Job Description
Position: Reproductive Health Coordinator Responsible To: Senior health Coordinator Works With: Health Coordinators and Project Coordinators Location: Gode Town, Gode Zone, Ethiopia Starting Date: January 2012 Contract Duration: 12 months Salary & Benefits: £25,850 - £26,600 per annum pro rata dependant on relevant experience Benefits: Insurance cover, accommodation, R&R, and annual leave entitlement of 24 days per annum pro rata
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 is the only specialist UK charity which responds worldwide with vital health care and medical relief for vulnerable people caught up in natural disasters, conflict, disease and health system collapse. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries.
Context and Background Since March 2003 Merlin has been working in Ethiopia. At that time operations were started in Oromiya Region, one of the areas worst affected by a prolonged drought. Merlin’s programs focus mainly on the provision of primary healthcare services through mobile and static clinics but include also community-based water and sanitation programs. Currently Merlin is maintaining two interventions in the country. Merlin’s health programs in Ethiopia are implemented in coordination with the respective Regional Health Bureaus (MoH).
In April 2008 Merlin started an Emergency health care support project in Gode Zone, located in Somali Region, in the South-Eastern part of Ethiopia and bordering neighbouring Somalia. It is said to be the poorest region in Ethiopia and has an approximate population of more than 4.5 million. Recent assessments in the region show a deterioration of the humanitarian situation with food prices increasing on a monthly basis and trade restrictions continue to adversely affect an already very fragile food security situation.
Cyclical droughts and floods in the past four years have led to the depletion of livestock and the reduction of agricultural output in a largely pastoral community. A long-standing violent conflict between two armed rebel groups and the Ethiopian Army continues to aggravate the situation for the population and access of humanitarian aid to certain areas is sometimes impeded.
Our current emergency primary health care intervention in Gode Zone / Somali Region has secured funding until June 2010. The project covers basic health care support to 26 MoH health posts, Mobile Clinic Sites and the Gode District Hospital through the provision of drugs, basic equipment and capacity building of health workers and traditional birth attendants in the three districts (woredas) of Gode, Adadle and Ferfer. On the long run we will seek to develop longer-term strategies to strengthen the health system in Gode Zone in collaboration with our MoH counterparts.
The Reproductive Health Coordinator will be based in Gode town concentrating on the RH programme supporting Gode Hospital and its linkage with primary level health facilities. Gode town is a small town with few shops and restaurants. More than five intentional NGOs and three UN Agencies including the World Food Programme have bases in Gode town.
Main purpose of the role The Reproductive Health (RH) Coordinator is a key technical person that will support RH programming and projects across in Somali region. The RH Coordinator will be responsible for a RH project that will provide capacity building, technical program implementation and development, supervision of RH activities at primary and secondary level, and monitoring and reporting of reproductive health services within Merlin’s community.
Overall Objectives (scope) Support the MoH to ensure the provision of standard and quality reproductive health services through building the capacity of RH service providers and service provision in Merlin supported primary and secondary level healthcare facilities in Gode Zone.
Responsibilities Programmatic responsibilities
• Work with the Country Health Director to provide programmatic oversight for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of RH activities including: emergency obstetric care (EmOC), ANC, PNC, safe delivery, family planning, and community based RH activities. • Devise and initiate interventions to standardise RH services, support essential statistical reporting across all Merlin-supported health facilities. • Collaborate and support the MoH and in the creation and implementation of RH guidelines and protocols. • Identify and/or develop key reproductive health reference and training materials for RH personnel within Gode projects. • Identify, in collaboration with Project Health Coordinator, missed opportunities for improving community outreach activities with the aim of improving utilization of Merlin supported RH services. • In collaboration with health coordinators, coordinate and support RH related activities at several projects • Actively participate in technical RH working groups and contribute to the execution of national and international initiatives and campaigns concerning RH. .
Technical responsibilities • Provide leadership in the planning, organization and provision of out/in-patient RH services in Gode Hospital. • Regular supervision and monitoring of RH activities in Gode Hospital to identify areas for development, assess training needs and deliver quality of care improvement interventions. • Provide on the job and formal technical training and assistance to MoH staff, Merlin staff, and community-based personnel based on the RH project work plan. • Identify training participants and coordinate training and refresher training of traditional and community based practitioners. • Collaborate with relevant government departments and INGOs to develop and share training packages covering RH issues, response and capacity building for service providers. • Provide MISP interventions in emergencies. • Work with the whole RH team within Gode Hospital to develop and produce IEC materials with the aim of improving health seeking behaviour to improve maternal and child health. • Provide technical and programmatic oversight and supervision to Merlin’s RH activities in the Gode Zone. • Develop a coherent newborn and postnatal care as part of the continuum of care. • Monitor sexual and reproductive health needs in the operational area. • Establish BEMONC and CEMONC in various areas of Somali region. • Monitor the standards of Sexual and Reproductive health services and their indicators. • Develop a tool to monitor maternal and neonatal mortality in the project areas • Asses the needs for RH capacity building among health extension workers.
Programme Evaluation and Reporting • Provide assistance to the senior health coordinator and country Health Director in overseeing achievement of project targets in collaboration with Gode Project Coordinator and Project Health Coordinator on a monthly basis. • Follow up persons trained to ensure capacity is built and maintained • Develop a project implementation work plan and monitor benchmarks for all project activities. • Ensure appropriate data collection systems are maintained for all program areas, collating RH data for analysis and dissemination to all stakeholders and government departments. • Contribute to project proposals, interim reports and final reports according to donor requirements and internal Merlin monitoring systems. • Monitor and manage programme budget, and be responsible for purchasing local and international orders and coordinating appropriate distribution of all resources along with the field site staff.
Staff Management • Provide direct line management to the RH staff for ensuring completion of all project activities.
• Support effective team communication and dynamics among other RH personnel, government staff and Gode Hospital personnel.
Representation • At the direction of the Senior health coordinator and Country Health Director, represent Merlin to Ministries, donors, authorities, NGOs and other parties, mainly in RH related forums. Others • Fulfil addition roles as per the direction of the Country health director and senior health coordinator.
Person Specification Essential Qualifications, experience and competences
• A Medical Doctor with significant experience in Reproductive health. • Nurse of midwife with MPH or other postgraduate degrees. • Relevant post graduation qualification is an advantage; Master in Public Health MSc Reproductive Health, MSc International Health or substantial equivalent experience. • Strong Project Management experience (including report writing, project planning and budgetary creation and oversight) in RH. • Consistent experience of working with NGOs and/or UN agencies.
• Proven experience in formal & community-based training.
• Proven experience in implementing gender as a cross-cutting issue. • Ability to find innovative solutions to difficult external representation.
• Proven leadership, problem solving and organisational skills with flexibility and patience. • 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. • Ability to work under stressful conditions in isolated areas.
Desirable Qualifications, experience and competences
• Psychosocial counselling skills or experience.
• Previous experience of working in the East Africa region.
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: