Humanitarian Health Advisor

Job Profile -        Humanitarian Health Advisor (Unilever)

Job Title:                                            Humanitarian Health Advisor

Place of Work:                                  East Africa (SC Office or Home-Based) (TBC)

Grade:                                                            3

Department:                                     Programme Policy & Quality

Reports to:                                         Regional Health Advisor

Line management responsibility:     Yes (Emergency Response Personnel)

Budget Responsibility:                      No

Child Protection Level:                     3

Length of contract:                           Fixed term 3-years; August 2012 – May 2015

Introduction

Between now and 2015, we have dedicated our organisation to supporting the achievement of

Millennium Development Goal 4, a two-thirds reduction in the rate of under five mortality.

Our health programmes are key to this goal and we are seeking to dramatically expand the

scale and impact of our work, both direct interventions with communities, support to health

systems at district and national level and policy, advocacy and campaigns.

In line with Save the Children’s Ambition 2015 Humanitarian Strategy, we are significantly

scaling up our frontline health & nutrition capacity so that many more children’s lives can be

saved in new emergencies and in chronic emergency contexts. We are also scaling up our

humanitarian health capacity-building activities under the Humanitarian Academy to produce

the next generation of Frontline Health Workers.

In all the major emergencies of the last few years, including the Horn of Africa drought, the

Haiti earthquake, the Pakistan floods and the Zimbabwe cholera outbreak there have been

significant gaps in frontline health capacity. Between 2009 and 2011 SC reached

approximately 750 000 children and their families per year with its emergency health &

nutrition programmes. However, by 2014, we aim to have put in place the necessary capacity

(people, equipment and training) to reach 1.5 million people per annum with emergency

health & nutrition support. We are seeking experienced and committed humanitarian health

professionals to help deliver this ambitious strategy.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to support country programmes to design and deliver high quality

humanitarian health programmes, including supporting emergency preparedness and capacity

building and providing surge and desk support for new emergency health programmes.

Key accountabilities:

The Regional Humanitarian Health Advisor will work collaboratively with regional and head

office health advisors from SCUK, and/or other Save the Children members, ensuring that our

emergency response work, preparedness and capacity building links closely with our longerterm

development and chronic humanitarian health programming. They will also ensure that

communication and support to country programmes and external representation is closely

coordinated.

Support to Humanitarian contexts (New Emergencies and Fragile States) (50%):

·         Provide thematic support to the design and implementation of humanitarian health programmes, ensuring they are based upon high-quality needs assessments and robust baselines, Save the Children’s theory of change, strategies and principles of child rights programming, national policies and international best practice.

·         In coordination with the Regional Humanitarian Director and Technical Line Manager, deploy to the field at short notice to help set up new emergency health programmes within the region, including leading technical assessments, developing health programme plans, strategies and masterbudgets, and carrying out coordination and representation.

·         To work with SC member focal points to secure funding for humanitarian health programmes, coordinating with donor technical experts and developing high quality proposals.

·         In coordination with the Regional Humanitarian Director and the Health Humanitarian Technical Working Group, provide technical backstopping (guidance and tools) to new emergency responses within the region, ensuring that emergency health programmes achieve organisational quality standards.

·         To maintain an overview of all new emergency health programmes in technical area of expertise within the region, and carry out monitoring and evaluation visits as required.

Technical Capacity Building and HR (30%):

·         In coordination with the Regional Humanitarian Director, Regional Health Advisors, the Health Humanitarian Technical Working Group and other counterparts help carry out a humanitarian health learning needs assessment across the region.

·         Working with the global Health Humanitarian Technical Working Group and Regional Health Advisors, plan and deliver technical training programmes and events within the region, in line with priority learning needs.

·         Provide specific mentoring support to country level health staff in order to support their development onto the Save the Children emergencies roster.

·         Support fundraising efforts for humanitarian health capacity building programmes in the region.

·         Support country programmes in the recruitment of senior humanitarian health staff.

·         Take on line management of Health Emergency Response Personnel as required.

Emergency Preparedness (10%):

12. Working closely with the Regional Humanitarian Director and Country Humanitarian

Focal Points provide technical support to emergency preparedness planning, ensuring

they are prepared for emergency health scale-up in response to epidemics, conflict or

natural disasters.

Advocacy & Representation (10%):

·         13. Coordinate closely with key SC stakeholders including Regional Health Advisors and Humanitarian Advocacy teams to ensure advocacy & representation is aligned.

·          Liaise with the relevant external regional stakeholders including donors, learning institutes, UN and NGO representatives identifying opportunities, synergies and partnerships for SC’s emergency health work.

·          Represent Save the Children at regional/sub-regional emergency health forums, including with OCHA, WHO, Unicef, donors and other NGOs.

·          

Other

·          Advise the Regional Director, Country Directors and other relevant colleagues (SC UK PPQ, SCUK/SCI Humanitarian colleagues) on health-related developments at country, regional and global levels.

·         Participate as a full member of the Health & HIV team and Humanitarian Technical Unit in London, joining team meetings, coordinating work with other advisers and using shared knowledge.

·          Be available for global deployment as a core member of the SC Emergency Roster

·         and when requested be a member of SC’s duty team system.

·         Work to ensure that that 50% of own post costs are recovered through grant funding.

·          

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

·          Significant experience and a track record of success in delivering high quality

·         humanitarian health response programmes (both new emergencies and fragile states).

·          Health professional with post graduate qualification in global health.

·          Sound understanding of and commitment to SC generic programme approaches and

·         core standards in humanitarian response.

·          Experience and understanding of technical approaches for maternal, newborn and

·         child survival as well as health systems strengthening (in emergencies).

·          Proven track record of humanitarian programme development and fundraising from

·         institutional donors.

·          Ability to travel at short notice, occasionally to remote and insecure locations for up

·         to 50% of work time

·          Experience of team leadership & management.

·          Experience of capacity building and mentoring.

·          Experience of contingency planning/emergency preparedness planning.

·          Highly developed writing skills (e.g. at level for producing an assessment report or

·         proposal during a short time period)

·          Strong communications skills (both written and verbal) at a level appropriate for high

·         level external representation (lobbying, presentations) and ability to tailor

·         communications to different audiences

·          Understanding and practical experience of the cluster approach at country and global

·         level.

·          Ability to work effectively across teams and departments

·          Commitment to SC’s mission, values and approach (includes child protection, equal

·         opportunities and health and safety).

·          Computer literate.

·          

Desirable

·          Broad understanding of rights and development issues, international relations and the international humanitarian systems.

·          Experience of humanitarian programming in nutrition, HIV, WASH or other relevant sectors.

·          Existing networks and contacts within the region.

·          Working knowledge of a relevant language.

·          

Application Process

To apply for the position, visit our website http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/jobs and select

position 7512 by 12th October 2012.