Job Description

Job Title: Senior Health and Nutrition Officer
Band / Level / Grade    8A
Department: Health and Nutrition
Location: Sana’a with frequent visits to the northern governorates.

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC responds to people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, conflict sensitivity, coordination, and impact.

The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012. Since establishing its presence in the South of Yemen, in the Red Sea Coastal city of Aden, the organization has grown from just an implementing small project to handling large scale emergency and relief operations. Following the war which broke out in Yemen in March of 2015 and the humanitarian disaster, which was crafted by the same, IRC launched one an emergency response program in the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwah and Aldalea.  Currently IRC Yemen is operating in eight governorates in the south and north of Yemen and Sana’a and Hodeidah in the North through direct programming and through local partnerships, in Health, WASH, Nutrition, Economic Recovery Development, Education, Child Protection, Gender and Women Protection and Empowerment.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) have been working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for more than forty years. Today, the IRC has more than 2,200 staff working across the region, including in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen to support those affected by some of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Senior Officer will provide technical support to local partners in a consortium to scale up health and nutrition innovations. They shall assess capacities for local partnerships, providing supervision and capacity-building training to program staff. They will lead donor report inputs on health and nutrition, ensure data quality, and use the data to improve IRC’s emergency programming. The position will also actively supervise the overall health and nutrition situation across Yemen through structured engagement with relevant clusters, government, and other humanitarian actors in the field. The officer will collaborate with the consortium coordinator, the project manager, and the sector coordinator to ensure that the project activities are high quality and effective. The senior officer will also monitor, evaluate, learn, and report project outcomes and impact.

JOB SUMMARY:

Provide technical guidance and oversight to local partners following national guidelines and IRC standards. Support local partners in developing and updating work plans, budgets, and procurement plans for Health and Nutrition components. They will facilitate capacity building and mentoring, including training, coaching, supervision, and feedback. Conduct regular field visits to supervise the quality and adherence of the project activities to national and international standards and protocols. At the field level, will Coordinate with the partner technical leads and Managers to integrate health and nutrition interventions with other sectors such as WASH, education, protection, and livelihoods. Participate in relevant coordination forums at national and sub-national levels to represent the consortium and share best practices and lessons learned. Participate in developing and disseminating project reports, case studies, beneficiary documented experiences, learning briefs, and other knowledge products related to Health and Nutrition. They will also Support the Project Coordinator in compliance with donor rules, regulations, and internal policies and procedures.

WORKING RELATIONS:

• The position holder will report directly to the Consortium Health and Nutrition Manager for day-to-day work planning and deliverables.
• Work closely with the Health and Nutrition Coordinators and technical managers like the RH manager and Community MhGAP manager for technical guidance.
• Work closely with the Country Pharmacist and Supply chain for all procurements and supplies for partners.
• Liaise with the partnership department for guidance on partner support, guidelines, and tools.
• Collaborate with local partners, government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, private sector actors, community leaders, beneficiaries, and other relevant partners involved in Health and Nutrition.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion, and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Champion ongoing learning, honest dialogue, and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.
• Support partners in planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, learning from, and reporting on Nutrition and health innovations.
• Ensure quality assurance and improvement according to national and international standards and protocols.
• Strengthen the capacity of local partners on Nutrition and health topics through training, coaching, supervision, feedback, and mentoring.
• Coordinate with other project components to ensure alignment and integration of Nutrition and health interventions.
• Represent the consortium in relevant coordination meetings and forums at national and sub-national levels.
• Support knowledge management and learning initiatives among partners.

REQUIREMENTS: (Qualifications, Skills and Abilities):

A.    Education:

• Medical doctor and prefer Public Health background.  

B.     Experience:

• At least 2-3 years of work experience implementing integrated Health and Nutrition programs in a humanitarian setting as a senior Health and Nutrition Officer and above level.
• Proven Primary Health Care, Reproductive Health, SBCC, IYCF, and CMAM experience and care group experience preferred.
• Prior experience and proven competency in coordinating with implementing partner technical leads
• Proven experience in a leadership position is required, including training, coaching, motivating, and mentoring partners.
• Experience in conducting Training of Trainers (TOTs)
• Experience building and sustaining strong relationships with the Governorate and District Health Officers.

C.     Skills and Abilities:

• Proficient using of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and file-sharing software.
• Good presentation skills.

D.    Competences:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness 
• Works Collaboratively with others. 
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships 
• Innovates and Embraces Change  
• Drive to achieve impactful results.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in both Arabic and English is required. 

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Commitment to Client Responsiveness: By committing to Client-Centered Programming, at the IRC Yemen, we place the people we serve - our clients - at the center of our programming and services. The IRC Yemen Staff have an important role to play in supporting the implementation of client-responsive programming through raising awareness among the community and clients about the existing feedback mechanisms and how to use them including the response processes, access, and eligibility to services, and contribute to building an institutional culture that prompts staff to listen to clients.