Health Coordinator

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The incumbent will be required to transit to and from Haiti. Candidates that, for any reason, are not able to travel to and from Haiti may not be eligible for this role.

The IRC worked in Haiti from 2010 - 2016, initially launching an emergency response to the earthquake & later delivering child protection, water & sanitation, health, women’s protection & empowerment, & economic recovery programs in Port-au-Prince & beyond. Even with the closure of its country office in 2016, the IRC has continued to provide operational, technical, & financial support to a small number of Haitian NGO partners, including in response to the 2021 earthquake. Haiti was identified as one of 20 countries at greatest risk of a major new—or significantly worsened—humanitarian crisis over the year ahead in IRC’s 2023 & 2024 Emergency Watchlist given its political instability, gang violence, rising food insecurity, disease outbreaks, & climate shocks that could drive rapid escalation of the humanitarian crisis. In early 2023, IRC re-opened its Haiti operations & scaled up its emergency response with a fully partner-led response in Port-au-Prince & surrounding communities. The focus has been on neighborhoods highly affected by gang violence as well as limited access to healthcare & services for survivors of violence and/or cholera hotspot issues.  IRC is also engaging with partners in the Artibonite & Ouest Departments to service unmet needs in those areas.

The IRC Emergency Humanitarian Access Unit (EHAU) led the initial emergency responses & support establishing a country program that can be fully transitioned under the Latin American (LATAM) region.   

Scope of work

The Health Coordinator is responsible for facilitating the design & delivery of direct & partner-led high-quality health services programming to reduce morbidity & mortality rates through primary health, reproductive health, WASH, & nutrition interventions.  They will likewise ensure national & international guidelines are adhered to as well as uphold quality standards & ensure results-based monitoring & evaluation.  They will identify specific growth & business development opportunities for the IRC including managing existing & future partnerships & developing strategic plans for the country program for scalable, high-impact programming. They will identify specific opportunities for local partnerships & NGOs with a partner-first approach. They will serve as the key liaison with local & international implementing partners, the Health Cluster, SRH, WASH Clusters, & Nutrition Cluster as appropriate, & other cluster coordination platforms, municipalities, governmental partners, & other stakeholders.

This role reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP) & will work closely with program sector leads, MEAL Coordinator, Partnerships Coordinator, Finance & Operations departments.

Responsibilities

Program Strategy
• Provide strategic direction & overall technical & management support to direct & partner-led health programs in Haiti, inclusive of both emergency response, post-conflict recovery, & transition to longer-term programming with business continuity & health systems strengthening.
• Advise & assist in designing new programs & co-designing with partners, including identifying business development opportunities, supporting the conceptualization/design of program activities, drafting or providing substantial input into technical proposals, concept notes, designing M&E systems, & budgets for international donors, & responding to any requests for additional information from the Health Unit or the Emergency Humanitarian Action Unit as needed. 
• Ensure that partnership considerations are incorporated in program design & proposal development & that partners are proactively engaged in program development efforts. Ensure appropriate budget resourcing for partner projects. 
• Refine a comprehensive strategic approach to health, in collaboration with other sector leads, as well as multi-sectoral programming with Protection.
• Provide overall managerial oversight & leadership for the health department, including overseeing operational functions for achieving the project's goals, & budget management.

Program Quality, Management, & Implementation
• Responsible for project coordination with partners & direct program implementation in line with the response strategy & IRC international priorities, frameworks, & policies. 
• Provide technical leadership & direction for health activities, in accordance with the Outcomes & Evidence Framework (OEF); define & implement context-appropriate activities to achieve the greatest coverage & impact possible for both immediate support to people affected by violence in Haiti.
• Directly participate in Partner Capacity Analysis (PCAs) & the subsequent development of partner support plans for program activities 
• Develop any required standard operating procedures & program guidance in line with the IRC’s internal policies & global program standards.
• Work closely with Supply Chain colleagues for the targeted, high-impact procurement of medications & medical supplies, as needs dictate.
• Ensure regular communication with other program Technical Coordinators & regional-based Technical Advisors for Health, WASH, & Protection, to integrate appropriate technical unit priorities, the latest evidence, & best practices in program design & implementation.
• Adapt IRC direct implementation tools & systems for partner use in line with identified needs & requests.
• Work with IRC staff & partners to generate better contextual understanding by conducting required needs analysis, IPC assessments, health facility assessments, & other sectoral assessments to inform quality activity design & share with other humanitarian actors. 
• Collaborate with key staff of other technical sectors to prepare strategic work plans with clear objectives & achievement benchmarks, long-term & short-term priorities, implementation plans, & tools for evaluation, including indicators.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, with target goals & budget management, using effective monitoring & evaluation systems & adaptive management principles to reach desired impacts.
• Ensure program activities adhere to standard operating procedures & exhibit strong quality controls while being responsive to client feedback

Equitable Partnerships 
• Champion a culture of effective & respectful partnerships. Promote partner-led programming in line with IRC’s “why not partner?” & “partner as equals” approach.
• Develop health staffing structures with the appropriate number of staff to effectively manage partnerships & ensure quality.
• Ensure that partnership considerations are incorporated into health components of all proposals & that local partners are actively engaged response design & program delivery.
• Participate in the identification of potential partners & stakeholder analysis process.
• Actively contribute to the relevant sections of Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) & the subsequent development of partner support plans.
• Manage the implementation of action items in the health sections of partner support plans.
• Lead and/or support collaborative project & budget design with partners.
• Ensure each program design defines IRC’s emergency approach based on how we can best support, reinforce & complement local actors.
• Work collaboratively with partners to ensure that project budgets reflect fair market value.
• Ensure appropriate budget allocation for IRC to support partners in alignment with the overall response / program design.
• Review & provide feedback on partner technical tools, reports, & data as required. Collaborate with partners on recommended adaptations or process improvements.
• Actively participate in the Partnership Working Group (PWG)

Grants & Financial Management
• Manage emergency grant/program implementation including recruitment & training, work plan development, procurement & inventory planning, budget management, & M&E plans
• Conduct stakeholder & partner analysis: continually review existing actor mappings to identify key actors & establish partnerships focused on the delivery of health services.
• Develop high-quality technical proposals & reports with relevant program & partner staff in line with IRC & donor requirements
• Oversee the development & delivery of all internal & external reports in collaboration with the grants, programs, finance, & MEAL departments. 
• Review partner technical tools, reports, & data; foster use of data for decision-making & recommend adaptations or process improvements as required.
• Collaborate with IRC grants & finance staff to finalize proposals & respond to any requests for additional information.

Staff Management
• Recruit, onboard, & supervise IRC health, WASH/IPC staff, & provide targeted capacity building & professional development as needed, including technical guidance, on-the-job coaching & supervision, & capacity development plans on technical & managerial skills
• Comply with & ensure that new health staff underst& the IRC Code of Conduct & policies related to Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse & Child Safeguarding. This includes ensuring that staff & communities have knowledge of & safe, confidential access to reporting mechanisms & support services 
• Coordinate performance management within the department & ensure a culture of high performance through staff engagement & accountability. 
• Maintain open & professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit & providing oversight & guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions

Coordination & Representation
• Actively develop & maintain effective working relationships with key actors, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international & local NGOs, & other relevant actors
• Regularly attend Health/WASH & other relevant coordination & task force meetings, at appropriate levels to feed in IRC priorities from the field.
• Ensure Health concerns & challenges are brought to relevant fora to advocate for standards & procedures that systematize how integrated health programming is implemented & coordinated at the field level.
• Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor to further IRC programs.

Job requirements: 
• Clinical (Medical or Nursing) degree with Masters in Public Health or equivalent required
• Minimum of six years of experience in humanitarian health programming in acute emergency & post-conflict recovery contexts (including at least two years lived experience).
• Experience working with IRC & an understanding of IRC’s systems & processes is strongly preferred.
• Genuine interest in & commitment to collaborating with local & national NGOs & government partners in emergency programs. 
• Demonstrated experience leading a team & building partnerships to achieve results.
• The ability to innovate & provide integrative multisectoral programming in collaboration with WASH & Protection in complex emergency & post-conflict contexts.  
• Previous experience leading programming in complex emergencies & low-resource settings as well as the ability to recruit, supervise, coach, & mentor staff.
• Proven leadership & strategic planning capabilities, including budget management. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality topics & proficiency in managing projects that mainstream gender considerations. 
• Proven ability to work well in & promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible & able to handle pressure with professional grace.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel & Outlook 
• Demonstrated dedication to an anti-racist & Do No Harm approach, gender equality & inclusion, & cultural competency 
• Exceptional advance planning & organizational skills.
• Able to effectively prioritize & follow multiple activities & deadlines simultaneously. 
• Highly organized with close attention to detail.
• Fluency in English & French are required.

Working Environment: IRC’s office in Port-au-Prince with local travel to partner project sites as security & access permit.

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