Health Officer -Assosa, Ethiopia

Background of IRC:

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Job Overview:

Under the direct supervision of the camp manager and health manager, the health officer will lead Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH), HIV/AIDS prevention and MHPSS program activities in the camp. The HO will regularly provide technical supports to health social workers, team leaders, FP counselors, and different volunteers. In addition, is a focal person for proper planning, coordinating, implementing, controlling, and supervising health activities in the assigned refugee camp. The HO is a part of a health project team member who provides support to an ongoing humanitarian response to South Sudanese refugees in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. He /she will work closely with key refugee community members, the Agency for

Refugee and Returnees Services (RRS), UNHCR, and other Partners for the successful realization and implementation of program activities.

Major responsibilities

Program Management and Implementation

• Ensure that all sexual reproductive health (SRH), HIV prevention and MHPSS activities are coordinated, and implemented well as per the project proposal, work plan, and M & E plan.
• Establish social and behavioral change communication approaches to aware and sensitize the refugee communities on SRH and MHPSS at Camp.
• Provide family planning education, counseling, and pills distribution services at IRC RH center and trace the users on regular basis.
• Promote and distribute condoms through establishing distribution outlets and community workers.
• Create a strong working relationship with the MCH, Mental health department of RRS health center to improve clinical RH and Mental health service uptake and its quality.
• Plans and conducts community sensitization campaigns on SRH, HIV/AIDS and MHPSS.
• Represent IRC at different meetings, workshops, task force meetings, etc.
• Work with youth health club members and other IPs working on youth to promote family planning and condoms to adolescents and youth groups in the camp.
• Ensure timely and accurate recording of FP clients and referrals in relevant client registers and keep confidential.
• Ensure that RH and MHPSS interventions are used as per the standard protocols, policies, and guidance prescribed by the MoH and WHO.
• Facilitate training on MhGAP- humanitarian intervention Guide, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy to establish quality mental health service at RRS Health centers to ensure maximum and sustained knowledge and skill transfer.
• Conduct workshops, training, and presentations on Adolescent and Youth SRH to different community workers, volunteers, and implementing partners’ staff.
• Attend monthly health and nutrition coordination meetings and other relevant meetings facilitated by implementing partners at the camp level.
• Follow IRC safety and security procedures and provide input to security monitoring and assessments to enable and promote a safe and secure environment for program implementation.
• Stay up to date on health-related humanitarian situations in the country specifically on SRH, Post-abortion, safe abortion care and MHPSS.
• In collaboration with clinical MHPSS officer conduct mental health and psychosocial support service gap assessment at community level, expand efforts to prevent harm related to alcohol and other substance use.
• Builds strong linkages between MHPSS service provide in health facility to the psychosocial support activities implemented at a community level.
• Strengthen faith-based organization (FBO), and community-based organization (CBO) by providing different technical and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials on MHPSS supports.
• Develop strong partnership with Assosa hospital, other agencies, zonal, and Woreda partners implementing MHPSS services in the targeted area.
• Work towards quality age and sex segregated data management system for SRH and MH projects.
• Keep the activity records both in soft and hard copies and provide activity reports as required by IRC and the donor timely.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by supervisor/s!

Grants Management

• Prepare weekly BVA and PR audit report for active grants and communicate to the finance, and supply chain team for immediate action.
• Check the status of PR for all active grants in line with procurement and spending plan and take immediate action.
• Revise Activity, spending, and procurement plans regularly.
• Use program material effectively to avoid old grant depositions.
• Raise PRs as required after discussion with colleagues.
• Ensure that budget expenditures are as per donor rules and regulations for each active grant.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of the program activities and make sure that monthly & quarter indicators met or not as per the plan.
• Collaborate with the MEAL field office team to collect feedback from clients and closely work on response provision mechanisms.
• Participate in encouraging supervision, quarter monitoring visits, and annual monitoring visits conducted in the camps and share the finding with the senior health and nutrition officer and health and nutrition manager.
• Participate in the internal and external evaluation of emergency response interventions.
• Conduct community and facility-based health data auditing regularly and details the findings/ reports.
• Collect, compile, and submit weekly, monthly, and quarterly progress and update reports to the program on time.
• Ensure establishment and maintain quality data management system for community base RH and Mental health projects.

Human Resource Management

• Actively take part in recruitment, mentor, and training of health refugee laborers and volunteers.
• Lead and coach Health social workers in the camp together with Clinical MHPSS officer.
• Ensure that Incentive workers’ performance evaluation is conducted on time and in a standard quality manner.
• Prepare and submit attendance and pay sheet for health refugee labor on time.

Educational Requirements:

• BSc in field of Midwifery/Nursing/Health officer
• MPH/MSc in field of Comprehensive Nursing/ Reproductive Health (RH)/General Public health.

Preferred experience & skills:

• Two years of significant experience with a first degree with shown experience in Midwifery/Nursing/Health Officer.
• One year of relevant working experience for a post-graduate degree (MPH) in Comprehensive Nursing/ Reproductive Health (RH)/General Public health.
• INGO experience on SRH and local language is a plus.

Skills Required

• Has Knowledge of family planning, RH updates in refugee settings and MHPSS activities.
• Has basic managerial and supervisory skills in the NGO context.
• Has excellent technical and report writing skills.
• Has excellent computer literacy in MS offices (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, and Word).
• People who have knowledge of IEC/SBCC material development will get preference.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload.
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.
• Ability to constructively address gaps and weaknesses.

Certificates or Licenses:

• Has received training and certified on LARC-FP, BEmONC, Comprehensive RH, CAC, and volunteer to provide LARC-FP and CAC services to the refugee communities.