Humanitarian Health Adviser

Location: Global Scope, home-based, with travel

Department: Inclusive Humanitarian Action Team, Global Impact Department

Reports to: Head of Inclusive Humanitarian Action Team

Contract Duration: 12 months, with possible option to extend.

The Organisation

HelpAge International works with partners and a diverse global network of more than 171 organizations across 90 countries, supporting millions of older people to live safe, dignified and healthy lives. Through our partnerships and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone, whatever their age. Our work is driven by our desire to deliver real impact for older people, to be inclusive, to work in partnership and to learn from our shared experience.

HelpAge International is seeking to recruit a Humanitarian Health Adviser who will have a global remit, with a significant focus on supporting our Ukraine and Turkey-Syria earthquake response.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and guidance to health and care programmes (direct health services and health system strengthening) in HelpAge’s humanitarian response and ensure they are of high quality, technically sound and responsive to the needs of older people and their families.
• Building on existing HelpAge health and care guidance, in line with the UHC model, develop policy, best practice, technical guidance, and programming tools to support health and care for older people in humanitarian situations.
• Provides leadership and sets standards on all matters pertaining to clinical protocols and essential drug lists for use in humanitarian responses.
• Support implementing partners and HelpAge offices, particularly in Ukraine, Turkey and Syria, to apply appropriate health and care standards and procedures
• Provide technical advice and support in the development of new health-related project proposals including needs assessments, concept notes, project proposals and budgeting, and at all stages of the programme cycle.
• Deliver on-site and remote technical capacity building to country office staff, network members and partners, including formal and informal training during field visits on health and care standards and approaches in emergencies.
• Review and contribute to transitional health strategies in emergency response project plans and interventions
• Participate in and contribute to the sharing of knowledge, learning and good practice on health and care for older people in humanitarian settings across the HelpAge network, with a focus on health system strengthening, community-led health initiatives, and health care integrated care approaches, in collaboration with the Healthy Ageing team.
• Represent HelpAge International at global level health coordination meetings and conferences with governmental donor agencies, UN Agencies, the Health Cluster, WHO, Non-Communicable Disease Alliance, to support advocacy efforts and develop partnerships with aligned organisations and groups.
• Strengthen relationships with network members and partners engaged in health & care programming, understanding their areas of expertise, and convening regularly to share learning and develop ideas.

Let’s talk about you

You will be someone with:

• 7+ year of relevant and progressive professional experience.
• Clinical health qualification (medical, nursing, etc.)
• Master’s degree in Public Health and/or Global Health and/or Gerontology.
• Strong experience in inclusive, participatory, and person-centred health and care programming (particularly ageing, gender and disability inclusion) in complex humanitarian contexts including in rapid emergency responses.
• Substantial experience in providing technical guidance and best practice advise on health & care programming at all stages of the programme cycle.
• Demonstrable skills and/or experience in influencing decision-makers (WHO, UN cluster system, e,g, Health Cluster), national and international institutions, policy development, dissemination and delivery.
• Ability to conduct and deliver thorough analysis, research, report writing and dissemination of information to a broad range of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the proven ability to build effective working relationships with geographically dispersed teams (at global, regional, national levels) and in challenging humanitarian contexts.
• An ability to represent HelpAge with traditional and non-traditional partners, donors and networks.
• Experienced in strengthening and supporting staff and national partner capacity.
• Ability to work in a fast paced and stressful environment and to travel, occasionally at short notice.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential

Desirable

• Previous work experience of working with displaced populations, especially Ukrainians or with Syrian communities (IDPs / refugees)
• Experience of working with older people and people with disabilities
• Fluency in Arabic or Ukrainian or Russian

Equal Opportunities

HelpAge International is committed to creating an inclusive working environment, promoting and providing equal opportunities and respecting diversity in employment. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Safeguarding

Everyone has a role in creating and sustaining a safe and respectful working environment, where no one comes to any harm or is maltreated. At HelpAge we take our responsibilities very seriously and will take action against wrongdoing. We will do everything we can to ensure that we do not engage people that pose a safeguarding risk and will undertake criminal record checks as required.