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Background
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. The Health Advisor will be responsible for the strategic leadership and development of IRC Pakistan’s health programs, working in close collaboration with senior program management and health project staff. S/he or he is responsible for building team capacity, overseeing the design of the technical aspects the program, program quality, and serving as a representative in sector coordination forums. He or she also will act as the IRC Pakistan point person on all health-related issues. The Health Advisor reports to the Deputy Director for Program Implementation (DDPI).
Responsibilities
Strategic leadership
• Provide technical support and guidance to all IRC Pakistan health activities currently in operation.
• Facilitate and advise the development of an overall health program strategy for 2011-2013, taking into account needs, the IRC’s strategic niche in Pakistan, its capacity, and the funding outlook.
• Act as technical lead for development of new program proposals based on the strategy – ensuring adherence to national and international standards, and incorporating disaster risk reduction where appropriate.
• Work closely with the Deputy Director for Program Quality and Design (DDPDQ), DDPI, provincial Health Coordinators and provincial Program Coordinators (PCs) to ensure strategic health planning and program development.
• Assist IRC Pakistan in assessment of humanitarian needs in the health in any parts of the country as needed. Lead assessment process, including planning and reporting, to determine capacities and health needs.
Program design and quality
• Ensure that the IRC’s health programs demonstrate adherence to international and national standards, including Sphere and incorporating disaster risk reduction where appropriate.
• Review all technical designs, feasibility reports, assessment reports with the provincial Program Coordinator and provincial Health Coordinators.
• Ensure the development of detailed program logframes, workplans, and monitoring tools and support their implementation in coordination with Provincial Coordinators, Program Coordinators, DDPDQ , Grants Unit and Health Coordinators.
• Conduct regular field visits to verify quality/ progress of Health program interventions, providing technical guidance and advice.
• Provide technical guidance to program staff in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into education programming.
Capacity building
• Develop or make use of existing tools to train the health teams in technical subjects, health management, project management, and other subjects as needed.
• Oversee the monitoring of program staff and activities at field sites to assess technical quality of activities; provide technical assistance, feedback and recommendations to support implementation of program activities and staff capacity development around health program interventions.
• Based on a staff capacity assessment develop and implement a technical capacity building plan that includes mentoring, coaching and formal trainings.
• Support the health teams to further develop their strategic planning, program design, and ability to manage an expanded health program.
• In collaboration with M&E Coordinator, provide technical assistance and leadership for quality M&E of all health program activities. Representation
• Represent the IRC’s health programs at the Health Cluster in Islamabad and any other relevant for a, as required; participate in advocacy initiatives as part of the cluster.
• Support new fundraising efforts by conducting outreach to potential donors in country.
Requirements
• Master of Public Health. Medical doctor/nurse or related health graduate degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in a similar or related position with an international NGO in primary health program in emergency and or early recovery settings and developmental settings.
• Excellent understanding of health issues in emergency situations and knowledge of emergency standards.
• Excellent understanding and experience in reproductive health in general and family programming in particular.
• Strong leadership, management, planning, analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Ability to live and work in stressful, unstable, and insecure environment.
• Able to work under pressure and good at timely decision making;
• Knowledge and/or experience in conflict management, protection, or other related field.
• Strong coordination and representation skills and well versed in convincing and clarification of views and points.
Specific security situation/housing
The security situation in Pakistan remains fluid and unpredictable. Candidates may expect periods of insecurity, periodic suspensions of, or restrictions in, program operation and/or field travel, and high levels of volatility in the operating environment. The position is based in Islamabad, which currently faces tension but lower levels of insecurity.
This is an unaccompanied post. Candidates can expect to live in shared housing, which is generally of high standard, according to the IRC Pakistan housing policy.