Health advisor

Background

Plan is an international humanitarian, child-centered development organization, without religious, political or governmental affiliation. Plan works at grass roots level with children, families and communities to bring about long term sustainable development. Child sponsorship is the basic foundation of the organization.

Plan’s global identity includes a central organizing thought - “Children are at the heart of everything we do” - with four organizational attributes: building relationships; being a recognized voice; achieving results; and realizing potentials. 

Job Summary 

- The Health Advisor will lead the quality program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Plan International Ethiopia (PIE) Early Survival and Development of Children (ESDeC) country Program.
- The Health Advisor will work at policy level with high-level decision makers and participate in strategy development, policy making, and technical discussions.
- She/He will be providing capacity building and technical support to health staff, partners and government authorities as required and represent PIE at health cluster meetings, technical working group meeting, Ministry of Health meetings, and other relevant forums.

Responsibilities and Tasks

- Establish and lead the implementation of PIE health strategy, consistent with organizational goals and priorities.
- Provide advice and support to Program Units (Pus) to select effective strategic options those address the health needs of children using the principle of health systems, strengthening across the continuum of maternal newborn and child health care approach.
- Promote the sharing of best practices and learning pertaining to health programs among PUs.
- Ensure adequate ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the health programs.
- Provide capacity building and technical support for health program coordinators
- Identify potential grant projects, provide technical in puts to grant proposals, narrative grant and evaluation reports and monitor the expenditure of grant projects.
- Help to identify high potential fundraising and mobilization opportunities for health programmes working in close collaboration with relevant management staff, resource mobilization teams to ensure that new funding proposals are in accordance with PIE country strategies and policies.
- Serve as the point of contact for all matters related to health issues, particularly the mainstreaming of disability, Disaster risk reduction, gender and the integration of nutrition, and Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH)
- Represent PIE at health cluster meetings, technical working group meeting, and other relevant meetings.
- Provide technical support to and work in close collaboration with the education, food and nutrition security, WASH, Child Protection Advisors in areas of Early Childhood Care and Development, Infant and Young Child Feeding, Community Led-Total Sanitation and Harmful Traditional practices respectively.
- Ensure integration and coordination among different PIE projects contributing to the over all goals of the organization.
- Keep abreast of international developments and debates regarding PIE priority health interventions in order to advise program staffs and Senior Management Teams (SMT).
- Serve as the principal health technical expert (advisor) for PIE preparing briefing materials and reports for donors, SMT and visitors where necessary. Present clear and convincing reports as needed on health topics at workshops, meetings and other venues that demonstrate sound analysis and synthesis.
- Any other tasks as requested.

Qualifications 

- Master’s degree in Public Health
- A minimum of 5 years experience in a similar capacity in an International organization

Skills 

- Demonstrated experience in developing strategies, managing multiple maternal and child health programs at national level
- Proven experience of writing donor proposals, high level reports with good understanding of log frames and result frameworks.
- Ability to make links among various programs to address the root causes of child mortality such as malnutrition, WASH, and HIV/AIDS.
- Experience in networking with high level as well as community level resources
- Demonstrated ability to assess best practices, document and disseminate lessons learnt for continuous improvement of the program;
- Computer literate as well as excellent oral and written communication skills

Personality 

- Supportive and ethical;
- Pleasant and polite attitude at all times; ability to reflect the professional standards of Plan Ethiopia;
- Ability to act as part of multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team.
- Interest in and commitment to Plan Ethiopia’s activities, enthusiasm to represent Plan Ethiopia to others;
- Engenders trust from other staff;
- Dynamic and highly motivated;

Attitude and Values 

- A belief in the potential of all people to succeed if given the support especially for Children;
- Willingness to multi-task and work on own initiative;
- Good team player and team builder;
- Supportive attitude to working with HIV/AIDS affected persons;
- Gender value and awareness.