Medical Coordinator Ukraine – Stichting Vluchteling (SV) / Refugee Foundation

Background

On the 24th of February 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine. As a result, the humanitarian situation all around Ukraine rapidly deteriorated. According the UNOCHA overview of August 2023 there are currently 17,6 million people in need of assistance within Ukraine of which 5,1 million IDPs. About 5,9 million refugees are in European countries.

The humanitarian response over the last 18 months has been enormous, with a big role for Ukrainian civil society (NGOs, volunteer groups) and local governments. SV worked from the start of the war through pre-identified international partners, namely PIN, PAH and Intersos. At a later stage SV has started to support a number of volunteer initiatives from the Netherlands and started to work closely with a number of Ukrainian organisations.

SV and Considerations

The Refugee Foundation (SV) is an emergency aid organization that supports partner organizations worldwide in helping people on the move. In the event of an acute emergency, SV provides funding to international and national partners to provide immediate assistance, such as shelter, medical care, clean drinking water and sanitary facilities. In the Netherlands, SV provides the Dutch public with information about the situation of refugees and displaced persons and about emergency aid in general.

In January 2023, SV has set up a small representative office In Ukraine (Odesa). It is for the first time in its history that SV works with an in-country team to support projects and partners. This follows from SV’s strategy 2020-2024 that states that SV wants to become more operational. As a result, structures and reporting lines as well processes and procedures are out of the ordinary and under constant development, whilst SV’s humanitarian projects are being implemented. Hence members of the Ukraine team will need to contribute to establishing the new ways of working as well as to robust procedures in support of the programming.

Purpose of the position

The Ukraine Medical Coordinator will be responsible for defining and implementing SV’s health response strategy in Ukraine. She/he will be responsible for the implementation of SV’s medical supply programme “Artsenhulp”, which is a large programme, supplying over 80 health facilities as well as for the programming with partners on Non- Communicable Disease and Mental Health.

Strategy

• Monitor emerging health needs/gaps and access to healthcare
• Define pertinent health interventions, with existing partners and scoping for new ones
• Ensure that the programming is consistent with SV strategic objectives and health quality standards and with the Ukraine strategy
• Define optimal health HR team set-up within Ukraine.

Medical supply project

• Continue the roll-out of SV’s medical supply programme “Artsenhulp” that is providing essential equipment and medicines to over 80 hospitals/ clinics close to the frontline.
• Keep selection criteria updated to evaluate the eligibility of supply requests from health care providers
• Visit health facilities and health professionals to assess supply needs and monitor post-distribution.

NCD/MH project

• Design, plan, implement, adapt and monitor health care projects with the Ministry of health or other partners with a focus on Non-Communicable Disease and Mental Health.
• Explore , collect and ensure documentations of learning in implementing NCD/ MH components in the context of Ukraine.
• Identify advocacy opportunities related to NCD-MH in collaboration with the Medical Team Leader in the Hague
• Train and coach, the national health staff members in design, implementation and monitoring of the health projects.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Continuous supervision of SV projects and monitoring health related activities of implementing partners, regularly evaluating progress of the outputs and targets.
• Contributes to the monthly situation report concerning updates on health context and SV funded projects.
• Participate in writing Terms of Reference for evaluations and monitoring missions.

Funding

• Participate in the writing of proposals and reports for institutional and major donors

Representation

• Represent SV with authorities, partners and other NGOs on health issues, participate to health cluster meetings and to meetings with relevant stakeholders and partners (for instance, Ministry of Health, other health actors).

Place in the organisation

The Medical Coordinator is part of the Ukraine Team, that is a unit within the Programmes and Advocacy Department in The Hague. The country representative – who is accountable to the Head of Programmes in the Hague – leads the SV Ukraine team that consists of the following team members

• Country representative (Odesa based).
• Relief coordinator (50% Odesa, 50% The Hague)
• Programme and partnership officer (Ukraine based)
• Medical coordinator (Odesa based)
• Health Officer (Odesa based)
• Medical Supply Monitoring Officer (Ukraine based)
• Programme Officer Ukraine Crisis (The Hague based)
• Security and logistic officer (Odesa based)
• A Logistics Team of 3 for the medical supply programme (NL based)

The Medical Coordinator will report to the Country Representative in Odesa. The Health Officer, the Medical Supply Monitoring Officer and the members of the ‘Artsenhulp contact group’ are reporting to the Medical Coordinator.

The Medical Coordinator also has a functional link to the medical team in The Hague. This team consists of a Medical Team Leader, a NCD advisor and a MH advisor.

The Medical coordinator takes part in the weekly Ukraine team meetings, in the bi-weekly medical supply team meetings and has a monthly meeting with the health advisors in The Hague.

Profile

• Comprehensive knowledge and applied experience of medical programming in humanitarian settings
• At least five years’ experience in coordinating health programs in humanitarian settings.
• Experience with supply programs of essential equipment and medicines and post-distribution monitoring in humanitarian settings.
• Demonstrable work experience in Ukraine or knowledge about its health system is an advantage.
• Education: medical doctor with preferably a public health degree and experience in supervising health staff.
• Good communication, negotiation, diplomatic and interpersonal skills
• Can do approach, with a willingness to contribute to the further set-up of SV in Ukraine
• As there is a lot of networking and creativity required, we need an enthusiastic, creative, and enterprising colleague
• Excellent oral and written skills in English. Knowledge Ukrainian or Russian is an advantage
• The work environment is hectic and unpredictable at times, which make flexibility, thinking out-of-the-box and eagerness to act important qualities. You should be able to work under stress and will need social and managerial skills to head a team.
• Ability (in term of visa requirements/ work permit) and willingness to travel in Ukraine, including to conflict areas
• You endorse the goals and aims of Stichting Vluchteling

What do we offer?

• A dynamic position in an enthusiastic organization
• A position with room for own initiative and new ideas.
• An employment contract for initially one year with the prospect of extension.
• Salary and working conditions appropriate to a good cause, depending on education, experience and age.

Stichting Vluchteling has a Code of Conduct, containing the values and principles of the Refugee Foundation, including with regard to integrity & reliability and the prevention of any form of discrimination and / or abuse of power. Every employee must endorse these and act accordingly at all times. Taking references and requesting a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) are part of the application procedure. Stichting Vluchteling participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.