Health Technical Coordinator

Position: Health Technical Coordinator

Reports to: Deputy Country Director – Programs

Location: El Fasher, North Darfur state (50%) and Blue Nile state (50%)

About RI:

Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 18 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty. RI has been working in South Sudan since 2005, delivering integrated Health, WASH, and Nutrition projects.

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.

Position Summary:

The Health Technical Coordinator is responsible for the strategic direction, leadership, and quality assurance of all health programs in RI Sudan. This position will oversee health program design and development, monitor and assure technical quality, and coach and mentor program staff. Specific technical areas under the portfolio include primary health, sexual and reproductive health, community-based and mental health, and community health service across a wide range of geographic locations.

The Health Technical Coordinator’s role is to lead and provide technical support for the planning and smooth operation of health activities throughout RI’s country programs, with focus on quality implementation of project activities. This role includes the active involvement in continuously developing and rolling out a country health strategy based on the specific context, assessments/needs identified, and overall country program goals. In addition, the Health Technical Coordinator will build the capacity of RI health team, health workers in the supported health facilities and the capacity of partners (NGOs).

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

Program Development and Management

• Provide technical leadership and technical support to health program and program teams.
• Coordinate closely with the Deputy of Country Director for Programs and the Grants & Compliance to ensure timely and effective grant management and compliance with donor requirements.
• Oversee and coordinate the health activities in line with project document, budget and LGF and detailed implementation plans and budget forecasts.
• Guide health sector to implement timely, effective, and relevant activities in line with identified needs, strategic objectives, and donor requirements.
• Lead the technical aspects of the project design and proposal development process for new or adapted health programming, including the development of proposal narratives, logframes, budgets, and other supporting documents. Ensure compliance with RI technical standards and policies.
• Conduct all health-related assessments, provide technical guidance on appropriate emergency activities, and devise sector-specific response strategies for the acute and transitional phases of emergency operations in crisis-affected communities.
• Identify gaps in quality of care and provide appropriate training and support to all medical staff as needed.
• Work with operations staff and partners to ensure pharmaceutical and medical commodities and services are procured, handled, and ran properly, in accordance with the organization’s supply-chain management protocols.
• Develop actionable plans to ensure that stated project objectives are regularly evaluated and achieved.
• Coordinate with field teams to ensure the proper execution of the health program against all set objectives and targets within the agreed budgets and timeframes.
• Implement and maintain reporting systems to monitor and evaluate the health objectives, indicators and outcomes of the projects
• Determine staffing needs for health programming, conduct recruitment in collaboration with management and home office technical staff, as necessary.
• Lead health sector field personnel supporting the program and build their capacity to effectively respond to the health component of the project.
• Contribute to the creation of reports, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality of internal information as required. Support field teams in regular budgetary follow up to ensure timely expenditure of health budgets.
• Work closely with program support functions (logistics and finance departments) for Health program supplies and activities planning.
• Assist with the recruitment of new health staff.
• Guide teams to ensure that the health department produce and utilize functional project management tools, including work plans, procurement plans, and accurate financial forecasts.
• Coordinate closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator to develop effective monitoring and measurement tools and collect relevant data. Maintain a strong information management system and use findings to inform and improve program delivery. Carry out regular data review exercises.
• Ensure that all internal and external reports are submitted on time and to a high standard.

Team Leadership & Management

• Coach, mentor, and lead the health teams to implement programs to a high standard of quality.
• Oversee the timely recruitment, comprehensive on boarding, and the sustained professional growth and wellbeing of team members.
• Ensure all team members are well-versed in job expectations and have clear performance objectives and professional development goals. Conduct regular health sector meetings with all direct reports and ensure the same is done throughout the team management structure.
• Identify training needs and develop capacity building plans for health staff to improve management capacity.
• Promote and monitor staff care and wellbeing.

Technical Quality

• Ensure all health projects are implemented in accordance with the WHO’s and MOH’s technical guidelines and global best practices.
• Conduct monthly support supervision to health facilities and build capacity of health workers.
• Monitor progress on the delivery of all health-related activities and ensure that objectives are being met on time and on scope, in line with annual workplans.
• Ensure all facilities have SMOH recommended standards, including availability of guidelines, job aids and IEC materials.
• Liaise with WASH, nutrition, FSL technical coordinators on a regular basis; maintain knowledge of new developments in the RI Health Technical Unit and global coordination structures.
• Build capacity of RI staff, SMOH staff and INGOs working with RI in Sudan.
• Provide ongoing technical coaching, guidance, and supportive supervision to RI staff, SMOH staff and partner staff.
• Promote effective integration of health, nutrition, WASH, FSL and CP/ GBV services at the point of care.
• Ensure service delivery modalities are responsive to patient needs and location-specific constraints.
• Regularly monitor and report on unmet needs and service delivery gaps across RI health program; make informed recommendations to senior management on the capacity of the RI to address identified needs.
• Regularly review MEAL data and apply indicator findings to improve program quality. Ensure all programs are data-driven.

Coordination

• Ensure consistent RI representation in relevant clusters, technical working group meetings, and other coordination structures
• Oversee regular communication, negotiations and engagement with partners and government entities, including the Ministries of Public Health in the states.
• Work closely with the Area manager and the humanitarian access & security team to ensure concerns and challenges at the service delivery level are addressed appropriately.
• Proactively collaborate with other RI sector technical leads to promote program integration and ensure effective internal referrals.

Other

• Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor to further RI programs.

Qualifications & Requirements:

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

• Medical Doctor or Registered Nurse & Midwife, or Bachelor in Nursing, with MPH or Master’s Degree in Reproductive Health or other relevant qualifications.
• At least 4 years of clinical work in reputable hospitals in gynecology & Obstetrics department or Pediatric department or Internal medicines department.
• At least 7 years’ work experience in a development, emergency or post-conflict setting in integrated Health interventions.
• Having worked in INGOs and/ or UN Agencies (e.g. UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA).
• Strong project management and monitoring & evaluation skills.
• Excellent written and oral English skills required. Must be able to draft high quality, donor reports and proposals.
• Experience and understanding of key intuitional donors’ policies, guidelines and strategies e.g. USAID, BHA, ECHO, DFID, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, etc…
• Must be able to function effectively in a fluid, loosely structured, but complex work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements.
• Must be able to work independently, with minimum supervision, within the context of a larger team.
• Strong coordination skills; flexibility, adaptability, and patience; facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure to strict deadlines.
• Analytical and problem solving skills.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Ability to understand and address gender- related challenges within the beneficiary groups.

RI Values:

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

We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability