Health Programme Officer

JOB TITLE: Health Programme Officer

REPORTING TO: Head of Humanitarian Program and CD

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Country Director

DUTY STATION: Addis Ababa with occasional travel to field sites

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: Internal: Head of Fiancé & Operations, Human Resource officer, Senior Program Officers, Age Inclusion Specialist

External: Ministry of Health- Federal, Regional, and Woreda level, MoWSA, and others

Background

HelpAge International (www.helpage.org) is the secretariat to the HelpAge Global Network, which brings together a wide range of organisations and individuals working together to ensure that older people lead dignified, active, healthy and secure lives. HelpAge International’s secretariat is based in London, UK and closely works with its supporting network members- Age International, HelpAge Germany and HelpAge USA.

Our long-term vision is to establish a global movement of strong connected age focused and older people led platforms in every country in the world. Only by collaborating together can we achieve a world in which all older people can lead dignified, active, healthy and secure lives.

HelpAge has been operating in Ethiopia since 1992 and has been engaged on thematic sectors including social protection, health and care, emergency response and capacity building of local partners. HelpAge International is also responding to the needs of refugees across various regions, focusing particularly in Gambella and Benishangul Gumuz regions . The integrated refugee response intervention includes Health, Nutrition, Livelihoods, protection of older people and person with disabilities and capacity building of humanitarian actors to ensure inclusion of older people and their specific needs in the overall refugee response and essential service delivery interventions.

HelpAge is currently seeking to recruit a Health Programme officer for a new health initiative aimed at the adaption and implementation of integrated care for older people in Ethiopia. The initiative also addresses the current gap in the national healthy aging strategy involving policy influence. The project will work with the government system, relevant stakeholders and delivered through implementing partners.

Overall Purpose of the Job

The Health Program officer will provide leadership, strategic vision and technical support to all aspects of the Health programing in the country office. He/She contributes to the technical development of HelpAge’s health initiatives in Ethiopia, and support the implementation of new, technically sound, and locally appropriate health programming, with a more focus on Non Communicable Diseases (NCD), Eye-Care and HIV/AIDS. The position holder provides technical support and expertise in the areas of health sector program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Health Program officer will also play a lead role in providing training and capacity building to internal staff as well as partners at all level in line with HelpAge’s commitment to build the capacity of health sector and partners.

He/She will be responsible to ensure program quality, completion of activities within the project period, and identifying new areas for program expansion and improvement. In addition, the Health Program officer will ensure that all health programs are implemented in accordance with established protocols, guidelines and best practices from HelpAge, MOH and other international standards. The Health Program officer will also take responsibility of representing HelpAge in technical meetings and working in partnership as needed.

SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Technical support

• Provide overall technical guidance on age friendly health service delivery and supervision to HelpAge technical staff and partner staff including MOH at all levels.
• Take the lead in developing and regularly updating the HelpAge health strategy and ensure its linkage across relevant sectors and actors
• Mapping stakeholders, building and sustaining partnership with relevant stakeholders to maximize the impact of the health intervention
• Take a leading role in the finalization and implementation of the national healthy ageing strategy by the MOH and support its implementation
• Provide the necessary technical support and guidance for staff involved in the implementation of the health project

Programme Management

• Provide leadership to the quality implementation of project deliverables in a timely manner with in approved limit of resources
• In consultation with the MEAL coordinator at Addis Ababa and relevant technical advisors, develop project monitoring plan including Performance Management Plan, data collection tools, and a data base to track project progress and program quality
• Develop a detail budget plan together with partner staff and work with Finance team to monitor the pace of the budget burn-rate, including adherence to donor requirements
• Review monthly reports (paper based or phone call as needed) on project progress and share with relevant technical people for further review and feedback
• Monitor and evaluate program performance through visits to project sites and compilation, consolidation, analysis and presentation of program outcome and impact data
• Develop monitoring report and share with relevant staff at country and regional (Africa) level
• Review all reports prepared by partners and provide timely feedback
• Regularly visit project sites and provide on-site mentoring to the health staff in the field
• Track the performance of projects as per the set outcome and output indicators
• Conduct regular project review meetings with pertinent stakeholders to assess the level of achievement of project targets
• Ensure that health programs utilize standardized protocols, policies and guidelines, as prescribed by HelpAge, the Ministry of Health and WHO. Ensure that all health activities are consistent with established best practices
• Advise on adjustments to ongoing programs in response to changing needs of older people and also lessons from the project
• Ensure reporting requirement to the donor is met in a consistent manner

Partner support and coordination

• Conduct constructive supervision to implementing partners, and address technical and operational issues in collaboration with the pertinent staff/ team members
• Ensure that partners are conversant with project planning and management tools, and use the same in a consistent manner
• Establish relevant coordination, discussion and decision steering forums involving all implementing partners
• Provide relevant technical and programme management information and guidance to partners
• Ensure information, communication and MEAL systems for the programme are designed and delivered in sync with partners
• Manage all programmatic, financial and contractual aspects in relations to the implementing partners

Assessments and Program Development

• Lead and/or support needs assessments in HelpAge’s operational areas with development of programmatic recommendations
• Develop an institutional roadmap that clearly articulates the existing needs and how HelpAge should work to fill existing gaps and meet the needs of older people.
• Ensure multi-sector linkages as applicable and develop a strategy for sustainable result in the area of health
• Support program linkage between development and emergency projects with in HelpAge as well as outside
• Lead in the development of concept papers, project proposals and responses to donors from a technical public health perspective and also based on identified needs
• Ensure that assessment results are widely circulated and feedback obtained from partners on future actions

Representation, Coordination and Working Relationship

• Represent HelpAge in health forums and other coordination meetings.
• Represent HelpAge to local communities, government departments, international agencies, local partners and donors as required
• Attend relevant meetings and prepare meeting notes as required and share these with all concerned.
• Maintain contact with all relevant government, NGO and other partner organizations at Addis level but also in specific project sites as required.
• Identify and partner with an ally NGOs that have a shared vision and goal with HelpAge’s health programing
• Maintain excellent relations with partner organizations at all levels from national to project implementation sites
• Assist in organizing donor site visits
• Work closely with HelpAge regional office in Nairobi and HQ in London to ensure programs are implemented according to best practices and in line with HelpAge policies and strategies

Safeguarding responsibilities

• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes, to anyone that encounters our work
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents, you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism;
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices
• Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and comply with HR vetting procedures.
• Reducing the risk of harm and abuse in the field;
• Involving communities in the design of programmes and complaint response mechanisms, be responsible for implementation and review;
• Attending specialist field training on safeguarding as required;
• Maintaining maps of support services for survivors;
• Receiving and responding to complainants/survivors and ensuring that no further harm is done, following a survivor-centred approach, using the principles of psychological first aid, and signposting to relevant local services as needed
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents they become aware of
• Reporting and responding to safeguarding incidents reported to you by anyone connected with our work, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Supporting staff to embed safeguarding measures in their role

Person Specifications

Management Experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in health sector programme management roles, preferable in INGOs
• Past experience of developing collaborative partnerships with other organizations
• Strong communication, negotiation and representational skills
• Experience of managing and supporting partners
• Ability to think strategically and analyse information in a meaningful manner
• Experience in supervising, managing, and providing technical support and assistance to field staff

Technical/Programmatic

• Master’s degree in Public Health or related field. At least 3 years of field experience for master’s degree 5 years for BSC in management of health programs specifically related ones including NCD and eye care
• A strong knowledge of the national health system specially in relation to aging, NCD , eye care and HIV/AIDs
• Strong project and budget management experience, including use of planning and performance monitoring tools
• Experience in managing partners and ability to provide guidance and develop capacity of field staff on the same
• Proven experience in program development (using log-frames), M&E, and HIS/surveillance systems design and/or implementation
• Proven experience in conducting needs assessments and proposal development
• Excellent skill in facilitating trainings for various stakeholders

Behavioral Competencies

• Results Orientation towards own and team’s role in line with organisational priorities, decisive, passion and drive for high quality work
• Working with others, in a team environment, receiving and providing feedback, contributing to the team’s success, and managing conflicts if it occurs
• Self-Management, by demonstrating Integrity and credibility, leading by example, committed, knowledgeable and confident on the job functions and superior communication skills

Others

• Ability to engage, seek and provide clarity and deliver on issues that are not always clear
• Previous experience working on issue of older persons a strong advantage
• Willingness and interest to work with a network/partner focussed approach, engaging with, supporting and maximising on potential of partners
• Computer literate (word processors, spreadsheet, database, statistical packages, etc)