P&O Technical Officer – Afghanistan

Context

HI Afghanistan’s operational strategy, formulated in early 2022 for the subsequent two years, delineates the framework for its activities. This strategy encompasses three key pillars: Health and Basic Needs, Economic Inclusion, Armed Violence Reduction and Protection of Vulnerable Populations.

Currently, HI is engaged in various sectors, including physical and functional rehabilitation, mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS), protection, inclusive livelihood programs, mine risk education, and the ATLAS initiative. These activities are conducted in both development and chronic crisis contexts.

HI operates from five offices situated across different provinces in Afghanistan. The central office, located in Kabul, houses the management team, comprising operations, finance, logistics, human resources, technical expertise, humanitarian access and advocacy, and security functions.

In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, HI/AL aims to enhance the delivery of aid, particularly in conflict-affected, disaster-prone, and hard-to-reach areas. To achieve this, plans are underway to establish a logistics platform for storage and mutualized transport services in Bamiyan.

HI Afghanistan employs 490 national staff and ten international staff, with fundraising and donor relations primarily managed at the Kabul level.

HI’s looking for a P&O Technical Officer

Description

The P&O Technical Officer will report directly to the Technical Head of the Program and Rehabilitation Specialist.
This position will be responsible for overseeing the functional link with Rehab Technical Officers and management of P&O Technicians.
The incumbent will be based across seven bases in Afghanistan (Kabul, Kandahar, Nimroz, Bamiyan, Kunduz, Herat, and Nangarhar) where comprehensive physical rehabilitation services are provided through mobile teams, static teams, and four specialized physical rehabilitation centers offering Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) services.
The primary focus of this role is to ensure quality assurance, capacity building, recognition, prioritization, and sustained support for P&O activities within humanitarian and health initiatives.

Mission1: Provides guidance and technical support to projects in accordance with the overall technical frameworks and standards within its sectoral perimeter

• On the job training of all P&O staff on prosthetic service provision using different technologies for different level of amputation, to ensure the highest quality of service provision.
• Ensure the quality of P&O service provision through a use of robust quality assurance system and in line with the relevant technical standards.
• Ensure the efficiency of prosthetic services through methodological management of production capacity of P&O staff.
• Support in setting up of additional services in the package of P&O services including use of different prosthetic technologies, provision of prosthetic services for other level of amputation, addition of orthotic provision in Afghanistan.
• Support in design of strategic and methodological orientations for setting up of specialized services (special seating and adapted wheelchair) within the rehabilitation service provision in Afghanistan.
• Support the capacity building of partners in P&O service provision including the key areas like service planning, service output, selection of appropriate technologies, procurement of P&O supplies and consumables and management of P&O services.

Mission 2: Contributes to ensuring HI’s technical influence within its perimeter

• Ensure engagement with other P&O actors in the region to ensure collaboration in the field of service provision and capacity building of local P&O staff.
• Ensure an updated mapping of P&O services in the region to ensure effective referral and efficient P&O service provision for the local population in the region.
• Support the development of formal P&O training programme in the region
• Under request, participate to external partners and working groups meetings
• Ensure strong communication with the Health and Inclusion Project Managers and all the rehabilitation technical resources in the hub
• Establish strong collaboration between all other sector of intervention in Physical rehabilitation Ceneter to ensure comprehensive health services in the PRC.
• Participate in strategic planning exercises of the mission.

Mission 3: Provides technical learning from projects

• Collects the elements necessary for capitalisation or scientific documentation exercises
  Contributes to technical learning under the responsibility of the specialist or project manager, based on good practice.
• Contributes to the terms of reference for evaluations
  Implements recommendations for improving the technical quality of projects

Mission 4: Contributes to the animation of its trade sector

• Support the implementing partners in management of P&O staff including recruitment, induction, appraisals etc.
• Ensure a good communication – coordination – information level of each member of the team through participation to coordination meetings (or other if needed);
• Contribute to the personal and professional evolution of the technical team, and its development within the mission: individual interviews, oral and written evaluations;

Requested Profile

Qualifications: A Bachelor degree in P&O with clinical experience in provision of prosthetic and orthotic services (rehabilitation facility or community settings)

Experience:

• Ideally, the candidate should possess 5+ years of relevant and progressive experience, indicating a profound understanding of technical priorities in conflict and early recovery settings. This experience should be demonstrated through projects implemented in international development and/or humanitarian contexts.
• The ideal candidate must demonstrate recognized technical leadership in providing training experience – TOT experience would be an asset;
• Management of P&O services in terms of quality
• Setting up new services or expansion existing services (addition of orthotics/Special seating devices/Wheelchair services)
• Ability to review an ongoing practice and make adaptation as needed
• Demonstrated experience in designing and overseeing projects focused on P&O service delivery and systems strengthening, with expertise in working with children for developmental aids, adaptive devices (e.g., cerebral palsy, clubfoot, developmental dysplasia of the hip) and victims of war in healthcare settings.

Responsibilities:

• Proven experience in providing technical direction, assistance, and oversight for project implementation, including measuring performance against targets and leading necessary training and mentoring for staff, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage teams effectively, employing both in-person and remote management approaches for supervising staff across various locations

Skills:

• Strong leadership and management skills, with a track record of leading and motivating multidisciplinary and multicultural project teams.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, creativity, acute problem-solving, and analytical skills.
  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Proficiency in Dari and/or Pashto languages is advantageous.

Conditions

At HI, the conditions offered are up to your commitment and adapted to the context of your mission. https://hi.org/en/join-the-team

• 12 months International contract starting from May 15th 2024
• The international contract providessocial cover adapted to your situation:
  • Unemployment insurance benefits for EU nationals
  • Pension scheme
  • Medical coverage with 50% of employee contribution
  • Repatriation insurance paid by HI
• Salary from 2346€ gross/month upon experience
• Per diem: 603,89 € net/month – paid in the field
• Hardship: 500 € net/month paid with your salary
• Paid leaves: 25 days per year;
• R&R: 5 days every 8 weeks & possible transport/package support.
• Position: unaccompanied
• Payment for travel costs (air ticket & visa) and transport of your personal effects
• Housing: Collective taken in charge by HI