ThaiNGO

Application deadline: 13 February 2017

Location: Mae Sot

Background/IRC Summary:  

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview/Summary:

IRC provides primary health care and environmental health services in several refugee camps in Thailand. Primary health care services work to maintain low morbidity and mortality rates, while increasing the capacity of refugee-trained health care workers to provide curative and preventive treatment. IRC and community-based partner organizations also lead provision of clinical services in the camps, including reproductive health services and neonatal care. Clinical services include out-patient department (OPD) and in-patient department (IPD) care; laboratories supporting IPD/OPD and reproductive health clinics; pharmacy services for essential drugs; community health education, and mental health care. Environmental health services aim to create a healthy living environment for refugees living in the camps through the provision of quality water and sanitation facilities, leading efforts to improve access to chlorinated water, sanitation, and hygiene in the camps.

Under the strategic guidance of the Country Director (CD) and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP), the Senior Health Coordinator supervises, manages and coordinates IRC’s health program component and ensures all activities are in compliance with programs objectives and donor regulations. The Senior Health Coordinator works closely with local stakeholders, including community-based organizations, refugee leaders, Thai authorities, UNHCR, and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure support is targeted, responsive, strategic, and promotes coordination and standardization where appropriate. The Senior Health Coordinator also ensures programs produce the necessary data to inform program decisions and maintain quality and linking the country health sector plans to IRC Thailand Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and guided by the Outcome Evidence Framework (OEF). The SHC is also responsible for mentoring and capacity building of health staff in the field offices and serves as a primary focal point for the IRC headquarters health technical unit. 

Major Responsibilities:

Program Oversight and Implementation

• Provide leadership, supervision and oversight of IRC’s health programs and activities in all program areas through effective planning, monitoring and coordination to ensure efficient and effective implementation in accordance with IRC global standards as well as donor regulations, best practices and local requirements per the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and Burma Border Guidelines, thereby ensuring the programs address the needs of the most vulnerable beneficiary populations in the most cost-effective manner.
• Lead the development and implementation of quality curricula, training and training of trainers (TOT) for community health workers, health assistants and medics, in collaboration with partner organizations and in accordance with the CCSDPT Health Sub-Committee standards.
• Coordinate all other technical support, mentoring and quality assurance support and facilitate IRC efforts to support the organizational and leadership development of community-based health partners and community-trained health workers.
• Assist the CD and DDP to promote the IRC’s objective of supporting the transition of project leadership and management of service delivery systems to local partners as necessary, while providing healthcare, education, food and other humanitarian assistance in ways which are impactful, cost-effective, and strengthen the resiliencies of the most vulnerable people.
• Conduct regular communication and program monitoring meetings with field-based health coordinators and program managers.
• Conduct regular field visits to each of the camps to identify opportunities for expansion and improvements in health program efficiency and quality.

 Grants Management and Reporting

• Lead and support field-based health coordinators and program managers to develop, implement and monitor health interventions and programs that are based on approved grants.
• Review progress in achieving program objectives and targets in collaboration with the programs manager.
• In coordination with the DDP and Grants team, participate in Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings.
• Review technical aspects of internal and external reports prepared by the managers within agreed deadlines using IRC and donor formats, as required.
• Prepare and implement detailed program spending, procurement and workplans for the health projects.
• Ensure the most efficient use of resources by preparing sound project budgets, monitoring project budgets against expenditure, and ensuring appropriate adjustments by providing support and oversight to program managers on programmatic spending, track Budget vs. Actual reports and ensuring no over or underspending.
• Work with IRC’s Program Unit in the development of strong and coordinated project monitoring and evaluation systems in the health sector, and the development and maintenance of systematic data collection, storage and dissemination tools; and support capacity building of IRC partners to improve monitoring capacity and data quality.
• Contribute and provide input to the SAP Implementation Plan and SAP Quarterly Report.
• Review quarterly reports to ensure that they are of highest quality.
• Undertaking any other relevant tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Program Development

• In coordination with the Program Unit and IRC headquarters technical advisor, support the Thailand program unit in new program design, monitoring and evaluation and in preparing work-plans with clear objectives and achievable benchmarks, reflecting strategic long-term and short-term priorities.
• Coordinate and participate in the development of new proposals and initiatives in accordance with the country program Strategic Action Plan.

Partnerships and Coordination

• Lead oversight of efforts to promote coordination and collaboration between IRC partners, including regular health coordination meetings, Health Information System (HIS) Working Group, and other similar fora.
• Promote close coordination and integration with other program sectors.
• Represent the IRC and the program professionally and competently at all times.

Staff Management and Development

• Provide supervision to the health coordinators and guidance to the health managers and officers in the IRC Thailand field offices.
• Support staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility. Approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.
• Mentor, manage and evaluate staff performance of direct reports.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Deputy Director of Programs
Position directly supervises:  Field-based health coordinators and clinical health manager(s); environmental health (EH) manager(s)

Indirect Report(s): Health program managers, officers and assistants, EH managers and officers, community health officers

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Country Director, IRC Headquarters health technical advisor, IRC health staff in all Thailand sites, Project for Local Empowerment (PLE) health team, Bangkok-based program unit, IRC Women’s Protection and Empowerment program team in all Thailand sites; IRC protection team in all Thailand sites; sub-grants compliance Unit; finance unit; Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain Department

External: Local community-based partner organizations, CCSDPT Health Sub-Committee, Thai public health authorities, non-governmental organizations, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CSC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies engaged with IRC programs.

Job Requirements:

• Medical degree (MBBS or MD) required; post graduate degree in public health, tropical medicine or other health-related field (preferred).
• Minimum of six years of experiences working in humanitarian and/or development assistance health programs, including a minimum of three years in management / supervision position.
• Demonstrated successful experience in capacity building, project design and budget management
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in managing comprehensive primary health care programs with particular expertise in Primary Health Care, Reproductive and Child Health, and/ or Health Information Systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in supporting the transition of project leadership and management to local partners to promote program sustainability, effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness.
• Demonstrated ability to foster strong collaborative partner relationships - based on principles of mutual trust and respect, mutual accountability, reciprocity, inclusion and transparency – with all program partners, with an ability to promote a common project vision among a wide array of diverse partner organizations.
• Demonstrated ability in strategic planning, and ability to ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation of a complex programs.
• Experience working in partnership with local and community-based partners in health services delivery.
• Strong budget management skills and experience in managing government grants and privately-funded projects.
• Ability to manage sizeable multi-cultural team delivering assistance involving a wide array of program stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong writing and analytical skills, including ability to communicate technical matters to a range of audiences.
• Competent in Windows, MS office programs, emails and relevant health database (HMIS, DHIS etc.).
• Fluency in spoken and written English; Burmese and/or Thai language required.
• Able to travel regularly along the Thailand-Myanmar borders and able to travel to refugee camps and other project areas on a regular basis.

Working Environment: The position will be based in the IRC office in Mae Sot, with extensive travel to the refugee camps and the Thailand-Myanmar border area.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application letter and most recent CV in English stating qualifications and experience should be submitted to the IRC Human Resources Department at Thailand.HR@rescue.org . Application deadline: 13 February 2017.

All applications will be treated confidentially and not returned. The IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, national origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or physical or mental disability. The IRC is an equal opportunity employer.