County Health Coordinator

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC began working in South Sudan in 1989. South Sudan declared independence in July 2011 following decades of brutal civil war rooted in disputes over religion, ethnicity, resources, governance and self-determination. The security situation remains fragile and testing operational challenges abound. IRC-South Sudan operates a country office in Juba, field offices in Lakes, Unity, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria states. Currently, IRC South Sudan implements programs in primary health care, community case management, environmental health, women's protection and empowerment, protection and access to justice and livelihoods.

JOB OVERVIEW: The County Coordinator will work directly with the County Health Department (CHD) on a daily basis to ensure the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) programme design is understood and implemented with close partnership between the CHD and IRC, while consistently building and strengthening the capacity of the CHD to manage the health system in the County. The County Coordinator will work hand in hand with the CHD and through a phased approach hand over responsibilities to the CHD. S/he will be the focal point for supporting the primary healthcare services in the County through the government health facilities covered by the HPF, ensuring the implementation of a quality health program for the population in accordance with the accepted national and international standards. The County Coordinator will as well oversee the emergency (non-HPF) health projects in the County targeting internally displaced populations or responding to a disease outbreak.

S/he will provide technical oversight to the field-based health staff in the area of primary and reproductive health, with an emphasis on coaching the national staff to build their technical and professional capacities.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Program Management & Development
  • Oversee the implementation of the health program and ensure that program goals, objectives, targets and activities are met, as stated in the HPF agreed project work plan and log frame.
  • Prepare program work plans jointly with the CHD and in coordination with the HPF Coordinator and the Field Coordinator/Manager.
  • Ensure that the projects are properly monitored and evaluated. Conduct regular monitoring visits with the CHD to the various mobile clinics and static facilities as well as to the CHWs.
  • Ensure that the health program is implemented in line with the IRC and HPF Program Framework principles: promoting and protecting rights, participation, capacity building, partnership and holistic programming.
  • 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 health sector with a special focus on Primary and Reproductive Health and suggest new IRC health projects to address identified unmet needs.
  • Support the CHD in preparing a Health Emergency Response (EPR) plan and with the management of disease outbreaks and the implementation of health or vaccination campaigns in the county.
  • Strictly following up the 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.
  • Work closely with other IRC programs present in the same location, such as Women's Protection and Empowerment, Community Case Management and nutrition, and integrate program components to the extent possible.
  • Participate in the development of proposals, budgets and concept notes for future health interventions by the IRC in coordination with HPF Coordinator and Health Coordinator.
• Grants Management & Reporting
  • Manage and oversee all the health grants, and work with the HPF Coordinator and Field Coordinator/Manager to develop work, spending and procurement plans for all projects and maintain these plans updated.
  • Participate in Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings.
  • Prepare internal and external reports (such as narrative reports, DHIS data reports) within agreed deadlines using IRC and donor formats, as required.
  • Review Budget vs. Actual reports with the health staff and the CHD on a monthly basis, recommend actions to correct identified problems.
  • Assure appropriate and timely spending of grants to achieve program goals, grant reporting contributions, use and distribution of supplies and resources in coordination with the CHD, Field Coordinator/Manager and HPF Coordinator.
  • Prepare a weekly HIS report for the HPF Coordinator and Health Coordinator and provide a brief analysis of the particular health cases seen during the week.
  • Work with the finance and HR teams to produce CHD payrolls and spending forecasts for submission in due time.
• Staff Management
  • Maintain updated job descriptions, recruit national staff in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, orient new staff to the IRC and the Health program.
  • Supervise health staff directly, providing ongoing leadership to the project team and overseeing implementation and coordination.
  • Set performance objectives for the supervised staff, routinely monitor their performance and evaluate them at the end of the performance period.
  • Strengthen and build up the programmatic, managerial and operational skills of the CHD and the IRC health staff through on-job mentoring and coaching and feedback mechanisms.
  • Determine personnel needs for the field-level activities, develop job descriptions in coordination with the CHD and the HPF Coordinator and interview candidates, whenever needed.
  • Recommend promotions and disciplinary actions for facility-based health staff through consultation with the CHD and the HPF Coordinator.
  • Develop ongoing education programs for health staff (including other field staff where appropriate) in consultation with the CHD and the HPF Coordinator.
  • Address and mitigate staff complains and conflicts in coordination with the CHD, HPF Coordinator and the Field Coordinator/Manager.
• Coordination & Representation
  • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders - including community leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, community based organisations and other IRC sectors to enhance cooperation and coordination.
  • Represent IRC to the donor agencies, the State Ministry of Health (SMoH), UN Agencies, partners and other stakeholders as advised by the HPF Coordinator and the Field Coordinator/Manager.
  • Support county coordination mechanisms and attend state level health coordination meetings and other meetings/workshops related to the health program.
  • Ensure that information from coordination meetings is shared internally and with other sectors, as appropriate.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Health professional (MD, RN or PA, with an MPH is preferred) with strong public health background
• At least 3 years of international experience in implementing and managing health programs, preferably in complex humanitarian and/or emergency settings
• Background in situation analysis and health assessments
• Strong ability to support and build the capacity of the health national team and strengthening of health systems (building the capacity of and working with local government counterparts)
• Experience supervising a multi-national staff in a complex, insecure emergency setting
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent experience in grant management and proposal writing
• Ability to live and work under pressure in an unstable security environment
• Additional qualities: ability to multitask, ability to handle pressure well, ability to improvise, flexibility, cultural and environmental sensitivity
• Competent in DHIS is an asset
• Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, Power-point, Outlook and Internet

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• The security level is orange. The situation in Ganyliel is calm at the moment but remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include presence of armed troops, and looting. There still is active conflict in many parts of the country and a possibility for further expansion of the conflict and violence into other areas and other states.
• Lodging in field sites ranges from a tent to a traditional hut to permanent structures. Field compounds have common latrines and showers. All IRC sites have electricity and internet at least several hours per day. Food is the individual's responsibility.
• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, 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.

How to apply

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