The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
In DRC, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest providers of relief and development assistance. With an annual budget of approximately US$ 75 million, $320 million overall grant portfolio and more than 1,000 staff in six provinces, the IRC supports Congolese communities and institutions in seven conflict-affected provinces in the areas of health, governance and community development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, and emergency response.
SCOPE OF WORK
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has released a tender for a consortium lead to strengthen basic health service provision in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in at least 30 health zones in up to four provinces improving access to primary and secondary care for at least 3.5 million people over the period 2013 – 2018.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
IRC is seeking a dynamic and experienced team of health and governance professionals to provide technical support to health programs implemented across four provinces and to be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, with travel to field sites. The program will provide people with access to essential primary and secondary healthcare services and provide funds for health system strengthening and capacity building. An important aspect of the program is the need to strengthen participatory processes with a view of making service delivery more responsive to citizen needs, notably through citizen empowerment and accountability efforts. In addition, to improve the responsiveness of the health system, interventions aiming to improve service delivery will also need to take into account management issues including planning, budget and human resource management in a decentralized context. The IRC is requesting applications from candidates with significant experience in strengthening health institutions and will have demonstrated experience in providing technical advice to large scale health programs in a similar post-conflict environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical Support and Coordination:
- Develop a strategy for mainstreaming governance principles and processes aimed at increasing participation, responsiveness and accountability in the delivery of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services;
- Responsible for overseeing the overall quality of service provision and ensuring that implementation strategies across technical areas reflect governance principles and best practice;
- Provide leadership in the development or adaptation of service delivery models / systems which allow for greater participation and responsiveness, notably through greater transparency, while promoting technical quality of care;
- Provide leadership in analyzing and providing strategies to improve the management of the health system at the provincial and local level, notably planning, budgeting, human and financial resource management;
- Provide needs analysis, capacity-building, monitoring and implementation support to other technical specialists, to ensure equitable access to health services and that spaces for user voice and mechanisms to respond effectively are strengthened;
- Identify, document and disseminate best practices in service provision;
- Guide the development of annual work plans for existing programs;
- Identify priorities for support from the Governance Rights Technical Unit;
- Work in close collaboration with other technical specialists to ensure integrated programming.
Advocacy and Representation:
- Advocate and collaborate with MoPH, local authorities, line ministries and CSOs to incorporate best practices and international standards in service delivery;
- Establish and maintain collaborative relationship between IRC, MoPH and other partners;
- Provide expert contribution to the development or adaptation of national policies, guidelines and standards that promote quality service provision in DRC that is accessible, responsive and accountable to citizens, and allows their voices to be heard.
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Research:
- Oversee development or adaptation of supervision and data collection tools;
- Ensure that lessons learned from this other programs / organizations are considered for relevance to ongoing program activities, and propose adjustments as needed.
Management:
- Contribute to the development of field staff through training, mentoring, and assisting with professional advancement;
- Ensure that the institution strengthening aspects of the program are implemented according to defined work plans in order to achieve program deliverables. Through strong planning and monitoring, identify potential obstacles to programmatic success in a timely fashion, and implement corrective actions as needed;
- Introduce quality assurance initiatives to address efficiency, effectiveness, or compliance concerns.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s degree in public health, public administration, economics, international development, law or social science;
- At least five years’ experience in design and implementation of health programs in developing countries;
- Demonstrable technical expertise and working knowledge of participatory processes and methodologies, preferably in a conflict or post-conflict environment, preferably Africa;
- Demonstrable technical expertise in public finance and public sector management and especially as applied to a health system context;
- Proven track record of successfully providing technical assistance to and monitoring and evaluation for large-scale health programs;
- Technical expertise in curriculum development, training needs assessment and training facilitation, as well as monitoring and evaluation of trainees;
- Proficiency in both French and English;
- Availability to travel in the country for up to one third of his/her time;
- Good writing, communication and organizational skills;
- Knowledge of common software (MS Office);
- Previous work experience in DRC preferred.
Estimated start date: September 1, 2012.
This position is contingent upon funding.
Please apply online: www.ircjobs.org or http://tbe.taleo.net/NA2/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRCcws=1rid=8145 .
Congolese nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.