Job Description Position: Health Coordinator Responsible To: Project Coordinator, Technically: Senior Health coordinator Location: Sanyafundu project, Nyala, South Darfur, North Sudan Contract Duration: 12 Months Starting Date: ASAP
Programme: Primary health care and Nutrition programme for IDPs and host Communities
Salary: £28,850 - £29,600 per annum (dependant on relevant experience) inclusive of annual Cost of Living allowance.
Benefits: Insurance cover, accommodation, free return flights, annual loyalty bonus, R&R and 24 days annual leave. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.
Please note that this is an unaccompanied position.
Merlin International Profile Merlin specialises in health, saving lives in times of crisis and helping to rebuild shattered health services. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries.
Context and Background . The goal of the Sudan mission is to address humanitarian and health crises within Sudan, with particular focus on Darfur (Western Sudan) while supporting and strengthening available components of the health system including community capacity to deliver effective and quality primary health care services.
Over two million people are now thought to have been displaced since the commencement of hostilities in the Darfur region, many of whom continue to be in acute need of emergency assistance. These needs are further exacerbated by seasonal rains & food shortages due to interruptions of agricultural cycles. Developments at the peace process level may initiate population returns in certain areas, while other areas continue to experience displacement. Merlin has been working in Darfur since 2004, and currently runs 4 projects across South Darfur. The One of the project sites is Sanyafundu project. A total of six clinics provide primary health care and nutrition services to the community.
Merlin’s primary health care interventions provide quality services through both static and outreach mobile clinic services. Activities increase community-level access to health care by establishing static primary health clinics in former mobile clinic locations, and starting new mobile sites where population movements indicate severe need. The programme will also extend health education: Merlin believes that preventive health care has significant impacts on health status.
Merlin collaborates closely with Sudan’s Ministry of Health and other government agencies for material and human resource support for projects. The focus for 2011 will be to continue to support improved primary health care provision in the selected locations supporting, with further scale-up of nutritional support using the CMAM approach as well as heightened focus on community engagement. In addition, Merlin has interest in expanding to other geographical areas in Northern Sudan (Non-Darfur).
Main purpose of the role To help support Merlin’s response and up-scaling of activities in Darfur to meet unmet health and nutritional needs. Provide support to the medical teams and to establish health programming in newly assessed areas, ensure good practice in the field sites and assessments when requested. To guide/lead the medical team with flexibility and adaptability as the current context changes.
Overall Objectives (scope) Will be to: • Plan and implement Merlin’s response to the present unmet health needs in Darfur, in close collaboration with the PC and Country Health Director, Merlin existing programme site teams, MOH and other actors • Assist in the analysis of health / humanitarian contexts in Darfur • Establish mechanisms and strategies for providing rapid response to further identified needs of host / IDP population. • lead in assessments and contribute to the development of the longer term Merlin strategy and programming primarily in their project area • Oversee all health related activities in the project. • Make sure capacity building activities are given to national staffs
Responsibilities
Technical Project Management • Follow through the implementation plan of Kalma project in collaboration with Merlin team and local authorities. • Implement an IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses) program of curative and preventive healthcare, to respond to all key childhood diseases including, diarrhoeal disease, ARI, malaria, meningitis, skin and eye diseases and other presenting illnesses. • Develop and implement a comprehensive maternal health program for antenatal, intra partum and post natal care for all pregnant women. • Develop a basic health information system for collection and analysis of essential data for Maternal and Child health interventions. • Support identification and training of community health workers to conduct health education, support to EPI and other outreach activities in the target areas • Co-ordination of the medical activities within the project in close collaboration with the other members of the Merlin medical team and MoH. • Conduct training need assessments regularly. • Provide both on job and formal training for national staff. • Monitor the outcome of the trainings. • Identify and prepare key national staff for management responsibilities. • Conduct full oversight for implementation of the project medical activities, including changes of project direction or priorities in collaboration with the senior health coordinator and Country health director. • Prepare the project medical protocols and data collection, and ensure the team is fully conversant with and trained in use of protocols. • Monitor and continuously assess health risks and outbreaks in the project area. • Make sure the project is ready and prepared for emergencies in collaboration with project coordinator. • Maintain regular communication with senior health coordinator and project coordinator. • Manage properly all relevant medical data, supervision reports and training data. • Responsible for timely preparation and approval of all medical orders. • Make sure uninterrupted medical supplies are available in the project. • Monitor the drug consumption in all clinics in the project. • Collaborate and work closely with nutrition program staff. • Prepare project based donor and other relevant reports.
Supervision • Provide technical support to the medical team, including participation in evaluation and impact analysis of the project. • Design a supervision plan for support and supervision to midwives and other community based health workers in the community. • Quality control of medical logistics with senior logisticians on the project coordination and support of medical staff members. • Regular on site and remote supervision of staff and their activities • Developing links and support integration of the program interventions across health zones. • Promote correspondence between teams in the different field sites.
Monitoring and Evaluation • Develop a Monitoring & Evaluation system for the program in collaboration with Merlin team, UN agencies and INGOs who are working in the area. • Constant assessment of the medical needs of the community and guiding of activities to respond to their needs. • Prepare monthly Kalma medical reports including data , for inclusion in the monthly situation report. • Monitor the progress of project activities in collaboration with the project coordinator. • Monitor the progress of indicator targets outlined in the proposal • Ensure that the MoH and other partners receive regular activity reports and statistics. • Together with the Project Coordinator, responsible for encouraging community participation in health activities, to ensure the long term ownership and effectiveness of the programme.
Human Resources • Recruitment and supervision of Merlin national medical staff and designation of responsibilities. • Participate in national staff work and performance appraisal. • Responsible for training of all medical staff to ensure the maximum use of their skills and their full and effective participation in medical activities whilst conforming to Merlin and MOH protocols. • Responsible for international staff health within the project areas including first aid provisions, medical evacuation and general monitoring of staff welfare with the CHD.
Representation • Co-ordination and representation with the MOH to ensure all project activities are carried out with their agreement and, as far as possible, their participation, together. • Co-ordination and representation with MOH, UN, and other NGOS
Person Specification Essential Qualifications, experience and competences
• Medical background with strong post qualification experience. • Previous experience in health programming and response • Qualification in tropical medicine or public health • Significant previous experience in development or humanitarian aid field work • Understanding of security management and the ability to live and work in an insecure environment • Proven ability to assess medical conditions quickly and calmly under pressure as required • Strong experience of data analysis. • Successful experience of managing health teams with the ability to motivate and encourage staff • Good ability and flexibility to understand the cultural and political environment and to work well with local health representatives • Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English • Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office. • Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures • Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines • Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues • An understanding of and commitment to Merlin’s mission and values
Desirable Qualifications, experience and competences
• Experience in the region • Knowledge of a local language.
How to Apply
To apply for this job, please go to www.merlin.org.uk/jobs and apply using our online recruitment system. In order to apply for a job with Merlin online you will need to complete a short registration process and create an account – the online recruitment system explains how to do this. Once your account has been created, you will be able to save the information that you have entered in your application and re-visit it at any time before you submit it.
If you are unable to apply online please download and complete an application form and email it to:applications@merlin.org.uk.
Please note that we do not accept CVs and any application must therefore be made online or by completing our application form. Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Data Protection In accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act Merlin will hold and use personal information that you have given for the purposes of recruitment and employment should an offer of employment be made. This information will be stored in manual and/or computer form. This information may also be disclosed to third parties in accordance with the Data Protection Act. In cases where a job offer is conditional on ensuring that potential employees’ names do not appear on counter terrorism lists generated by the United Nations, European Union or the United States due to donor funding requirements, Merlin will use the information that you have given for checking that your name does not appear on these lists.
No comments: