Regional Health Specialist - East Africa Regional Division at Handicap International (HI)

Responsibility 1: TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY & QUALITY

Lead sector strategy in the region and contributes to global strategic thinking

• Provides technical input to the regional operational strategy (StratOp) in line with the global technical strategy (StraTech) and sub-sector guidance
• Leads the development and monitoring of the regional sector strategy for the Health sector and ensures its implementation in the various countries where it is applied
• Contributes to synergies and promotes integrated programming approaches with other sectors, in coordination with the relevant Regional and Global Specialists and based on strategic and operational priorities and standard projects
• Supports HI's technical assistance (TA) strategy, strengthening the capacities of development actors and public and private service providers to deliver more effective, inclusive and quality services.

Provides technical support to projects in accordance with global technical standards and frameworks in Health

• Develop and contextualize technical guidance and specific tools related to Health, Equitable Health Systems, SRHR, ECD, MHPSS and climate and health (including contextual analysis, needs assessment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, etc.), mobilizing the relevant technical resources linked to the different health sub-sectors as needed.
• Provides advice and technical support to a portfolio of projects in development, emergency and protracted crisis contexts with support of sub-sector support where needed
• Supports programs in designing strategies aligned with a Nexus approach and prepares for emergency responses
• Integrates and promotes HI's cross-cutting approaches: disability-gender-age (DGA) marker, conflict sensitivity and protection integration in its interventions
• Provide technical guidance to ensure disability-inclusive and equitable approaches are integrated into outbreak preparedness and response (e.g. surveillance, risk communication, service continuity and community engagement)

Ensures technical quality control and monitoring.

• Carries out technical monitoring missions in the region to support teams and partners through training assessments, internal audits, team coaching, etc.
• Applies and adapts quality control tools and frameworks (project reviews, checklists, dashboards), alerts the THOP and reports any problems or needs for adaptation of the technical reference framework in terms of quality.
• Provides technical support to operational teams during key phases of the project cycle (design, implementation, evaluation), mobilizing the relevant technical resources linked to the different health sub-sectors as needed.
• Applies and adapts quality control tools and frameworks (project reviews, checklists, dashboards) as defined by HQ, alerts the THOP & reports any issues or needs for adapting the technical quality reference framework
• Recommends program adjustments in response to possible contextual changes (e.g. humanitarian crises).
• Support the design and implementation of inclusive health emergency responses, including preparedness, response and recovery across humanitarian crises, public health events and disease outbreaks

Responsibility 2: PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT, PARTNERSHIPS & EXTERNAL INFLUENCE

Provides strategic technical monitoring

• Monitors regional trends, dynamics and multi-stakeholder initiatives in order to anticipate opportunities for collaboration and tracks trends in the Health sector in relation to national and regional contextual developments.
• Analyses internal strengths and weaknesses, considering the institutional ecosystem, and ensures that proposals are aligned with strategic frameworks and donor requirements
• Contributes to the strategic monitoring of relevant calls for proposals at regional level

Develops strategic partnerships

• Identifies opportunities for partnerships and/or consortia with development and humanitarian actors, research institutes and multilateral organizations within the overall framework of the Stratech
• Supports teams in developing strategic partnerships with local national, regional and international stakeholders, based on needs and technical complementarities, and in line with HI's strengthened commitment to aid localization.

Supports the development and drafting of new project proposals

• Provides technical support to country teams in drafting concept notes and proposals, ensuring the technical quality of intervention logics, results frameworks and budgets
• Leads or contributes to the drafting of concept notes and proposals including multi-county and multisectoral proposals.
• Supports and/or develops technical assistance (TA) offers to support and strengthen the capacities of humanitarian and development actors

Represents HI in external coordination and advocacy forums Actively participates in relevant regional sectoral groups (clusters, alliances, inter-institutional groups)

• Strengthen HI’s positioning within national and regional health systems, including engagement with Ministries of Health and regional bodies (e.g. AU, Africa CDC)
• Represent HI in regional and national coordination platforms (e.g. clusters, technical working groups) and actively participates in the Regional health bodies to influence policy
• In collaboration with the Institutional Funding Division (IFD), identifies potential donors (private, foundations and institutional), networks, partners, NGOs and advocacy groups in line with HI's technical and strategic vision, and ensures the development of technical and strategic links

Contributes to technical visibility and external communication

• Supports the organization’s technical visibility through presentations, publications and participation in regional and national events or workshops, with the aim of strengthening HI's recognition and credibility within the Health sector
• Produces content (capacity statements, project sheets, thematic fact sheets) to promote HI's approaches and positioning within the Health sector to an external audience

Responsibility 3: KNOWLEDGE, LEARNING & CAPACITY STRENGTHENING

Coordinates a knowledge management system and promotes research and innovation initiatives

• Designs participatory tools and processes to document field experiences (case studies, lessons learned, innovations) and identifies lessons learned, including through recommendations from evaluations
• Leads cross-country learning and actively engages in and creates global and regional communities of practice (CoP)
• Contributes to the drafting of analytical reports, technical notes and capitalization documents, and ensures their internal and external dissemination
• Contribute to research, innovation and evidence generation in priority health areas: Facilitates reflection and the development of innovative thematic outcomes, ensuring that issues related to gender, disability, climate change adaptation and digital transformation are meaningfully integrated into programming

Supports and ensures capacity building for technical and non-technical staff (managers, project officers, etc.) in accordance with the framework defined at the global level

• Participates in the recruitment ("R" for technical test and technical interview) and validation of technical positions within projects and countries
• Ensures the integration of new employees so that they become familiar with sector priorities and objectives
• Conducts training needs assessments in collaboration with country and regional teams
• Strengthen the technical capacities of staff and partners through training, coaching and technical support.
• Contributes to staff capacity development through the implementation and monitoring of a capacity building plan, including training and coaching mechanisms, to promote continuous learning in line with HI's professional competency frameworks

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POSITION:
The security situation in the region varies from country to country, with some areas affected by tensions or travel restrictions, particularly in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Appropriate risk management mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of teams.

YOUR PROFILE:

Experience

• Master's degree in public health, global health, health system management and policy, or other health-related Masters’ degrees
• A specialization in one or more of the following sub-sectors: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), early childhood development (ECD), health equity.
• At least 3 years of relevant field experience in the health-related sector preferably in the East, Central or Southern Africa
• Experience working in health across the nexus – in development and humanitarian responses and/or health emergencies

Skills

• Strong understanding of: Social Determinants of Health; Health Equity, Intersectionality and Human Rights; Health Systems Strengthening; Health Prevention, Promotion, and Social Behaviour Change Communication;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and support for technical teams in the field;
• Strong capacity building skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills, suitable for high-level external representation;
• Experience in strategy and project management in the sector;
• Ability to develop public relations/communication and represent the organisation to various stakeholders (donors, networks, ministries, local authorities, technical services, etc.).