Program Specialist- Emergency Health and Nutrition (Re-advertised)

Internal/ External Vacancy Announcement
INTRODUCTION

Save the Children (SC) has an opening for the following positions. If you are interested to join our team, please review below each position’s specification and requirement to help you make a decision

Job Title: Program Specialist- Emergency Health and Nutrition (Re-advertised)
Code: 0839/40
Place of Work: Addis Ababa/Field
Program/Unit: Health and Nutrition
Monthly Salary: in ETB As per the organization scale
No. of Positions: two
Length of Contract: Six month with possible extension

ROLE PURPOSE:
The health and nutrition specialist is a senior technical post to ensure high quality programming, policy engagement and advocacy outcomes of SC’s work in Ethiopia. The post holder will provide design and support of technical elements of nutrition and health projects, with relevant project managers, to ensure the projects contribute to the achievement of the thematic programme plan; be responsible for ensuring that key organisational principles and approaches such as child participation and sound M&E systems are well integrated throughout the project cycle; be responsible for ensuring that lessons derived through implementation of projects are well articulated, documented and disseminated both internally and externally; engage with policymakers and work to achieve advocacy objectives to realise greater change for children.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Strategic Programme Development

• Support the development of health and nutrition technical strategies and support roll out of strategy and updates to all relevant Save the Children staff.
• Conduct periodic visit to implementation sites to understand the reality, provide on-site advise /support and come up with recommendations for program quality improvement
• Support and guide the health and nutrition team to capture /document program lessons at different levels
• Provide technical advice /guidance to the health and nutrition team while conducting surveys, evaluations and other assessments, including in the design, conduct, analysis and write up of the reports; oversee possible consultancy work in the same.
• Support the development of annual operational plans and the regular internal program planning and review meetings in the health and nutrition section as well as related inputs to quarterly and annual SC reports
• Identify new potential partners for strategic engagement and negotiate strategic priorities, thru external contact with relevant counterparts across agencies
• In collaboration with the HR department, ensure support to recruitment and selection of staff and for all matters concerning human resources for the health and nutrition unit.
• Ensure that relevant crosscutting issues are strategically mainstreamed in new projects; also ensuring relevant staffs understand and are capacitated to take the issues forward.
• Lead and/or contribute to regular health and nutrition sector updates, capacity statements, and sector representative meetings/trainings.

Strategic Fundraising

• Closely monitor events and maintain an overview of nutrition and health-related issues affecting children in humanitarian contexts (humanitarian situation, politics, and security, etc.), in program areas, to identify potential program areas and partners. This includes active participation in discussion and decision-making forums related to proposed emergency health and nutrition responses.
• Build on technical knowledge, research and current/previous programming to lead design of new projects and development of proposals in close coordination with the relevant field, business development, and management staff. This includes all aspects of proposal development, such as concept notes and grant amendments. Ensure that proposals are developed in line with internal and member protocols and technical standards.
• Through external contact with relevant counterparts in donor/research agencies, identify new potential funding sources and share with sector head/TTL.
• Ensure that each proposal and annual implementation plan aligns with Save the Children’s Theory of Change and includes elements of partnership, innovation, scale, and voice.
• Accompany and facilitate donor visits and provide relevant background materials.

Policy Analysis, Policy Engagement and Advocacy for Policy Change

• Contribute to health and nutrition learning and research that supports the sector advocacy objectives and lead the implementation research necessary for evidence-based advocacy.
• Represent the organization at all relevant technical external task forces, working groups, seminars or other meetings as approved by the sector head and use these meetings to negotiate strategic, project and advocacy positions.
• Advise the Head of sectors and TTL on the technical and policy content of advocacy plans and support their implementation.
• Develop good relations with other NGOs, development and UN agencies working in the sector and where possible forge alliances to influence key actors around advocacy objectives.
• Be fully aware of national policies, strategies and other initiatives and developments by government and other stakeholders in the sectors.
• Ensure that the voices of children guide advocacy and policy change objectives and related activities.
• Compile, analyze and interpret program response data and provide regular updates to government and NGO coordination bodies as requested, and use the information to justify decisions on further resource allocation.
• Participate in identifying, coordinating, and implementing operational research studies to pilot and scale-up effective direct interventions in coordination with the PDQ Health and Nutrition and MEAL teams.

Programme Quality and Effectiveness

• Ensure that project managers are meeting both internal and donor technical standards and requirements. This includes oversight of implementation quality, reviewing, editing and signing-off donor reports to ensure they are of an acceptable technical and presentational quality.
• Participate in field-based project monitoring and review meetings.
• Liaise with Programme Operations staff to identify technical support needs of projects and staff, and jointly agree on specific and time bound support needs of projects and staff in relevant technical areas.
• Provide technical training to ensure that the project staff have the necessary skills to technically implement the project.
• Assist project staff in the use of health and nutrition and cross-cutting tools and guidelines to ensure the quality of work. These include, among others, child participation, child right programming and mainstreaming of gender, diversity and HIV/AIDS.
• Prepare annual work plans, in consultation with the line manager.
• Undertake regular field visits to project sites to ensure technical quality and timeliness of ongoing work.
• Support the Hubs to organize, coordinate and implement surveys, reviews and terminal evaluations of programs/projects; provide technical oversight as necessary.
• Support the Hubs to ensure appropriate and timely staffing of emergency health and nutrition programs; including developing a mechanism to quickly deploy key staff to enable timely response.
• Develop a mechanism to ensure rapid and appropriate response to health and nutrition emergencies are available at the Hubs and sub-office level.
• Other
• The post holder may be responsible for additional tasks and duties as and when required to support the overall Country Programme, regional and head office priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential

• MSc Degree or First Degree in public health, nursing, nutrition or related health fields with a minimum of 5 years relevant works experience
• Strong analysis and writing skills
• Certificate in nutrition in humanitarian context, CMAM, IYCF, monitoring and evaluation or any other related topics.
• Experience in working with government counterparts and other partners at various levels - federal to district
• Excellent understanding of the relevant thematic sectors in Ethiopia at both field and policy levels; including the national health and nutrition programs and how it fits with the HEP. Such as, the health sector development program, national nutrition program, and other relevant guidelines and strategy documents.
• Proven experience in designing emergency health and nutrition projects and developing successful proposals.
• Familiarity with health and nutrition donors, partners, and NGO groups
• Practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities in realizing children’s rights in Ethiopia, in relation to thematic area

Skills

• Understanding of advocacy and representation skill
• Demonstrable experience in M&E
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proven conceptual skills and an ability to think and plan strategically
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to train and mentor staff
• Proven ability to manage a complex and demanding workload
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Good computer skills (particularly Excel, Word and databases)

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested applicants who meet the minimum requirements should send CV (maximum of 4 pages) along with a cover letter (one page) as a single document on ethiojobs.net by indicating the code number of the vacancy; or through Ethiopia.RecruitmentRoster@savethechildren.org ; Addis Ababa; Ethiopia. . All applications should be received on or before November 30, 2015.
Note that copies of transcripts, academic degrees or recommendation letters should not be included with the application. You will provide them upon request.
In candidate selection, Save the Children is committed to gender balance and diversity without distinction as to race, sex or religion, and without discrimination of persons with disabilities.
Save the Children has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Child Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants and children from exploitation. Any candidate offered a job with Save the Children will be expected to adhere to these policies.
Note: All travel costs should be covered by the applicant if invited for written exam or interview.