Leadership Development Officer -Oromia Branch

BACKGROUND OF ETHIOPIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) is seeking for a Leadership Development Officer for the newly awarded USAID Ethiopia Health Resilience activity. The ERCS was established on 8th July 1935 by the government decree. And then it became the 48th member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on September 25 of the same year. The Society’s mandate is stipulated in the National Charter revised on 26th January 2018.

The National Society is governed by elected board members at national and branch levels. The board sets the general strategic direction of the Society based on the charter of the NS. A national assembly is convened every two years and elections of governing board members are held every four years.

Ethiopian Red Cross Society is a humanitarian organization working in partnership with the Ethiopian government as an auxiliary to the authority in humanitarian matters since 8th July 1935. Following the Federal structure, ERCS has administrative structure consisted of 12 Regional Offices, 1 coordination offices, and 34 Zonal Branches and 180 District/Woreda Branches and 5871 Kebele Red Cross Committees? This helps ERCS to easily reach the most vulnerable.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has set a vision of “becoming the leading humanitarian organization in Africa”. This clearly exhibits the ambition of the current top-leadership to revamp the NS and bring it to a new organizational height. ERCS’s mission is “to prevent and alleviate human sufferings, contribute to the wellbeing of mankind and prevalence of peace by mobilizing the public at large and partners in Ethiopia and around the world”.

It works on seven core programs including Disaster preparedness response and disaster risk reduction (DPR /DRR), Resource Mobilization, Volunteers & Members management and Engagement, Image Building and Humanitarian Diplomacy, Capacity Building and Promotion of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence and partnership.

ERCS is working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC), and 10 National Societies. It is also working with big donors and other non-Red Cross partners such as EU, ECHO, USAID, UNCEF, UNDP, UNOCHA and INGOs like Save the children (SCI) and Management of Science (MSH)

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The USAID/Ethiopia Health Resilience Activity is a 5-year project (28th Mar 2023 – 27th Mar 2028) aims to strengthen local capacity to detect, prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of public health emergencies and ensure the continuity of essential health services during emergencies. The Activity will result in improved local capacity and health system resilience in focus areas through strengthening woreda leadership and capacity to manage emergencies; improving early warning and alert response system (EWARS) and data management capacity; developing core capacity on gender in emergencies (GiE); and increasing innovative funding for emergencies, leading to reduced morbidity and mortality related to public health crises.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) will work together and in close collaboration with zonal and woreda offices, health facilities (HFs), communities, and other stakeholders to achieve these results. The USAID/Ethiopia Health Resilience Activity will focus on selected woredas in three regions (Amhara; Oromia; and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region [SNNPR]) and one city administration (Dire Dawa).

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Leadership Development Officer in collaboration with Leadership Development Management (LDM) advisor will be responsible for building leadership development skills to ensure that resilient PHEM systems are built at subregional level in particular assigned woredas health officers.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide technical support on leadership development skills by planning and implementing different methods appropriate for local context
• In collaboration with LDM advisor cascade the capacity building training on leading in emergencies using guidelines and tools for Zonal and Woreda PHEM leaders, and activity leadership officers.
• Follow the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) on PHEM leadership development at Zonal, Woreda & Kebele levels.
• Conduct supportive supervision and mentorship for zonal & Woreda PHEM officers, and health facilities (HFs) to strengthen local leadership capacity for health emergency management.
• Develop work plan that details the activities needed activities for the development of PHEM leadership capacity at zonal, woreda and community levels.
• Provide technical assistance to woreda PHEM leaders in conducting simulation exercises (tabletop, drills, functional exercises, and full-scale) and after-action reviews to facilitate learn by doing, identify capacity assets and gaps, and develop improvement plans to strengthen public health emergency management.
• Assist the integration of leadership development plans into the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans at zonal and woreda levels.
• Prepare all weekly/quarterly progress reports, technical reports, and success stories in the assigned woredas.
• Monitor and evaluate progress towards annual work plans, expected outputs and results related to PHEM leadership capacity development in activity focus woreda and zones.
• Collaborate and work with key technical and program stakeholders on different PHEM agendas.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the activity senior management team.

Work Unit: ERCS Zonal Branch/Borena Yabello/

Reports to:  Senior PHEM Advisor  

Location:     Zonal Level

Duration: of Employment 1 year, possibility of extension Based on performance 

Deadline:   Jul 3, 2023

Note: The duty station of the officers may be changed during activity implementation if the situation of the activity required necessary change

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master in Management/Leadership in a health-related field or management field required
• At least 5 years of experience in leadership and management role at regional or sub regional level
• Knowledge of and experience related to public health emergency management is highly preferred.
• Proven experience in facilitating training, supervising and mentoring technical staff.
• Demonstrated conflict management, team building, written and oral communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Experience organizing and working with teams to produce high-quality deliverables.
• Previous experience supporting a USAID-funded project, a plus
• Ability to work under tight deadline
• Fluency in English and regional working language required.
• Excellent skills in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Willing to travel assigned woredas frequently