Health Coordinator

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The IRC worked in Haiti from 2010 – 2016, initially launching an emergency response to the earthquake & later delivering child protection, water & sanitation, health, women’s protection & empowerment, & economic recovery programs in Port-au-Prince & beyond. Even with the closure of its country office in 2016, the IRC has continued to provide operational, technical, & financial support to a small number of Haitian NGO partners, including in response to the 2021 earthquake. Haiti was identified as one of 20 countries at greatest risk of a major new—or significantly worsened—humanitarian crisis over the year ahead in IRC’s 2023 & 2024 Emergency Watchlist given its political instability, gang violence, rising food insecurity, disease outbreaks, & climate shocks that could drive rapid escalation of the humanitarian crisis. In early 2023, IRC re-opened its Haiti operations & scaled up its emergency response with a fully partner-led response in Port-au-Prince & surrounding communities. The focus has been on neighborhoods highly affected by gang violence as well as limited access to healthcare & services for survivors of violence and/or cholera hotspot issues.  IRC is also engaging with partners in the Artibonite & Ouest Departments to service unmet needs in those areas.

The IRC Emergency Humanitarian Access Unit (EHAU) led the initial emergency responses & support establishing a country program that can be fully transitioned under the Latin American (LATAM) region.   

Scope of work

The Health Coordinator is responsible for facilitating the design & delivery of direct & partner-led high-quality health services programming to reduce morbidity & mortality rates through primary health, reproductive health, WASH, & nutrition interventions.  They will likewise ensure national & international guidelines are adhered to as well as uphold quality standards & ensure results-based monitoring & evaluation.  They will identify specific growth & business development opportunities for the IRC including managing existing & future partnerships & developing strategic plans for the country program for scalable, high-impact programming. They will identify specific opportunities for local partnerships & NGOs with a partner-first approach. They will serve as the key liaison with local & international implementing partners, the Health Cluster, SRH, WASH Clusters, & Nutrition Cluster as appropriate, & other cluster coordination platforms, municipalities, governmental partners, & other stakeholders.

This role reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP) & will work closely with program sector leads, MEAL Coordinator, Partnerships Coordinator, Finance & Operations departments.

Responsibilities

Program Strategy
• Provide strategic direction & overall technical & management support to direct & partner-led health programs in Haiti, inclusive of both emergency response, post-conflict recovery, & transition to longer-term programming with business continuity & health systems strengthening.
• Advise & assist in designing new programs & co-designing with partners, including identifying business development opportunities, supporting the conceptualization/design of program activities, drafting or providing substantial input into technical proposals, concept notes, designing M&E systems, & budgets for international donors, & responding to any requests for additional information from the Health Unit or the Emergency Humanitarian Action Unit as needed. 
• Ensure that partnership considerations are incorporated in program design & proposal development & that partners are proactively engaged in program development efforts. Ensure appropriate budget resourcing for partner projects. 
• Refine a comprehensive strategic approach to health, in collaboration with other sector leads, as well as multi-sectoral programming with Protection.
• Provide overall managerial oversight & leadership for the health department, including overseeing operational functions for achieving the project’s goals, & budget management.

Program Quality, Management, & Implementation
• Responsible for project coordination with partners & direct program implementation in line with the response strategy & IRC international priorities, frameworks, & policies. 
• Provide technical leadership & direction for health activities, in accordance with the Outcomes & Evidence Framework (OEF); define & implement context-appropriate activities to achieve the greatest coverage & impact possible for both immediate support to people affected by violence in Haiti.
• Directly participate in Partner Capacity Analysis (PCAs) & the subsequent development of partner support plans for program activities 
• Develop any required standard operating procedures & program guidance in line with the IRC’s internal policies & global program standards.
• Work closely with Supply Chain colleagues for the targeted, high-impact procurement of medications & medical supplies, as needs dictate.
• Ensure regular communication with other program Technical Coordinators & regional-based Technical Advisors for Health, WASH, & Protection, to integrate appropriate technical unit priorities, the latest evidence, & best practices in program design & implementation.
• Adapt IRC direct implementation tools & systems for partner use in line with identified needs & requests.
• Work with IRC staff & partners to generate better contextual understanding by conducting required needs analysis, IPC assessments, health facility assessments, & other sectoral assessments to inform quality activity design & share with other humanitarian actors. 
• Collaborate with key staff of other technical sectors to prepare strategic work plans with clear objectives & achievement benchmarks, long-term & short-term priorities, implementation plans, & tools for evaluation, including indicators.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, with target goals & budget management, using effective monitoring & evaluation systems & adaptive management principles to reach desired impacts.
• Ensure program activities adhere to standard operating procedures & exhibit strong quality controls while being responsive to client feedback

Equitable Partnerships 
• Champion a culture of effective & respectful partnerships. Promote partner-led programming in line with IRC’s “why not partner?” & “partner as equals” approach.
• Develop health staffing structures with the appropriate number of staff to effectively manage partnerships & ensure quality.
• Ensure that partnership considerations are incorporated into health components of all proposals & that local partners are actively engaged response design & program delivery.
• Participate in the identification of potential partners & stakeholder analysis process.
• Actively contribute to the relevant sections of Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) & the subsequent development of partner support plans.
• Manage the implementation of action items in the health sections of partner support plans.
• Lead and/or support collaborative project & budget design with partners.
• Ensure each program design defines IRC’s emergency approach based on how we can best support, reinforce & complement local actors.
• Work collaboratively with partners to ensure that project budgets reflect fair market value.
• Ensure appropriate budget allocation for IRC to support partners in alignment with the overall response / program design.
• Review & provide feedback on partner technical tools, reports, & data as required. Collaborate with partners on recommended adaptations or process improvements.
• Actively participate in the Partnership Working Group (PWG)

Grants & Financial Management
• Manage emergency grant/program implementation including recruitment & training, work plan development, procurement & inventory planning, budget management, & M&E plans
• Conduct stakeholder & partner analysis: continually review existing actor mappings to identify key actors & establish partnerships focused on the delivery of health services.
• Develop high-quality technical proposals & reports with relevant program & partner staff in line with IRC & donor requirements
• Oversee the development & delivery of all internal & external reports in collaboration with the grants, programs, finance, & MEAL departments. 
• Review partner technical tools, reports, & data; foster use of data for decision-making & recommend adaptations or process improvements as required.
• Collaborate with IRC grants & finance staff to finalize proposals & respond to any requests for additional information.

Staff Management
• Recruit, onboard, & supervise IRC health, WASH/IPC staff, & provide targeted capacity building & professional development as needed, including technical guidance, on-the-job coaching & supervision, & capacity development plans on technical & managerial skills
• Comply with & ensure that new health staff underst& the IRC Code of Conduct & policies related to Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse & Child Safeguarding. This includes ensuring that staff & communities have knowledge of & safe, confidential access to reporting mechanisms & support services 
• Coordinate performance management within the department & ensure a culture of high performance through staff engagement & accountability. 
• Maintain open & professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit & providing oversight & guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions

Coordination & Representation
• Actively develop & maintain effective working relationships with key actors, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international & local NGOs, & other relevant actors
• Regularly attend Health/WASH & other relevant coordination & task force meetings, at appropriate levels to feed in IRC priorities from the field.
• Ensure Health concerns & challenges are brought to relevant fora to advocate for standards & procedures that systematize how integrated health programming is implemented & coordinated at the field level.
• Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor to further IRC programs.

Job requirements: 
• Clinical (Medical or Nursing) degree with Masters in Public Health or equivalent required
• Minimum of six years of experience in humanitarian health programming in acute emergency & post-conflict recovery contexts (including at least two years lived experience).
• Experience working with IRC & an understanding of IRC’s systems & processes is strongly preferred.
• Genuine interest in & commitment to collaborating with local & national NGOs & government partners in emergency programs. 
• Demonstrated experience leading a team & building partnerships to achieve results.
• The ability to innovate & provide integrative multisectoral programming in collaboration with WASH & Protection in complex emergency & post-conflict contexts.  
• Previous experience leading programming in complex emergencies & low-resource settings as well as the ability to recruit, supervise, coach, & mentor staff.
• Proven leadership & strategic planning capabilities, including budget management. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality topics & proficiency in managing projects that mainstream gender considerations. 
• Proven ability to work well in & promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible & able to handle pressure with professional grace.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel & Outlook 
• Demonstrated dedication to an anti-racist & Do No Harm approach, gender equality & inclusion, & cultural competency 
• Exceptional advance planning & organizational skills.
• Able to effectively prioritize & follow multiple activities & deadlines simultaneously. 
• Highly organized with close attention to detail.
• Fluency in English & French are required.

Working Environment: IRC’s office in Port-au-Prince with local travel to partner project sites as security & access permit.