Save the Children Health Technical Manager Job in Kenya

Position Title: Health Technical Manager

Location: Nairobi Office (with frequent visit to the field)

Reports To: Director of Programmes

Coordinates With: Area managers, directors of finance and HR, security manager and health programme staff.

Grade: 3

Context of Work

Save the Children (SC) is an international organisation that has 27 member organisations across the globe. It is united by a common mission and brand but, to some extent, has until now been working independently from country to country.

Through Unified Presence, Save the Children aims to create a stronger voice for children by unifying the operations in all countries where more than one Save the Children Member have programmes. This will result in one organisation at the national level in each country and a unified programme delivery structure for all Save the Children International Members.

The programmes of Save the Children UK, Denmark and Finland unified in Somalia in January 2010 and as a result of this and of an active fundraising strategy, at the beginning of 2011 the programme budget was over GBP 10m covering the thematic areas of protection, child survival (which includes health, nutrition and livelihoods), education and Child Rights and Governance.

Save the Children works in all three “zones” of Somalia: Somaliland, Puntland and Central South Somalia (CSS).

Due to constraints on security, and the need to liaise with UN agencies, other NGOs and donors the country office is based in Nairobi and senior managers and directors are expected to travel extensively to monitor and support programme work in all parts of Somalia that are accessible and where security threats are being effectively mitigated.

Save the Children has been engaged in the health sector in Somalia and Somaliland off and on for many years. However in recent years funding available to this sector has been scarce and in 2009 the EU, who were funding Save the Children’s health work in Puntland at the time, announced that they would no longer fund health sector work in Somalia and Somaliland.

As a result upon termination of the EC grant in March 2010 SC was unable to secure further funding for work in the health sector and all senior technical capacity was lost.

The position of Health programmes technical manager has been newly created in response to a grant provided by DfID and managed through a consortium led by PSI. This consortium, of which Save the Children is invited to participate, will be responsible for implementation of the DFID/PSI programme entitled: Harmonizing Support for Somali Maternal & Child Health
(HSSMCH).

In summary this involves implementing the Essential Package of Health Services approach in all three zones of Somalia (including Somaliland). Save the Children will lead on this in Puntland.

Job Purpose

The Health programmes technical manager will provide overall technical management and support to the DfID/PSI health project in Puntland and, though promoting and disseminating the approach, achievements and lessons learned of this project amongst donors and other key players in Nairobi, will to seek to expand donor support to EPSN and SC’s portfolio of work in Puntland in particular, and in Somalia/Somaliland in general.

This will include leading in the development of a comprehensive but realistic thematic plan for SC’s work in the health sector to cover the period up to the target date for the programme to come under the international Programmes Unit (IPU)

Key accountabilities

1. Providing Technical Management and Support

• To participate fully in the recruitment of a project team for the MSSMCH project in Puntland.
• In close collaboration with the area manager for Puntland and his/her logistics, HR and finance teams to produce a detailed work plan covering all technical activities and aspects of the project, ensuring that these are in line with the log frame in the proposal and to oversee the review and adjustment of this on a monthly basis.
• To provide technical support to staff and managers engaged in planning and implementing health project activities at field level.
• To ensure that a baseline is undertaken and subsequent system of monitoring of the project implementation is put in place and adhered to.
• To lead in developing technical research protocols to support analysis of project achievements, constraints and findings and to validate these.
• To lead in the coordination of donor reports and, in liaison with the operations and finance departments, to ensure that these are of high quality, reporting clearly on progress towards the outputs, and thus towards meeting the purpose, of the project as stated in the project proposal.
• To document achievements and learning of the project on a 6 monthly basis and disseminate this to key players within the health sector in Somalia through the Health Sector working groups of the Somalia Support Secretariat and the health cluster.
• To promote amongst donors the need for additional support to the health sector in Somalia and to lobby the Puntland authorities to increase their annual budget to the sector.
• To lead and/or participate in any final evaluation of the project that may be undertaken. (Guidance on this is expected from DfID)
• To work together with monitoring and learning specialist to document programme learning, ensuring it is fed into organisational advocacy.
• In discussion with DfID, and other consortium partners, to produce a follow up proposal to expand the project beyond March 2012.
• Lead on identifying external support and the hiring of technical consultants for the health sector as required

2. Representation

• To represent the project and Save the Children in all consortium meetings called by PSI and or DfID.
• To represent Save the Children in all Health Sector and health cluster meetings held in Nairobi.
• Identify key technical advisers within the donor, UN and NGO community in Nairobi these individuals from donors and other agencies.
• To represent the project in particular and the Somalia programme in general in all global fora as appropriate.
• To be the primary link with technical advisers in the headquarters of the Save the Children organisations who are members of the unified programme (Denmark, Finland and UK)

3. Thematic Development

• To lead in the development and production of a comprehensive but realistic thematic plan for SC’s work in the health sector to cover the period up to the target date for the programme to come under the International Programmes Unit (IPU)
• To ensure that the thematic plan reflects SCI’s dual mandate and addresses issues on capacity to implement this as well as seeking to expand SC’s portfolio of work in the sector.
• Through development of the thematic plan to forge links between the health sector and other thematic areas of work for Save the Children in Somalia. These include education, protection, child rights and governance and key aspects of child survival including nutrition and livelihoods.
• Provide technical advice and input to the development of emergency heath proposals as the situation in Somalia/Somaliland demands.

Person specification

Qualifications:

• Medical degree with a master in Public health/ Community Health/Health Management.
• Knowledge of global and regional public health debated especially with reference to “child and newborn health” and emergency obstetric care.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant senior level experience in a similar contexts.
• Proven experience in leading and developing health programme management in developing countries.
• Proven experience in advocacy and influencing institutional, private and/or corporate donors.
• Proven experience in community based programming including issues of health financing and social insurance
• Experience of working with local and national government departments and in capacity building of systems and staff.
• Proven skills in operational research and in communicating findings effectively
• Proven experience in programme development, project cycle management and monitoring and evaluation.
• Proven experience and report writing (in English) and proposal development.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills with experience of senior level negotiation and representation.
• Computer literate.
• Prepared to travel as much as 50% of the time to technical staff in the field.

Desirable

• Knowledge and working experience in fragile states.
• Previous experience with SC UK in a similar context.
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles.

Working contacts

Internal:

Other thematic technical managers, area managers, partnership and quality programmes manager and teamm, Monitoring and evaluation adviser Chief Thematic, emergencies manager, Security manager Project managers, HQ advisers, Regional Office programme manager and health advisor.

External:

Donors, Government departments, Consortium partners, Research institutes, Somalia support secretariat, UN Agencies

Code of Conduct

Because Save the Children's work is based on deeply held values and principles, it is essential that our commitment to children's rights and humanitarian principles is supported and demonstrated by all members of staff. Save the Children's Code of Conduct sets out the standards which all staff members must adhere to.

Our selection processes reflect our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Our people are as diverse as the challenges we face.

Applications should be forwarded to: vacancies@scsom.org

Application Closing Date: Wednesday 6th Apr 2011, 15:00 pm

Save the Children is an equal opportunities employer and highly encourages women to apply. Save the Children is committed to supporting performance based career progression for female employees. The following are additional benefits which would apply to successful female candidates:

• Childcare support for children under 3 years
• Maternity leave
• Flexible working options
• 80% of tuition fees for children

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