Medical Mission and Program Support Officer

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation’s mission is to deliver life-saving services, revitalize health systems during crisis, and promote medical education via a network of humanitarians in Syria, the US, and beyond. On February 6 2023, major earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks caused devastation across southern Türkiye and northern Syria. In response SAMS has created an emergency response plan, including the addition of a temporary support role to its HQ program team to increase capacity at a time of high need.

Medical Missions

SAMS organizes and facilitates frequent volunteer medical and training missions, bringing together volunteers from all over the world to support ongoing medical relief programs and provide healthcare for refugees, migrants, and host communities in need. In addition to providing direct medical services, missions include capacity building of local healthcare workers and are highly collaborative with local healthcare institutions and government bodies.

SAMS Foundation is seeking an officer to support our volunteer medical missions in Türkiye and Northwest Syria. The Officer will be responsible for administrative components of missions including volunteer recruitment and vetting, communication and preparation of volunteers prior to mission deployment, and coordination of mission reporting. The position is highly collaborative in nature and requires close coordination among multiple SAMS departments, field offices, volunteer based advisory committees, and mission volunteers. The ideal candidate has excellent interpersonal and communication skills, is flexible, highly organized with meticulous attention to detail, and works well both independently and as part of a team.

Grant Support

Grants are managed by the Programs Department at SAMS Headquarters in close coordination with the Grants Departments of country offices. The officer will work with the HQ Programs Department and be responsible for overseeing the administrative process of new grants and funding SAMS receives in response to the earthquake support. This will include information management in SAMS grant management system, AmpliFund, report writing, and contract and compliance oversight. As needed, this position will contribute to concept note or proposal writing as new funding opportunities develop.

**Key Responsibilities:

Medical Missions (Türkiye, Northwest Syria):**

• Serve as SAMS HQ focal point for Turkey and Syria emergency response missions as directed by the Program Director, supporting mission planning, selection of specialties, mission logistics, and rostering in collaboration with SAMS Turkey Field Office and SAMS Medical Missions Committee.

• Serve as SAMS point of contact for US and international volunteers, responding to mission inquiries, communicating registration requirements, screening and vetting procedures, travel logistics, feedback mechanisms, orientation, and safety and security materials.

• Collect, inspect, organize, and file volunteer application materials, including application forms, code of conduct, credentials, travel documents, and agreements.

• Coordinate volunteer preparation and training, including pre-deployment orientations, screening meetings, country-specific guidelines, and post-mission engagement.

• Support mission reporting, media coverage, and evaluation by collecting impact data, synthesizing internal and external reports.

  Grants Support (Türkiye, Northwest Syria)

• Support in the development, writing and submission of concept notes and proposals, including preparation of specific sections or annexes as assigned

• Responsible for maintaining accurate and up to date grant information and documentation in the grant management system, AmpliFund

• Ensure project progress is accurately documented through internal project management tools, such as indicator tracking tables, M&E reporting, work plans, compliance trackers, budget vs. actual (BvA) financial reports, etc.

• Promote compliance by ensuring the process outlined in the Grant Management Manual is appropriately implemented for new projects, while working in cooperation with the Senior Program Officer for Syria and Turkiye and Compliance and Contract Manager to ensure the emergency response is appropriately documented

• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Essential Qualifications

• Completed a university degree, preferably in a related field (Business Administration, Non-Profit Management, Human Resources, Project Management)
• Strong programmatic background with at least 3 years of work experience in the humanitarian aid sector.
• Strong organizational skills, time management, respect for deadlines, and attention to detail, with ability to manage high volumes of emails and calls
• Must be computer knowledgeable and proficient in word processing and spreadsheets
• Must have excellent command of English and Arabic languages, both written and spoken
• Possesses strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work remotely with a diverse pool of individuals independently and on a team
• Flexible work hours, which may include some weekends and evenings during peak periods

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in health and mental health and psychosocial support programming
• Experience with grant management
• Experience in volunteer coordination
• Experience in visual communication is a plus (creating info-graphics or interactive reports)