Regional Coordinator, Country Support Platform (CSP)

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.”  IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  IFRC also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. 

The Federation in delivering its broader Humanitarian and Developmental mission will host the Country Support Platform (CSP) of the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) as an operational arm of the GTFCC.

The Regional CSP Coordinator will act, in close regular consultation and collaboration with the CSP Coordinator, the Head of the GTFCC Secretariat based at WHO, and country-level GTFCC members and stakeholders, to ensure alignment of the country-level national cholera strategy with the vision and goals of the GTFCC Global Roadmap to Ending Cholera by 2030.

The Regional CSP Coordinator will identify stakeholder counterparts, especially within Government in the region where they are based, identify a National Counterpart (most likely a government employee) and work towards and facilitate the further development and implementation of National Cholera Plans (NCP) and regional cholera control strategy.

The Regional CSP Coordinator will actively engage with and strengthen cholera coordination platform both in-country and within the region, with the focus on providing capacity-building opportunities for for multi-disciplinary expertise in Public Health, addressing cholera response and elimination across short, medium and longer-term goals. Acting as the primary regional focal point, the incumbent will respond to requests from cholera-affected countries for remote or in-country support and capacity building, aligning efforts with the End Cholera 2030 Roadmap, with a focus on  cholera prone  countries.

Job Purpose

Reporting to Regional Health and Care Manager and under the technical guidance of the HQ-based CSP Coordinator, the Regional CSP Coordinator, Country Support Platform (CSP), will play a pivotal role in establishing connections and fostering active networking with Government entities, National Counterpart(s), GTFCC member organizations, academia, consultants and other stakeholders, with the primary objective to further develop the National Cholera Plan (NCP) including an activity plan, budget and investment case at country level to advocate for and to identify a funding plan and potential partnership model to roll out the plan. As implementer of the operational arm of the GTFCC, the role holder will directly liaise with the Head of the GTFCC Secretariat at the WHO in Geneva.

The Regional CSP Coordinator will screen and match specific multi-disciplinary cholera-related expertise for the cholera-affected country/ies to ensure alignment with the multi-sectoral approach to cholera control as elaborated in the GTFCC cholera roadmap bringing together technical expertise in epidemiology, surveillance, laboratory testing, community engagement, immunization, and WASH to serve country level requirements.

The Regional CSP Coordinator will actively contribute to the development of a regional 'offer of service' mechanism, ensuring the provision of rapid short-term and relevant medium-term technical support. This support includes facilitating both remote and in-country missions as needed.

Furthermore, the role holder will encourage the exchange of expertise within the South-South context and will identify capacity-building opportunities in Public Health from less developed countries.

Additionally, the incumbent will contribute to the work of the delegation in emergency responses /DREF support, bringing technical advisory and guidance, as requested by the Head of Delegation.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The Regional CSP Coordinator is responsible for the development and implementation of National Cholera Plans (NCP), while ensuring technical support (principally in identifying experts in epidemiology, surveillance, laboratory testing, community engagement, immunization, and WASH that are available upon request from cholera affected countries in the region from a broad range of expertise and providers) for overall delivery of the cholera roadmap and the technical objectives of the GTFCC and the specific NCP.

National Cholera Plan

• Support countries to develop and review NCP with identified stakeholder counterparts within Government, National counterparts, and country-level stakeholders to include activity plans, budgets, and investment cases to roll out these plans at the country level while advocating for a multi-sectoral partnership approach to contribute to the goals of the GTFCC Cholera Roadmap.
• Support countries to establish multi sectoral coordination mechanism for implementation of
• Be the focal point and a primary liaison between the regional and country-level networks and key regional and country-level actors and stakeholders.
• Contribute to cholera interventions that are coherent, evidence-based, and aligned with the government and GTFCC Roadmap objectives and strategy.

Technical Support

• Work closely with the various Ministries of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in the development and updating of Case management protocol for cholera in line with GTFCC guidance.
• Support Dissemination of Case Management Protocol in all Health facilities.
• Work closely with MoHFW in improving the Cholera surveillance system by including the systematic use of Rapid Diagnostics Tests in the national surveillance strategy and extending parameters collected at health facility level to ensure that these allow for the clinical identification and recording of cholera cases.
• Support Priority Areas for Multisectoral Intervention (PAMI) mapping in the country in line with the GTFCC guidance to support prioritization of the resources.
• Identify potential technical support and expertise from a network of GTFCC member organizations (such as GOARN, CDC, John Hopkins etc.) and other potential providers and offer those individuals and potential providers to country-level stakeholders who would then facilitate their deployment in coordination with national counterparts.
• Deliver the approved CSP Project Proposal, Results Tracker, and Budget and contribute to the management of any revisions required of those documents during the duration of the project.
• Ensure adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies and seasonal adaptation of responses that reflect the actual and potential to scale-up capacities.
• Develop and validate Multi-Year Plans of Action for preventive oral cholera vaccination in prioritized areas based on Priority Areas for Intervention analysis including a strategy on using locally produced vaccines vs. global OCV stockpile.
• Organize Regional workshops among countries affected by cholera within the region.
• Support peer-to-peer support mechanisms between cholera-affected countries in the region and beyond (currently, more than 50 countries globally are either directly experiencing cholera outbreaks or are at risk of cholera outbreaks).
• Participate in hiring of technical resource for the region and the countries.
• Manage consultants within the region, typically 3-5 per country per year (nationally and internationally recruited).

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Coordination

• Strengthen inter-sectoral coordination by maintaining appropriate links and dialogue with national and local authorities, local civil society, and other relevant actors, respecting their respective mandates and program priorities.
• Convene and facilitate regular Cholera taskforce meetings, ensuring that discussions are participatory, and results oriented. Ensure that the taskforce stakeholders are kept fully informed of the meetings and any decisions that may take place outside of regular taskforce meetings through quarterly updates.
• Identify urgent training needs in relation to technical standards and protocols for the delivery of key health services to ensure their adoption and uniform application by National authorities.
• Coordinate and enable the country level interactions between the CSP Geneva Team and the GTFCC secretariat, WHO cholera team focal points, the GTFCC Working Groups and GTFCC partners as required before, during and after technical support deployments.
• Annually conduct lesson-learned meeting between countries affected by Cholera in the region.

Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

• Advocate for priorities in the NCP in the various platforms in the region.
• Represent the interests of the NCP in discussions with stakeholders on priorities, resource mobilization and advocacy in the region. Taking additional steps to ensure that the resource mobilization and advocacy efforts represents.
• Advocate for regional data sharing for better preparedness for Cholera.
• Support the development of investment case, resource mobilization strategy in line with NCP in close coordination with CSP Geneva team.
• Regular liaise with partners like BMGF, GAVI, SDC and others on the progress of the implementation of the NCP.

Monitoring

• Oversee the development of a functional information management strategy and mechanism for the National Cholera teams and regional cholera coordination mechanism.
• Provide advice and guidance to the GTFCC and country level counterparts that they establish by measuring impact and effectiveness of deployments that they undertake, which are outside the remit of the IFRC.
• Contribute to the CSP Monitoring and Evaluation framework and produce regular reports and analysis.
• Contribute to all required internal and external reporting, both narrative and financial, and submitted following IFRC internal procedures and protocols to meet with IFRC and donor requirements in a timely manner.
• In the case of RC\RC deployments and in liaison with the IFRC HR Management Department, the officer might contribute to evaluations and reviews.

Support to Country Cluster Delegation and National Societies

• Support IFRC membership and NSs with Cholera strategic engagement initiatives, identifying the needs of the most vulnerable populations and recommending relevant strategies.
• Disseminate tools, research, best practices, and lessons learned within IFRC members and NSs through publications, networks, working groups, events, and conferences. Advise on the appropriateness, adequacy, and potential impact Cholera management initiatives.
• In coordination with the cluster-level Programme Coordinator, identify NSs’ Cholera capacity needs and ensure access to training and including to professional development opportunities appropriate to the skill gaps and needs
• Participate in cluster planning and learning activities ensuring that NS unified country plans integrate initiatives prioritized in Cholera Country Plans.

Education

• Relevant degree or post-graduate study in a public health field, international health, orprogram management(Required)
• Relevant degree or post-graduate study in a Public Health or management field Experience(Required)

Experience

• At least 5-7 years working experience in a role in a field-based position in humanitarian or developmental programming (Required)
• At least 5years working experience in facilitation and coordination of multi-sectoral actors preferably in a management or coordination role (Required)
• At least 5 years’ experience in a multicultural environment, with developing countries and/or with an international organization or INGO at management level(Required)

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Broad knowledge of Public Health including Coordination, Capacity Building and training (Required)
• Programme, project management and networking(Required)
• Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations. (Required)
• Demonstrated ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilize talent and experience of team members in a productive way. (Required)
• Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive(Required)
• Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners(Required)
• Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation(Required)
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality(Required)
• High degree of discretion, tact, and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clientsand stakeholders at all levels(Required)
• Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment (Required)
• Fluent spoken and written English(Required)
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic)(Preferred)

Competencies, Values and Comments

• Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.
• Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.