The Health Advisor position contributes to the calling of Medical Teams International through the provision of leadership and technical support to Medical Teams direct health services and health systems strengthening portfolios. The Health Advisor ensures technical quality in the design, development, and implementation of health programs in protracted humanitarian response projects and large-scale natural disasters and complex emergencies. This position strengthens organizational and staff capacity to design and implement high quality health interventions. In addition, the Health Advisor provides medical expertise and guidance to interventions and to medical personnel to ensure the highest standards of care within medical programs, regular and adequate drug and medical product supplies, and to monitor and evaluate medical activities. The Health Advisor will coordinate regularly with other health and community health advisors to ensure efficient and effective integration of both community and health facility level activities across the care continuum within each community. The Health Advisor will focus a large portion of time on technical oversight and support for strategic humanitarian health programs in a portfolio of three to four countries. In addition, the Advisor will contribute to global level guidance, quality monitoring, and strategies regarding core thematic areas and serve as a MHPSS thematic expert within the organization. Because of the breadth and scope of this position, the Health Advisors supervisor will be responsible for prioritizing activities to effectively meet the organizations technical health needs.
Medical Teams International Calling:
Daring to love like Jesus, we boldly break barriers to health and restore wholeness in a hurting world.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership and Strategy:
- Lead the development of organization strategies, models, and standards for Medical Teams direct health services and health systems strengthening programming.
- Ensure programs and projects are aligned with Medical Teams strategy, core service package, and interventions are based on best available evidence and international standards.
- Advises headquarters and country office program staff who develop needs assessments, program proposals, replicate successful programs, and develop resources for direct health services and health systems strengthening.
- Reviews and advises on technical quality of proposals, including providing input on budgets required for project delivery, technical activities, and ensure alignment to Medical Teams global and country specific health indicators.
- Build partnerships and cultivate donor relationships that attract funding and other resources to the health portfolio.
- Leads Country Health Focal points to develop and implement a strategic plan for strengthening country office capacity and staff to design and implement quality health programs.
- Provides leadership and sets standards on all matters pertaining to clinical protocols.
- Ensure technical reviews in project design, start-up, and implementation.
- Designs and develops, reviews, and disseminates program-specific tools, resources, and curricula with medical and program teams to contextualize and adapt global and country-specific materials.
- Support senior medical country office recruitment.
Program Management and Program Quality:
- Collaborates with Country Office leadership to determine the operational needs of the medical programs within the scope of current grants and contracts.
- Assess and recommend medical staff training needs.
- Collaborate on the development of a global health information system which will provide program analysis and feed into standardized national and international health information systems.
- Support the County Health Focal Point to collaborate with national health authorities and relevant international health agencies to develop curricula and mentoring activities to meet the training and support needs of the country office medical teams.
- Plans with program, health, and Management & Evaluation teams to design and implement reporting systems to monitor and evaluate the objectives, indicators, and outcomes of health projects.
- Review clinical protocols and essential drug lists for use in humanitarian responses.
- Review and contribute to transitional health strategies in emergency response project plans and interventions.
- Reviews and analyzes monthly field trend reports and recommend adjustments projects and programs, as appropriate.
- Advises headquarters and country office teams, partners, and national health authorities for outbreak preparedness and contingency planning.
- Provide technical guidance to US and country office teams to define future program directions in terms of beneficiary needs and new or expanded sites.
- Liaises with UN agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO) and partner agencies to obtain essential medicines and medical supplies during field visits as needed and at a global level.
- Advises and supports headquarters, country offices, and logistics teams to procure medicines and medical supplies to ensure adequate supply and in adherence to national drug protocols, donor requirements, and project budgets.
- Provides technical advice to the Country Health Focal Point and country logistics teams to analyze pharmacy reports and monitor medicine and medical supply consumption.
- Deliver on-site capacity building to country office staff, including formal and informal training during field visits.
Representation:
- Represent Medical Teams at global level health coordination meetings, relevant conferences, and in local sectoral meetings when deployed for assessment missions including UN coordination meetings and INGO forums.
- Provide mentorship and coaching for the Country Health Focal Point and how to use data and experiences to advocate for changes needed by partners in country.
- Support the Country Health Focal Point to liaise with government authorities and Ministry of Health on health-related matters to ensure programmatic accountability.
- Contribute to Medical Teams visibility amongst the (I)NGO community.
- Ensure health information reporting is accurate and timely while maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.
- Contribute to the creation of a positive and professional image of Medical Teams through the application of the Code of Conduct, ethics, and values.
Other Duties:
- Utilize volunteers whenever possible.
- Additional duties as assigned.
- Ensure accountability is integrated into country strategies, program design, monitoring and evaluations, recruitment, staff onboarding, training and performance management, partnership agreements, and highlighted in reporting.
- Support safeguarding of program participants and employees through promoting an environment of awareness and upholding the code of conduct provisions of Medical Teams Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, Child & Vulnerable Adult protection, and harassment-free workplace policies.
EDUCATION, LICENSES, & CERTIFICATIONS
Required:
- Clinical Degree (doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant).
- Masters degree in Public Health.
- Valid Driver License.
- Valid Passport.
EXPERIENCE
Required:
- Minimum 6-8 years progressive responsibility in implementing international humanitarian programs.
- Minimum 6-8 years senior management related to MHPSS, primary, maternal and child health, reproductive health, and/or communicable diseases in humanitarian or development programming, with at least two years in a humanitarian context at an NGO.
- Prior experience living and working in a humanitarian context and infectious disease outbreaks.
- Prior experience working in global health, including partnering with stakeholders, fundraising with diverse humanitarian donors; and designing, implementing, and evaluating health programs in resource poor settings or refugee context.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
Required:
- Commitment to Medical Teams International Calling Statement and Core Values.
- Understanding of donor expectations and trends for global health systems strengthening and provision of direct health services.
- Comprehensive knowledge of principles, humanitarian systems, standards and current approaches to strengthening health systems and provision of direct health services in humanitarian programs.
- Comprehensive knowledge in program sustainability and capacity building, public-private partnerships and project monitoring and evaluation.
- Excellent organization, planning and analytical skills; detail oriented.
- Excellent communications skills, both oral and written.
- Excellent decision-making skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively with others.
- Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision, including prioritizing work and multi-tasking to meet deadlines.
- Ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal methods.
- Ability to exercise sound judgement and make decisions independently.
- Extremely flexible and has the ability to cope with stressful situations and frustrations.
- Ability to frequently participate in early morning and late-night conference calls to accommodate global time zones.
- Ability to travel up to 14 weeks per year.
Preferred:
- Prior experience in sub-Saharan Africa or other similar low resource settings.
- Training of Trainers for MHPSS programming such as mhGAP, PFA, PM+, SH+
- Conversational Spanish
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS
Physical Requirements:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job the employee must be able to:
- Frequent use of a personal computer, database and digital platforms, and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and computer printer.
- Frequently uses hands, fingers, and arms to reach, handle, touch or feel equipment, medical instruments, materials, computer.
- Frequent communication and exchange of information among colleagues and persons of concern which requires the ability to speak, hear, convey and express oneself.
- Frequent close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
- Occasionally ascends/descends stairs, steps, or ladder
- Occasionally move about inside an office to access file cabinets, office machinery, meet with colleagues, etc.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Seldom to occasionally positions self to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
- If in travel status, occasional to frequent traversing over rough or steep terrain in either a motor vehicle or on foot.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet.
- The employee may be required to travel to remote areas of the world where there are potential health hazards and risks, limited hygiene facilities, extreme weather, and very basic living conditions.
How to apply
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