Merlin response team health manager

Extended - previous closing date: 21Sep2011

Main Purpose of the Role

To help initiate Merlin’s response in emergencies. This may include conducting rapid assessments, participating in the relevant clusters, developing project concept notes and proposals, coordinating with other health actors at local and national levels, starting up emergency activities and facilitating the eventual handover to more permanent incoming project staff.

The team will also assist in providing additional leadership and programme development to existing Merlin programmes throughout the world. This will include programme strengthening, as well as training (concentrating on disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness), strengthening the capacity of existing international and national staff and contributing to the further development of Merlin's humanitarian policy and positioning.

Responsibilities

Emergency response

• To respond to humanitarian emergencies under the management of the Merlin Response Team Manager
• To coordinate with the relevant clusters, donors, other sector actors and national/local authorities as necessary
• To provide leadership in developing an appropriate and timely intervention in close coordination with Merlin Head Office, to include:
- Rapid assessment
- Concept note, proposal and budget writing
- Analysis of health / humanitarian contexts
- Programme development and management
- Security management
- Establishment of new Merlin country programmes
- Donor negotiations
- Programme administration
- Recruitment of staff for new programmes

Assessment

• Assist or lead in country and regional watch and surveillance as part of Head Office activities
• Prioritize countries for assessment with Merlin Response Team Manager and International

Strengthening skills and programmes

• On a case-by-case basis support existing programmes according to ToRs – to be determined by Regional Manager, Country Management Team, Merlin Response Team Manager and the Merlin Response Team member asked to go to the country – able to fulfill Country Health
• Director or Health Assessor Role if required.
• Provide technical support to all country based health team members
• Lead in strengthening existing capacity and further develop programmes where required.
• Ensure that country programmes have disaster risk reduction strategies embedded in programme activities and budgets as well as emergency preparedness/response plans in place
• Strengthen existing Merlin programming with reinforcement of existing Merlin health policies and procedures
• Promote the cluster approach at national and sub-national level including raising awareness /introduction of cluster tools and guidance.
• Assist in the development and delivery of quality training based on best practice to Merlin HO and field staff in line with skills and experience
• Coaching and mentoring of key personnel
• Emergency response training and course development to be conducted in close coordination with the Development and Training Coordinator and the International Director and other relevant departments
• Perform other defined tasks as per specific terms of reference for that assignment
• To conduct monitoring and evaluation visits to current programmes when requested
• Identify and analyse opportunities that contribute to strategic aims and translate them into practical plans

Staff Health

• As necessary take responsibility for the health and well-being of Merlin staff in country, through implementation of Merlin Staff Health Policy, including medical evacuation procedures
• As necessary ensure an up-to-date medical evacuation procedures document is available for the Country Management Team and all other relevant staff are familiar with its content
• As necessary ensure national staff health policy is developed and implemented Other
• To undertake discrete pieces of operational policy and research work in line with organisational priorities as requested
• To assist in the continuing development of Merlin internal policies in close cooperation with Head Office departments and Directors Group (standardisation of templates, development of tools etc)
• Fulfill other roles as per specific terms of reference developed by the Merlin Response Team

Person Specification

Essential

Qualifications, experience and competences:

• Medical doctor or nurse with a Masters in Public Health or equivalent degree
• Strong knowledge and experience of the health sector issues in developing countries
• Competence in basic epidemiological analysis
• Knowledge of data collection methods and data analysis skills
• Developed team working and relationship building skills with the ability to develop positive working relations across functions and cultures, often at a distance
• Considerable experience of emergency response in insecure environments
• Substantial problem solving skills in day to day and crisis situations
• Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines
• Demonstrated responsibility for health project management of emergency and transitional/development settings.
• Considerable knowledge, practical understanding of and ability to work within both relief and development NGO contexts
• Substantial experience and understanding of security management and insecure environments
• Ability to travel at short notice to remote and insecure locations at short notice for periods of up to three months at a time
• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English
• Significant experience of representation to a broad range of people and organizations
• Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office and Epi Info-Nut
• Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures
• Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues
• An understanding of and commitment to Merlin’s mission and values

Desirable

Qualifications, experience and competences:

• A second language – preferably French
• A masters level qualification in an appropriate subject
• Previous experience with a humanitarian organisation
• Experience and/or qualification in one or more of the following settings: reproductive health, SGBV, immunisation/cold chain, disaster health management, child health, nutrition, management of tropical diseases.