IRC’s Host Community Health services in the field supporting program implementation to ensure the delivery of high quality healthcare services for the self-implemented programs as well as will support the partner organizations to uplift the capacity. (S)He will be responsible for program Strategic, operational, financial, and staffing aspects for the Host Community Health team, as well as representation with key actors in the field including the Ministry of Health, UN agencies and other NGOs.

Major Responsibilities:

Project Cycle Management and Program Quality

·Oversee the implementation of quality Host Community Health programs and ensure that program goals, objectives, targets and activities are met, as stated in the donor agreed project work plans and log frames.

·Provide technical oversight in terms of project management to the Health Manager(s) to ensure the implementation of health service run smoothly

·Prepare program work plans in coordination with Senior Program Coordinator (Host Community Programs), the Health Coordinator and Health Manager(s) for the Host Community Health projects.  

·Conduct regular monitoring visits to the various project sites, ensuring that projects utilize standardized protocols, policies and guidelines, as outlined in the project documents and as per IRC project cycle management framework. Identify technical quality and/or other implementation issues, and provide solutions and follow-up to ensure projects are on track to meet goals and are consistent with established best practices.

·Ensure that the health program is implemented in line with the IRC principles:  promoting and protecting rights, participation, capacity building, partnership and holistic programming.

·Strictly follow up with program operations team, supply chain department for medical and operational supply chain system, stock recording, timely ordering for the supplies and accountabilities in relation to the warehousing and using of the supplies including medicines and medical items.

·Promote the culture of learning and documentation so that lessons learned and good practices are documented and shared for institutional memory and learning. Ensure that field experiences are documented and used to advocate on behalf of the communities.

·Assess unmet needs in the host community health sector with a special focus on Primary and Reproductive Health and make recommendations for how IRC can better address identified unmet needs, contributing to the IRC’s health strategy.

·Work closely with other IRC programs present in the same location, such as Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection, Integrated Community Case Management, Education, and integrate program components to Bring synergy and to best utilize the resources

·Work with finance to provide accurate and timely spending plans, cash forecasts, and salary allocations.

·Work closely with partner Organizations to guide them to uplift the service quality as well as contribute to local partner capacity building.

·Develop or contextualize the SoPs/Guidelines for the smooth and quality program implementation.

Staff Supervision & Development

·Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.

·Ensure training and ongoing capacity building opportunities for staff on technical and project management skills.

·Conduct regular performance review to direct report staff and ensure regular performance review for all staff working in host community health programming.

·Ensure regular one on one meeting with direct reports, provide feedback, coaching and mentoring support. Ensure timely completion of performance reviews of the team.

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Grant Management and Reporting:

·Manage and oversee Host Community Health Program grants, and work with the Senior Program coordinator to develop work plan, spending and procurement plans for all projects.

·Keep tracking of budget expenditure at micro level for all the host community health projects separately and make the spending progress available when and where required.

·Contribute to the development of proposals, budgets and concept notes for future Host Community health interventions.

·Work closely with Health Coordinator and Senior Program Coordinator for concept development, proposal development, needs assessment, innovation and idea generation for expanding health programming within host communities.

·Participate in Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings and relay key messages and guidance to field staff.

·Prepare internal and external reports (such as Monthly narrative reports, Donor reports) within agreed deadlines using IRC and donor formats, as required.

·Review Budget vs. Actual (BvA) reports on a monthly basis, recommend actions to correct identified problems.

·Work closely and coordinate with IRC Operations, Finance and Grant departments to ensure compliance with grant requirements.

·Support development and maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control and reporting systems and processes.

Coordination & Representation:

·Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors

·Under the guidance of Senior Program Coordinator, Senior Health Manager will perform as a focal point for coordination and represent implementation, monitoring and reporting of the IRC Host Community Health activities in different sectors, working groups and clusters.

·Provide regular update of sectoral progress to Senior program Coordinator and Health Coordinator

Monitoring and Reporting:

·Prepare first draft of donor reports and coordinate among partners, Health Coordinator and Senior Program Coordinator to deliver a quality draft.

·Oversee the collection and timely reporting of program data and indicators for Host Community Health programs in line with IRC’s guidelines and according to internal and donor requirements, ensuring timely collection and entry of program data.

·Participate in the design of robust M&E plans and design/adapt health information systems including surveillance systems for the IRC health programs.

·Conduct monthly program data analysis with health staff to discuss progress on grant indicators, disease trends, define action points for how to stay on track with grant requirements, and follow up with those points

·Work with the M&E team to produce and analyze all weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports and ensure timely submission of all such reports.

·Preserve reports, documents obtaining from partners, and other health sector teams of IRC and ensure proper documentation of all host community health projects.

·Visit field, gather hand on experience and report back with reflections and area of improvements to Senior program Coordinator and Health Coordinator

·Prepare case studies and reflection reports as obtained from field visit.

Other Duties:

·Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment.

·Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.