Job Description

Position: Health Director - FAST Consortium

Location: Gaziantep, Turkey

Duration: 12 months, contingent upon receipt of donor approval and funding

Reports to: Chief of part (CoP), Facilitating Assistance to Syria Together (FAST)

Note: This position is contingent upon funding and approval by donor

About FAST program:

The most acute humanitarian needs remain in Northern Syria where intensified conflict in 2018 has led to displacement and further deterioration of living conditions, dignity, and wellbeing. Health services remain vastly insufficient compounded by the ongoing aerial attacks of health facilities (HFs) which has limited the population’s ability to access sufficient medical care, especially for children, elderly, women and girls, and people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and injuries. Limited or insufficient access to safe water, WASH services, WASH supplies, and basic sanitation are immediate challenges in both camp and non-camp settings. The conflict has also reduced the availability of safe, adequate shelter while widespread, continual population displacements underscore the need for responsive, flexible shelter assistance including non-food item (NFI) assistance, winterization support and emergency shelter repair for households and collective centers.

FAST is an anticipated OFDA funded two years multisectoral program that will be implemented by a consortium of five international organizations. In recognition of these widespread needs, the FAST program will apply a coordinated multi-sector approach to continue responsive, highly efficient humanitarian operations in Northern Syria. Relief International (RI) and Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) will alternate the Health Sector technical leadership over the two years and RI will oversee the procurement of all medical commodities for the Consortium will be implementing the health component and will alternate. Health and nutrition sector activities involve implementation of essential package of health services in Northern Syria, capacity building of national staff and health care providers, establishing and strengthening community health component, strengthening data gathering, analaysis and generate recommendations to improve FAST health sector interventions.

Position Summary:

The health advisor will be overall responsible to provide strategic leadership and coordination to the humanitratian health and nutrition sector response for FAST, ensuring appropriate coordination between FAST Health partners and other health players. In this role the health Advisor will also ensure that effective partnershio and coolobaoration are maintained for for advocacy, technical cooperation, program coordinations, information sharing and knowledge networking. He/she will provide technical oversight, guidance and advice to the implementing health and program teams at RI, SAMS and World Vision International (WVI). The health advisor will be accountable for the agreed health outcomes and overall health objective. Reporting to CoP FAST, the health advisor will ensure robust health sector interventions, update consortium on day to day health sector progress, issues and challenges and support the health partners in implementing uniform system for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the health sector interventions.

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

Program Management

· Strategic direction and overall supervision and successful implementation of the health sector.

· Development and update work plans and support program team in budget management according to health sector outputs and results

· Manage teams of expatriate and/or national staff to complete health sector goals on time and on budget

· Routinely evaluate activity progress, conduct on track/off track assessmentsand determine necessary actions to course correct

· Oversee the preparation and submission of technical program reports that are timely and meet institutional and donor requirements.

· Work constructively with support teams to ensure sound administrative practices with regards to record keeping (health data and activity related documentations), compliance with donor regulations, communications, etc.

· Ensure that partners receive an overarching snapshot on achievements across the consortium through regular reports and presentations, including trends, challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for sector improvements/adaptations

Technical Direction

· Review the short and long term plans for delivery of project services, and provide guidance to the health sector staff, health facility staff and/or local partners to improve planning, management and delivery

· Implement/improve health monitoring systems and record keeping methods that support internal and donor reporting as appropriate

· Support clinical audits to assess status of health and nutrition services, quality of medical supplies and facilities, and on-site health information systems. Provide a summary of recommended areas of improvement, areas of success, and lead the commencement of an action plan with FAST health sector staff and/or health facility staff to evolve and make positive systems improvements where needed

· Provide direction to FAST team during outbreaks of disease or other health emergencies to ensure rapid response.

· Monitoring and evlaution of programme performance is properly undertaken for adjustments, acceleration and improvement of program delivery. Uniform and standardized systems and processes are followed for data collection, analysis and reporting among all FAST health partners.

Capacity Building

· Assess the status of current health program, structure, functions and standards and devise a health program quality improvement plan in close coordination with health, M&E and program staff

· Individual capacity assessment for national counterparts at RI and SAMS based on project management approach

· National counterparts’ capacity building plan focused on project management and technical aspects

· Set individual capacity building goals/indicators for FAST health staff

· Set up health program improvement indicators and implement health program improvement plan

· Propose and implement capacity building activities aimed at enhancing skills of local health providers and/or partners in delivery of primary care, maternal and child health, reproductive health, etc

Representation

· Develop and maintain relatioships with consortium partners, health cluster, NGOs, donors, partners and other stakeholders, with the objective of representing FAST, ensuring visibility, raising issues from the field and building partnership to augment the work of FAST.

· Facilitate donor visits to project sites/offices as appropriate and ensure that up to date programme details are transimitted

· Seek out relevant networks on specific health-related humanitarian aid and advocacy issues.

· Represent FAST at Gaziantep based health cluster, working groups, with de-fecto health structures, facilitating supportive synergies and overall progress in the health sector and avoiding duplication with the work of other agencies (e.g. NGOs, UN, etc).

Qualifications & requirements:

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment.

Compulsary:

• A medical doctor with advanced degree in a health or nutrition field (M.P.H; MSc health policy and Management; MS epidemiology; MS global health, etc) in addition to experience managing grants or donor-funded projects;
• Minimum of seven years professional experience in lead management implementing emergency response programs, preferably in a conflict setting;

· Experience managing and coordinatin emergency/rapid responses – outbreaks, population displacement etc.;

· Advanced skills in leadership, coordination, representation, planning, assessment and project management;

· Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required;

· Knowledge of humanitarian principles, Sphere and HAP Standards;

· Strong English language skills (writing and speaking) required;

· Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, tasks efficiently;

· Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail;

Desirable:

· Previous experience of working in consortium is highly desirable.

· Experience is Middle East context desirable

· Experience managing OFDA grants

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. We value:

ü Inclusiveness

ü Transparency and Accountability

ü Agility and Innovation

ü Collaboration

ü Sustainability

About the Organization

About RI: Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in roughly 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.