Job Vacancies at International Rescue Committee

Job Description

This position is open to Washington DC (preferred) / New York / Nairobi.

The IRC’s vision is to lead the humanitarian field by implementing high-impact, cost-effective programs for people affected by crisis and by using our learning and experience to shape policy and practice. To achieve that vision, the IRC’s technical units provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice.

The technical units have three central objectives that we work towards:

1) Guide program design to achieve outcomes by incorporating the best available evidence

2) Build technical capacity of country program staff to implement, measure and continuously improve programs

3) Influence the IRC, peer agencies and donors to use proven interventions and generate new evidence to achieve change in peoples’ lives

The Research and Innovation Department (Airbel Impact Lab) supports the various technical units across the IRC to conduct or backstop research studies and innovation projects, and also leads initiatives that provide resources for country programs to design and implement programs based on existing evidence. 

Health Technical Unit

The Health Technical Unit is organized in four sectors; primary health, reproductive health, environmental health, and nutrition. The structure emphasizes a clear division of roles between staff focusing on comprehensive technical assistance to countries and staff providing specialized support and thought leadership. In 2017, the Health Technical Unit supported programming in 6 regions and 27 countries.

Major Responsibilities

The MNH researcher will run and backstop field-based health implementation / operational research studies focused on MNH in low-income, conflict-affected contexts.  It is expected that the researcher has the capacity to independently lead research projects (equivalent of assistant professorship or above).  Their responsibilities will mainly be split across two major projects.

45%: Health Systems Research Programme Consortia (RPC)

The IRC is expected to receive funding to lead Ensuring Quality Access and Learning (EQUAL) for Mothers and Newborns in Conflict-Affected Contexts Consortium, a research consortium funded through DFID’s ‘Filling the Gaps in Evidence: Building Stronger And More Resilient Health Systems Research Programme Consortia (RPC)’ mechanism.  The IRC-led RPC aims to produce high quality evidence that improves the health of the poorest and most vulnerable people in developing countries. The IRC is partnering with Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, Somalia Disaster Resilience Institute, Sudd Institute (South Sudan), and Université Catholique de Bukavu (DRC).  The objective of this project is to produce rigorous, operationally relevant research and evidence to improve maternal and neonatal health in low-income, conflict-affected contexts.  This project will produce evidence that is accessible to decision-makers influencing strategic investment, policy and programming to improve MNH, at the national and global level.  The research under this opportunity includes topic areas such as operational research on community-based MNH service delivery, national health policy analysis around MNH, and MNH quality of care assessments in primary health facilities, and the MNH Researcher will be expected to lead or backstop several research workstreams under this consortium.

30%: Health systems strengthening research around MNH

The IRC’s Health and Governance Units have been exploring participatory mechanisms to improve accountability and strengthen systems in health facilities in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.  The health researcher will be expected to lead a research study examining such mechanisms, and manage relationships with an academic partner and IRC’s relevant country program. 

15%: Business development

The MNH Researcher will be expected to develop and submit proposals around IRC’s priority research questions in MNH, as well as in sexual and reproductive health. 

10%: Other research backstopping

The MNH Researcher may be asked to backstop IRC’s health research projects outside of the MNH content area. 

Qualifications

Minimum requirements

• Education: PhD in public health or equivalent
• Work Experience: At least 5 years’ experience in public health, and at least two years in developing countries and relevant research
• Field Experience: At least one year field research experience in humanitarian or low-resource setting, with demonstrated experience in leading their own research
• Technical Expertise: Demonstrated technical expertise in conducting research including both qualitative and quantitative research methods with experience in more than one of the following areas: maternal and neonatal health, reproductive health, health systems strengthening. Experience training and supervising field teams, project management, and history of publication of results.
• Team work: Able to work with remote, multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary teams
• Communication Skills: Excellence in writing and presentation
• Training Skills: Able to transfer technical knowledge and skills
• Willingness to travel to fragile / conflict-affected contexts. 
• Language Skills: English required, and French proficiency strongly preferred

Work Environment: Expected Travel 30% of the time.

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Job Description

The clinical officer will be responsible for the overall coordination of health activities and supervision of the staffs in the health post/department assigned to. Will work closely with the Pharmacist, Lab Technologist, PMTCT Nurse, Reproductive health officer, Community Health Officers, Nutritionists and others in ensuring quality health services to the beneficiaries. Will also provide support in the hospital as needed, doing ward rounds and ensuring coverage both day and night. May be called upon to act as Clinical officer in charge.

Key Responsibilities

Program Management

• Overall in charge of the health post unit, or outpatient and MCH department of the hospital
• Supervision of all staff at the assigned unit
• Handling all administrative roles at the assigned unit as per the IRC policy
• Keep complete and accurate inventory of medicines and supplies located at the health post and monitor/supervise their usage
• Assess health post needs regularly, and make routine orders
• Ensuring that weekly orders for drugs and non-pharms are prepared and submitted to the Health manager for approval
• Whenever maintenance is required at the health post/department, fill and submit maintenance request forms to the Clinical officer in charge of clinics for further processing

Human Resource

• Raise Hire Requests for any vacant Incentive positions.
• Set Performance Objectives for personnel reporting to him/ her and monitor their performance
• Perform incentive staff appraisal.
•  Attend the monthly clinical services staff meeting and share updates (this is mandatory)
• Plan and manage staff leave and R&R plans ensuring adequate coverage
• Review and recommend changes to JDs of the incentive staffs under your supervision
• Hold monthly meetings with the staffs under your unit and share minutes with your supervisor.

Program Activities

• Clinical assessment and prescription of treatment for all patients
• Refer cases requiring specialized care to the various special clinics
• Ensure adequate coverage in the assigned units by arranging a rotation schedule with fellow Clinical officers
• Cover the hospitals during weekends
• Cover the hospitals at night as per the clinical officer’s call/night duty schedule
• Conducts ward rounds in the absence of a Medical Officer
• Properly document treatment on patients files
• Maintain an accurate and updated records keeping system in the health unit
•  Carry out minor surgical procedures
• Attend to emergencies in the ward in the absence of a Medical Officer
• Attend and participate in the daily morning hospital handover meetings
• Attend and participate in weekly continuous medical education(CME) at the hospital
• Training of staff on job and theory sessions.
• Review of SGBV/assault clients, filling PRC and P3 forms and presenting evidence in court as may be applicable.

Reporting and Coordination

• Ensure all patient records are properly documented in the patient files with all aspects of management being captured
• Compile and submit weekly HIS reports
• Ensure use of iRHIS tablets for reporting.
• Conduct mortality audits for all deaths occurring in the pediatric ward together with other staff working in the unit and share the reports with the CSM on a monthly basis
• Maintain accurate inventory record at the facility
• Prepare comprehensive handover reports to facilitate smooth transition during annual staff rotation and when going on leave.

Others:

• Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor

Key Result Areas

• Ensure smooth running of the health post/department, providing supervision, support and guidance to all staff working at the health post
• Ensure quality of care in management of patients
• Ensure complete, accurate and timely data capturing and reporting using all available tools.
• Ensure that universal precautions and infection prevention guidelines are adhered to
• Observation of the IRC Way (Integrity, Service and Accountability).

Qualifications

• Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Surgery
• Registered with clinical officers council
• Minimum 2 years working experience working in health set up
• Good clinical skills - history taking, physical examination, ordering appropriate laboratory investigations and make appropriate diagnosis.
• Proven leadership, communication, interpersonal, decision making skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (English and Swahili).
• Computer literacy in the use of MS Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is desired
• Ability to work and deliver results with minimum supervision
• Demonstrated ability to work as a team player.
• Experience of working in hardship area or previous IRC experience is an added advantage.
• Please make sure to include copy of Certificate of Good Conduct in your application.