Technical Advisor for the National Health Professionals Council (Re-advertising)

Terms of Reference

Vacancy: Technical advisor for the NHPC

I. General Information

Post/Title: Technical Advisor for the National Health Professionals Council

Position Type: Diaspora Expert

Duty Station: NHPC Head Quarter/ DeMartino Hospital

Duration of Assignment: 12 months

Deadline for applications: February 20th, 2024

II. Background Information

About the MIDA FINNSOM III, Health and Education Project

The past decades have seen continued migration from various African countries, causing a “brain drain” that has debilitated various public sector systems across the continent. Through the IOM Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) programme, Somali diaspora professionals have supported institutional capacity building, service delivery, and policy development of health and education institutions across Somalia since 2015.

The MIDA FINNSOM PHASE III – Health & Education project – contributes to strengthening the Health and Education sectors in Somalia towards achieving specific priorities in the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and the Essential Package for Health Services (EPHS), as prioritized and outlined by the government. The project aims to do so by engaging and enhancing the role of qualified Somali diaspora experts willing to temporarily return to their country of origin. In particular, through assignments within key ministries and public institutions (including hospitals and universities), Somali diaspora experts contribute addressing gaps and enhancing strengths in the planning and delivery of health and education services, coherently with the needs identified through the dedicated baseline assessment conducted during the inception phase of the project. Furthermore, a component of the project is devoted toward contributing to the creation of stable and sustainable access to employment opportunities in the health and education sectors for local experts and interns, who will work in close coordination with the Somali diaspora experts – therefore reaping long-terms benefits of knowledge transfer, competencies sharing and skills development.

III. Duties and Responsibilities

The Federal Government of Somalia’s Ministry of Health and Human services (MoHHS), through the technical assistance provided by the IOM Somalia, through the MIDA FINNSOM III Health and education project, seeks to strengthen the knowledge and build the skills of the Secretary of the National Health Professionals Council, with a focus on functions pertaining sexual reproductive health and rights.

Under the supervision of the Human Resources Director of the health department (HRH) and the Chairman of the National Health Professionals Council (NHPC), the technical advisor of the NHPC will carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Support the establishment of NHPC and its regulatory functions of registering practitioners, accrediting health education and training institutions and licensing health service facilities.
2. Develop and oversee the operationalization of SOPs for maternal health workforce registrations and licensing.
3. Develop management and organizational structures and processes that enable NHPC to deliver its strategic aims and objectives.
4. Develop SOPs and guidelines to enable the NHPC to fully function in a sustainable manner.
5. Support the department of Human Resource of the MOHHS to establish efficient and effective HR functions, including – open and transparent recruitment process, performance management, learning and development practices, compensation, benefits and succession planning, HR information system and HR data analytics.
6. Develop and implement systems that allow to systematically monitor and control the quality of SRHR services provided by public and private institutions.,
7. Regulate the health care workforce that provide medical services to vulnerable communities (e.g Women, children, Disabled, the displaced).
8. Oversee and support the development and updating of the National and Standardized Curriculum for nurses and midwives.
9. Execute the decisions of the council and ensure that the decisions pass as per these regulations in place.
10. Develop terms of reference, membership and meeting procedures for three NHPC committees and panels required to carry out numerous functions, such as policy and strategy; finance &risk management; registration and continuing competence; complaints management and discipline.
11. Establish management and reporting system, through regular reports (monthly or quarterly), general, financial, practitioner registration, facilities licensing, HEI accreditation, risk, compliance, and administrative information.
12. Establish arrangements for the preparation and publication of Annual Report and any other reporting requirement.
13. Establish sound financial practices and policies, which balance risk against the need for administrative efficiency, including financial delegations.
14. Conduct regular training and mentoring sessions for the staff of the NHPC.
15. Strengthen NHPC relationships with professional advisers and external providers.

IV: Requirements:

Besides the specific outputs mentioned in section III, the MIDA FINNSOM III Heath and Education project is requiring the following deliverables to be submitted throughout the assignment. These are the standard requirements for all assignments under this project:

1. Transfer of skills: The main responsibility of the qualified Somali diaspora expert—which he/she will be measured against—will be to ensure continuous and systematic transfer of knowledge and skills as related to the assignment. It will have to be agreed with the beneficiary institution that staff will benefit from this knowledge.
2. Work plan: A work plan must be developed tothe supervisor during the first week of the assignment to provide clear and time-bound activities to successfully implement the outputs of the assignment. This work plan will be shared with the supervisor, MoHHS coordinator, MoHHS M&E Specialist and IOM project team. This work plan can be revised during the assignment to reflect on new developments or changes.
3. Quarterly and Final Reports: Quarterly progress reports will be submitted by the expert to the supervisor, MoHHS Coordinator, MoHHS M&E Specialist and IOM project team. At the end of the assignment, the participant must also provide a final report covering the duration of his/her assignment.
4. Exit interview: An exit interview will be conducted to ensure that a proper exit plan has been put in place to sustain the achievements, upon completion of the assignment.

V: Qualifications

Level of Education: Master’s Degree or PhD.

Area of Study: Medicine, Public Health, Organizational leadership and Management, Health systems and regulation, Public Administration, or related discipline

Years of work experience in what area(s): At least five 5 years of relevant experience in organizational development and/or public sector.

Ability to outline sound regulatory strategy in alignment with regulation and business priorities.

Effectively negotiate internally and externally with other stakeholders and regulatory agencies.

Languages needed:

• Fluency in English.
• Fluency in Somali.

Fluency in Arabic is an advantage.

General Skills / Other Requirements:

• Good communication skills.
• Good leadership and management skills
• Good skills and knowledge transfer and mentorship experience
• Ability to use Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and web-based management systems.
• Ability to think analytically with excellent problem-solving skills.

VI: Subsistence Allowance

The monthly stipend amount will be determined by the MIDA FINNSOM III, Health and Education project, based on the level of education and degree and years of relevant experience.

VII: Security and insurance modalities

Health insurance—including evacuation due to a medical emergency—will be provided by the project. However, experts will be requested to provide a recent medical certificate stating that they are physically fit and able to work in a hardship area in Africa.

Please note that IOM, according to the contract, will not be responsible for the security of qualified Somali diaspora. The host beneficiary institution will be responsible for the security of the individual.

Before leaving the country of residence or upon arrival in Somalia, the qualified Somali diaspora will receive a pre-service briefing including security advice and cultural background.

How to apply

All applications must be sent via email to: midasomvacancy@iom.int with the following reference as a subject in your e-mail: APPLICATION – as mentioned in the vacancy announcement.

For further inquiries about the MIDA FINNSOM project and positions, you can reach out to Hussein Isse at huisse@iom.int and cc SaaraParkkali at sparkkali@iom.int.

To be considered, applicants must provide a cover letter, CV, and the contact information (email and phone number) of two professional references by the closing date of this vacancy. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The closing date of this application is February 20th, at 12.00 PM EAT.