Health Cluster Coordinator

Job Description

Program Description

The Afghanistan Health Cluster strives to build upon existing coordination structures making principled health action as local as possible to provide timely, effective and appropriate actions to minimize the health impacts of humanitarian and public health emergencies through strengthening of service delivery, addressing gaps, and promoting effective leadership. The Afghanistan Health Cluster will advance the well-being, safety, dignity and resilience of the affected population through coherent, coordinated and integrated health response. Working with national counterparts, the Health Cluster is responsible for facilitating and coordinating the engagement of partners to deliver quality programmes and services to meet humanitarian needs, improve accountability and to promote meaningful access, safety and dignity in all phases of the Health Cluster response. 

Effective and efficient cluster management is a shared responsibility held by all health cluster partners. The Health Cluster Team, led by the Health Cluster Coordinator are the impartial representatives of the cluster as a whole and are responsible for the day-to-day coordination and facilitation of the work of the cluster. 

The overall purpose of co-coordination is to improve the timeliness and impact of appropriate humanitarian health assistance for crisis-impacted communities and to strengthen the collective health outcomes of the response.

Offer is contingent upon secured funding.

JOB SUMMARY 

The overall purpose of this role is to improve the timeliness and impact of appropriate humanitarian health assistance for crisis-impacted communities and to strengthen the collective health outcomes of the response.

This role is expected to work with the Health Cluster to support the implementation of, monitor and evaluate performance against the six core cluster functions and accountability to affected populations. This will include ensuring that partners participate in and assume their minimum commitments to the health cluster (IASC Minimum Commitments for participation in clusters) by placing Affected Populations at the center of decision-making and action.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Strengthen pre-existing sectoral coordination by maintaining appropriate links and dialogue with national and local authorities, local civil society, and other relevant sectors, respecting their respective mandates and programme priorities. Taking reasonable measures to proactively engage with and support local NGOs to participate in cluster coordination and at each phase of the Humanitarian Program Cycle. Ensuring that the health cluster position is informed by the NGO perspective. 
• Lead and/or co-lead, coordinate and conduct health needs assessments with the health partners and other sectors, but not limited to, WASH Nutrition, Food Security and Protection.
• Contribute effectively to inter-cluster coordination forums and cooperate with other clusters, government counterparts, and relevant authorities (as appropriate) in planning, coordination, and operational activities, ensuring that the NGO community is contributing to and sharing responsibilities.
• Ensure protection and early recovery are mainstreamed and awareness of the different needs and capacities of women, girls, boys and men of all ages, people with disabilities, and other diversity characteristics such as ethnicity and religion are informing what we do, how we do it and with whom to promote meaningful access, safety and dignity in all phases of the health sector response.
• Participate actively in gap analysis, priority setting reinforcing the complementarity of partner actions by avoiding duplication and gaps.
• Ensuring adequate reporting and effective information sharing, reflecting the agreed minimum standards are in place and that all partners contribute on a regular basis to enable appropriate monitoring and evaluation and review the impact of the cluster activities and progress against the strategic Health Cluster objectives.
• Participate in reviews of coordination mechanisms and their adaptation over time to reflect the evolving crisis and the capacities of local actors.
• Convene and facilitate regular health cluster meetings, ensuring that discussions are participatory and results oriented. Ensure that the NGO members of the cluster are kept fully informed of the meetings and any decisions that may take place outside of regular health cluster meetings.
• Promote the leadership roles of NGOs within the cluster and ensure that all health cluster working groups have active national and international NGO participation to help ensure that NGOs support and influence the clusters work.
• Support training and capacity building of health sector personnel, of partners and national authorities.
• Represent the interests of the health cluster in discussions with stakeholders on priorities, resource mobilization and advocacy. Taking additional steps to ensure that the resource mobilization and advocacy efforts fairly represent and benefit NGOs as well as the UN agencies in support of the agreed health cluster strategy.
• Ensure adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies and seasonal adaptation of responses that reflect the actual and potential to scale-up capacities of all partners (local and international).
• Serve as a focal point for receiving NGO concerns to raise these with the Health Cluster Coordinator and the Cluster Lead Agency to strengthen accountability and transparency of the cluster’s decisions and work.
• Serve as Health Cluster Coordinator OIC whenever as needed and directed 
• Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Advanced university degree in public health, medicine, or related fields from a recognized university or academic institute or a relevant combination of professional and academic qualifications.
• Relevant experience in a relevant role and specifically Health Cluster Coordinator training, working experience in a similar position and or training in emergency response in the context of public health will be an added advantage.
• Typically, 8+ years of experience in humanitarian response, at national and international levels, with emphasis on health cluster coordination, public health management and related strategy development in a managerial position, capacity building and implementation.  Experience in developing and promoting collaborative partnerships and/or experience in developing countries.
• Excellent understanding of health issues in emergency situations and detailed knowledge of humanitarian principles, guidelines and laws and the cluster system
• Demonstrable experience in advocacy and high-level negotiation skills.
• Excellent representation skills including the development of strong interpersonal relationships to facilitate communication within the cluster. Ability to work under pressure, travel extensively and produce results.
• Fluency in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to speak Dari or Pasho will be an added advantage.

CODE OF CONDUCT

As applicable to this position, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards. Staff are also responsible for preventing violations to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are made aware of any violations to the Code of Conduct and Ethics or Safeguarding Policy, you have an obligation to report. If this is a supervisory position, one must set an example of ethical behavior through one’s own conduct and oversight of the work of others; ensure that those who report to you have sufficient knowledge and resources to follow the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct & Ethics; monitor compliance of the people you supervise; enforce the Code of Conduct & Ethics and International Medical Corps’ policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Protection from Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, consistently and fairly; support employees who in good faith raise questions or concerns.

SAFEGUARDING

It is all staff shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. This includes safeguarding from the following conduct by our staff or partners: sexual exploitation and abuse; exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children, adults at risk, or LGBTI individuals; and any form of trafficking in persons.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE SCHEME

All offers of employment at International Medical Corps are subject to satisfactory references and background checks. International Medical Corps participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme from the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR). In accordance with this, we will request information from an applicant’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

About the Organization

International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through healthcare training and relief and development programs.

Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in areas worldwide. By offering training and healthcare to local populations and medical assistance to people at high risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated healthcare systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.