Health Project Manager

Location

Starting Date & Initial Contract Details

February 2022. Full time, ideally 12 to 24 months.

Role Overview

Manage the implementation and coordination of all health activities in the project location. Providing management, strategic direction, management and monitoring of the health project in Jonglei. Manages relationships with local health actors.

Project Overview

Jonglei State is affected by multiple humanitarian crises including inter-communal violence, displacement, food insecurity, flooding, and locusts. In accordance with its humanitarian mandate, Medair plans to open a new static site to provide emergency health, nutrition, and WASH interventions in Jonglei State. The project goal will be to reduce the morbidity and mortality of displaced populations and acutely vulnerable host communities in South Sudan through the provision of emergency health services in a defined location.

Our Culture

Key Activity Areas

Project Setup

• Implement the launch of initial health activities and the scale-up of health activities based on previously-conducted rapid assessment and identified prioritised needs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant health actors (e.g. beneficiaries, community leaders, local and national government officials, donors, UN agencies and other NGOs) in the new location.

Coordination/Representation

• Attend the regular state-level Ministry of Health and Health Cluster meetings. Take part in other technical working groups when relevant to Medair’s interventions.
• Proactively network and coordinate with the state-level Health Cluster and other health actors and monitor gaps in health services provision in the chosen location.
• Coordinate with the funding manager and relevant advisor(s), to review and update Project Coordination Agreements, Memorandum of Understandings, and other agreements in place with UN agencies, government ministries, and NGO partners relating to health work.
• Ensure clear internal coordination within the health team, the wider Jonglei Project team, and with in-country Advisors, to increase integration of activities across sectors.

Quality Management/Project Design

• Responsible for ensuring project implementation is according to Medair policy and compliant with Medair, donor, South Sudan and relevant international guidelines. Responsible for monitoring progress against set health indicators, in liaison with the Project Coordinator and Health Advisor.
• Work with Project Coordinator and Health Advisor to improve the quality of the health project activities, to improve the monitoring and evaluation, implementation of Core Humanitarian Standards and protection mainstreaming
• Collaborate with the M&E Team to facilitate annual Knowledge, Practices, and Coverage (KPC) surveys.
• Provide input into the integration of accountability to affected populations (AAP) in all aspects of the project.

Staff management

• Line manage Health Managers and Health Officers. Use Medair HR tools to support professional development and to build the capacity of the staff across the team.
• Make decisions on staff planning and movement in and out of the field. Coordinate and approve RnRs and holidays for staff. Conduct staff appraisals and enforce disciplinary policies for positions directly managed.
• Look for relevant training opportunities for all staff in liaison with Health Advisor, and advocate for different, emergency response training opportunities where appropriate to the role, such as access negotiation.
• Maintain a focus on building the capacity of the team, delegating tasks under supervision as appropriate.
• Interview potential national and international staff, make recommendations for final hiring decisions in collaboration with the Health Advisor and Project Coordinator.

Logistics

• Final authority for all health requests going to the logs and finance departments.
• Work with Juba and Jonglei Logistics teams to prevent stock outages and ensure stock requests, purchase requests, cash forecasts and movement requests are submitted appropriately in Juba.
• Monitor expiry dates of all medicines and medical supplies, including gift-in-kind, and other health stocks to prevent expiration before use. Facilitate safe disposal and report losses to Juba management and donors when needed.

Financial Management

• Draft annual budgets for health projects. Review and approve all project expenditures and expense coding. Ensure proper financial procedures are followed by the health team.
• Manage the assigned project budget and track expenses against project budgets, working with the Project Coordinator and finance officer to address issues of spending. Approve expenditures or purchase requests.

Security Management

• Support the development of Security Risk Assessments and Security Plans for interventions in new project areas.
• Monitor security situation for teams traveling to field locations, gathering information from various sources and feeding back important information to the Project Coordinator and Medair management.
• Oversee and monitor staff adherence to security protocols, including security incident reports.

Reporting and Communications

• Complete monthly situation reports (sitreps). Provide programme data for donor reports to the funding manager and Health Advisor prior to submission to donors. Responsible for open communication regarding project planning and implementation with the Project Coordinator, Health Advisor, and other key staff.
• Provide photographs and information at the request of the Communications Officer, Project Coordinator, or GSO, to provide to donors and for fundraising purposes. Speak on behalf of Medair in the field when required, ensuring that good relationships are maintained and that Medair’s mandate and values are understood.

Team Spiritual Life

• Reflect the values of Medair with team members, local staff, beneficiaries, and external contacts.
• Work, live, and pray together in our Christian faith-based team settings. Fully contribute to the rich spiritual life of your team, including team devotions, prayers, and words of encouragement.
• Encouraged to join and contribute to Medair’s international prayer network.

This job description covers the main tasks that are anticipated. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary.

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Nursing / Midwifery or qualification as a Medical Doctor.
• Strong working knowledge of English (spoken and written).

What is the ROC and why is it required?

Experience

• 2 years post-qualification professional experience in a relevant field. 1 year of management experience.
• 1 year of overseas experience in primary health care or emergency context.
• Knowledge and experience of primary health care principles and management.
• Good numerical, report writing and administration skills. Problem solving ability
• Knowledge of humanitarian principles, Sphere and CHS and other international humanitarian guidelines.

All new deploying international staff to Medair’s country programmes (and other roles which require field travel) should be fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved COVID vaccine, supported with a COVID vaccination certificate as evidence.