Emergency Health Coordinator

Description

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unprecedented in scale and in the response required. No previous outbreak has had as many confirmed cases, or as wide of a geographic spread.  The situation is complicated by the porous nature of the regions’ borders, inaccessibility of the terrain and the presence of multiple active sites of transmission. The outbreak in Liberia started in March 2014 and has rapidly spread due to porous borders, insufficient contact tracing, community fears and misperceptions.  The government instituted a 90 state of emergency, closed borders and deployed its military personnel to assist in the containment.  To date, almost a total of 7, 0000 cases and over 300 cases among health workers have been either confirmed, probable or suspected, most of them originating from across the country.

The IRC response to the Ebola outbreak has included coordination and collaboration, case management through Ebola Treatment Units, case investigation, contact tracing, dead body management and information management. This happens centrally and in the counties with various partners supporting Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW): non-government organizations (local and international), and United Nations agencies.

IRC is expanding its Ebola prevention and response programming to both Grand Gedeh and Maryland Counties as a precautionary measure.  This involves training of health workers, support to infection prevention, community engagement and contact tracing. Neither county has had Ebola cases but it is important that health workers are trained in the proper precautionary measures, that steps are taken to ensure adequate infection control at the clinic level, and that communities are aware how to reduce EVD risks and no what steps to take should EVD reach their communities.

Scope of work: The Emergency Health Coordinator (EHC) will be the focal point for IRC’s Ebola Response, health facility and community health program in Grand Gedeh County.  The position will be based in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.  The health coordinator will report directly to IRC Senior Health Coordinator based in Monrovia and would be supported by IRC’s health technical unit.

Support to Ebola response in county

• Represent the IRC at the county level for Ebola response; coordinate and collaborate with MoHSW, Tiyatien Health, WHO, MSF and other INGOs to identify gaps in the response advocate and coordinate for activities to improve the effectiveness of the strategy.
• Provide technical recommendations to the MoHSW at the district level to improve clinical case management, disease surveillance, social mobilization, and coordination
• Update the IRC Ebola team with pertinent information on alerts and progress of the outbreak as well as provide training for staff on preventive measures as needed.
• Work closely with senior staff of the Health and other sectors to address any non-health interventions and advise in relation to Ebola response
• Work with the senior management team on development of new proposals for Ebola response
• Work with the IRC Senior Management team in Monrovia and advise on contingency planning as the Ebola outbreak evolves.

Coordination of IRC health program activities in Liberia

• The EHC will provide leadership, strategic vision and technical support to all aspects of the Health program in Grand Gedeh County.
• The EHC will oversee the proper management of the programs, grants and human resources under the health sector.
• The EHC will maintain regular contact with all partners, including the  MOHSW, UN agencies and other NGOs
• The EHC supervises other health staff, ensuring a high quality of program delivery by IRC health programs in Liberia.
• The EHC will ensure delivery of health program activities in a timely fashion, identifying new areas for program expansion and improvement as well as input on proposal development and report writing.
• The EHC will ensure that the health program is implemented in accordance with established Ministry of Health and international protocols, guidelines and best practices.

Requirements

• Medical doctor or nurse with experience in infectious disease control and/or holding a Masters of Public Health qualification
• At least 10 years of experience implementing public health programs on communicable diseases in humanitarian emergencies.
• Experience with primary health care and reproductive health programs is an asset.
• Experience of working in an emergency context.
• Demonstrated experience in responding (i.e, case management, case identification and contact tracing, surveillance, social mobilization and/or logistics) to Ebola, other viral hemorrhagic fevers is preferred. Responses to epidemic diseases in developing countries are also relevant such as  outbreaks of meningitis, measles, and cholera.
• Demonstrated knowledge of public health and surveillance practices. Experience with reinforcing infection control in health facilities is an asset.
• Extensive experience as a coordinator with strong management and training capacity in developing countries
• Background in situation analysis, health assessments and program implementation; Experience implementing health programming in hard to reach areas/displaced communities
• Experience in capacity building and mentoring of health staff; demonstrated leadership, communication, and facilitation skills; excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively in Liberia
• Excellent computer skills in programs such as: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to multitask, ability to handle pressure well, ability to improvise, be flexible, and adaptability to transitions.