Job Vacancy @ Child Fund International – Specialist, Health and Nutrition
Div/Dept.: Global Operations
Location: Country Office
Reporting Relationship: Programs and Sponsorship Director
CLOSING DATE: 14TH APRIL 2022
SUMMARY
- To provide leadership for effective management of the health programme through strategic visioning, operational efficiency, and effective development amongst communities where CHILDFUND works; and provides direct technical advice to all health-related programme interventions. The Health Specialist will support the achievement of health interventions within ChildFund Country Program across all stages of the program cycle through relevant, timely and effective support to the program teams. The Health Specialist is accountable for the provision of nutrition technical support to governments to mobilize “catch-up campaigns”. He/She will be responsible for supporting the Ministry of Health at national and sub-national levels to plan, budget and implement child health days/events, including high-level advocacy, training, support for microplanning, supply chain planning, monitoring and supervision, and post-campaign surveys. The goal is to ensure that catch-up campaigns are implemented according to national guidelines and drawing on best practice to ensure that high coverage is achieved safely.
DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Child Safeguarding
- Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding risk, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
Focal Point for the “Savings Lives Through Vitamin A” program
• Be the primary focal point and lead for NI in the country
•Build strong relationships with and engage regularly with senior government officials to ensure programming gaps and needs are clearly articulated and coordinated with other partner support.
• Ensure visibility of Nutrition International’s support to national and sub-national authorities
• Identify new programming needs and opportunities
• Develop additional networks and collaborative relations to facilitate and reinforce sharing of best practice.
Support the planning, budgeting, and implementation of emergency VAS programming:
Support the government to adapt GAVA COVID-19 protocols to the local context to ensure that campaigns are delivered safely.
• Conduct a rapid landscape assessment to map the extent of COVID-19 in-country and the level of disruptions to service delivery platforms for our programming, status of service.
delivery platforms, including frontline health workers; impact of COVID-19 on gender dynamics and implications to our program; availability of supply and access to nutrition commodities; effects on care-seeking and coverage.
• Support the Ministry of Health to develop and implement a plan to improve coverage of vitamin A supplementation, wherever possible looking to deliver integrated packages of essential child survival and health services as part of this catch-up effort.
• Develop training curricula, tools, guidance, and recommendations to strengthen the capacity of health workers to ensure that VAS is delivered safely.
• Provide guidance and technical support to the Ministry of Health to improve their capacity to deliver quality catch-up campaigns.
Improved monitoring of emergency VAS programming
- Assess VAS coverage and identify areas with low coverage and conduct post-event coverage surveys to understand who is being reached and not reached and why. Once bottlenecks are defined advocate for greater focus of efforts and resources on these areas.
Strengthened procurement of Vitamin A and other nutrition-related commodities/supplies
• Ensure that supply is not a barrier to coverage by working with government to ensure sufficient supplies of Vitamin A capsules, other commodities/supplies that will be co-delivered as part of the catch-up campaigns (deworming tablets, bed nets, etc.) and PPE supplies.
Improved management of emergency VAS programming
• Provide guidance, training, and recommendations to relevant staff on preparing Technical and Financial reports to account for Nutrition International funding provided in accordance with the quality standards outlined in the grant agreements.
• Critically review VAS monthly reports and provide feedback to relevant staff with recommendations for appropriate action and provide follow up advice as needed to help ensure that appropriate action is taken.
Key Deliverables
• Agreed quarterly work-plan
• Monthly activity report. Includes a narrative explaining progress against agreed deliverables.
• Monthly, Quarterly and Bi-annual VAS coverage report submitted and summarized. Coverage data should be presented as numerator and denominator, resulting percentage, and disaggregated by Age (6-11 months) and (12 to 59 months), by Gender and by mode of delivery (EOS, CHD, Routine).
• Report on the bottlenecks to high coverage.
- Work with Programme teams to improve quality of programming by facilitating integration of areas of excellence in program designs using the Organizational program theory of change, and holistic approach in addressing risks and vulnerabilities of infants, children, and youth.
- Support the Local Partners in the technical design of their Strategic plans, annual operating plans, and budgets.
- Leads the development, implementation and monitoring of the strategies in the program areas regarding the health program interventions.
- Liaises with M&E KML Specialist to ensure the development of key indicators for quality program delivery.
- Participates in monitoring and evaluating programs to ensure effectiveness, timeliness and efficiency, and compliance with organizational standards.
- Leads in supporting the evaluation process of all programs/projects under the area of expertise and supervision (as may be assigned).
- Liaises with the M&E Specialist to ensure programs and projects are regularly documented and learnings shared broadly with the key stakeholders.
- Coaches key staff assigned to the health grants.
- Regularly builds and nurtures relationships with donors, and like-minded non-government organizations to build and maintain strategic networks.
- Participates in the development of concept notes and grant project proposals for the health programme portfolio.
- Performs any other duties that may from time to time be assigned by the immediate supervisor.
QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
Master’s in public health, Nutrition or Food Science
•At least 8 years working experience nutrition and health systems strengthening
•Experience in program management and evaluation
•Experience providing technical assistance to Ministries of Health in the region
•Experience in VAS programming would be an advantage
Please apply through the link below:
ChildFund International is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children.
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
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