International Technical Lead – Quality of Care at International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

BACKGROUND

“Women’s Integrated Sexual Health” (WISH) is IPPFs new flagship health programme to transform the lives of millions of women and girls. Funded by DFID WISH will provide integrated and holistic healthcare to 2.2m additional users across 16 countries in Africa and South Asia from 2018-2021.

Through a consortium of five internationally recognised organisations and 11 IPPF Member Associations led by IPPF the WISH programme will provide a comprehensive, integrated approach to ensure equitable access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The programme will prioritise the most underserved women and girls, particularly youth under 20, the very poor, and marginalized populations (including people with disability, people displaced or affected by humanitarian crisis, and people living in hard-to-reach areas)

In order to implement this project IPPF needs to put in place a talented, dynamic and diverse team with, broad experience in implementing global family planning and sexual and reproductive health (FP/SRH) programmes, commercial expertise, proven contract management and the ability to deliver on donor requirements including through a payment by results approach. 

JOB PURPOSE

Describe why the job exists.
The Technical Lead - Quality of Care role will provide strategic direction to and oversee implementation of the WISH quality of care technical work plan to ensure achievement of global project quality of care technical goals. Working within the Global WISH hub, the post-holder will need to establish close partnership with country-level staff across all WISH Partners in all WISH focal countries, to ensure that clinical governance and quality assurance systems are operational across the programme.

KEY TASKS

Describe the main activities undertaken by the job holder. The list need not be exhaustive but should reflect the most important features of the job.

• Quality Assurance: systems development and implementation.
• Clinical Governance.
• To ensure gender is effectively mainstreamed within the remit of the post and in line with IPPF’s Gender Equality Policy.
• To build and maintain positive relationships with all members of staff, and contacts within and outside the Federation.
• To become familiar with the Federation’s Health and Safety Programme and Guidelines for using Visual Display Units. To do everything possible to ensure a healthy and safe working environment, including following instructions and guidance.
• To undertake such other reasonable duties as may be requested from time to time.
• The candidate must demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in local and international context and demonstrate a willingness to sign and adhere to IPPF’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policies

RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Assurance: systems development and implementation

• Strengthen and standardise WISH QoC (Quality of Care) systems and frameworks for delivering integrated SRH services to ensure alignment with global best practice, maximise alignment across programme partners.
• Develop and disseminate innovations, tools and approaches for delivering quality FP services with a particular focus on the marginalised including young people, people with disabilities and the very poor.
• Ensure that a culture of client-focused, rights based continual quality improvement is embedded across clinical services
• Work closely with consortium partners and other technical and programmatic leads to provide technical support to and implement multi-country, integrated quality FP services;
• Work in collaboration with Country Teams to oversee implementation of bi-annual QoC assessments of all WISH-supported service delivery points using standardized organizational quality of care tools
• Work in close collaboration with country teams and the evaluation team to ensure the timely entry and analysis of data from bi-annual QoC assessments to enable timely donor reporting.
• Work closely with the evaluation and learning team, regional heads and country managers to continuously monitor local QoC data, to identify progress and gaps, and develop capacity building plans to address gaps;
• Work closely with other senior-level project staff to conceptualize, design and implement global and in-country capacity building plans, with assigned roles and responsibilities
• Identify and respond to global training and support needs that can be implemented through WISH
• Oversee and take part in the implementation of QoC capacity building support to IPPF MAs and other local organisations
• Coordinate with other technical team members and consortium partners including Humanity and Inclusion, to develop and implement feasible approaches to improve quality of care
• Develop in consultation with relevant offices and teams effective programme development and capacity building of IPPF MAs and other local organisations in order to address and provide high quality, comprehensive service delivery issues to fulfil the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all people particularly those marginalized including young people and the very poor;

Clinical Governance

• Develop and embed key quality and clinical governance processes, including clinical incident reporting procedures across all partners, so that WISH grows services in line with safe and effective best practice across all sectors and project-supported service delivery points
• Establish and oversee mechanisms for reporting and investigating clinical incidents with country programmes and the WISH2 consortium, compiling reports and advising the project management team for reporting and acting on clinical incidents and trends.
• To establish a robust clinical risk management process that includes, prevention of clinical incidents, risk mitigation and promotion of evidence-based practice.
• Working together with the procurement team to support and guide country programmes and consortium partners to follow DFID’s pharmaceutical product and clinical equipment product quality standards
• To ensure within the consortium the service providers receive the necessary training, certification, and supervision to ensure the safe delivery of sexual and reproductive health service (including provision of long acting and permanent methods, and comprehensive abortion as appropriate to local legislation) in accordance with national clinical requirements.

Other responsibilities

• To act as an expert resource to the programme providing advice and influence on matters relating to quality and clinical governance
• To prepare reports on quality and clinical governance for relevant committees, internal meetings, donor reports, and other significant forums
• To contribute to WISH’s global technical leadership in quality comprehensive and integrated service delivery by showcasing innovative and successful approaches from Member Associations within the Federation;
• To provide technical advice and support in the formulation and monitoring of policies and innovative programme approaches that support quality of care and demonstrate impact;
• To review, research and prepare briefing sheets, background papers and publications, technical tools and guidelines relating to quality of care for integrated FP service delivery and ensure WISH Consortium members are kept up to date with latest knowledge and thinking on relevant SRHR issues including taking lessons from other organizations and emerging best practice
• Innovation and flexibility in adapting programmes in response to evidence emerging from the field.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

• Describe the likely educational/training background of the job holder.
• Qualified as a nurse or doctor;
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject or;
• Qualified by experience.

PROVEN ABILITY

• Describe the minimum level of professional experience required to do the job.
• Excellent technical knowledge/understanding of quality of care within integrated FP/SRHR service delivery and programming;
• Demonstrated technical expertise and skills in quality assurance systems and programmes.
• Experience with developing and implementing FP/RH quality assurance standards highly preferred;
• Direct experience with youth and adolescent FP/RH programs is strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated experience providing capacity building assistance at individual and organizational levels (e.g., local NGOs and CSOs);
• Previous not-for-profit experience essential.
• International experience (particularly developing countries) desirable.

SKILLS

• Detail the skills needed to do the job, including languages.**
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Strategy development and leadership skills;
• Experience of leading complex change;
• Strong project development, implementation and evaluation skills;
• Excellent verbal communication skills to train and facilitate;
• Strong presentation, promotion and communication skills to a wide range of audiences;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent time management skills to meet tight deadlines;
• Excellent IT skills;
• Fluent English (verbal and written - Essential);
• Fluent French (verbal and written – Desirable);
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work effectively with people from different countries and cultures;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.

PERSONAL COMPETENCE

• Describe the characteristics of effective job performance, e.g. sound judgement, ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to advocate, influence and negotiate.
• Ability to effectively engage a range of stakeholders.
• Discretion in handling confidential information.
• Willing to travel internationally up to 30 days a year.