Health Officer

Background of IRC:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC leads the way from harm to home. Began work in Ethiopia, 1999 in response to severe drought that happened in Ethiopia’s Somali region. Currently, providing assistance in ten different regions implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as an equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview/Summary: 

The health sector in Ethiopia currently implements activities in three distinct settings: A refugee health program that is involved in delivery of community based reproductive health services as well as HIV/AIDS prevention activities; and a child survival community-based treatment program and community surveillance for measles, tetanus, and polio and also Emergence Response Mechanism (ERM). The IRC also secured funding from Pfizer for the purpose of activities related to work with zero dose and under-immunized children in four districts with in three zones of Tigray. The Pfizer project health officer will be part of the health team in Tigray region of three Zones and works towards ensuring Zero dose Children (ZDC) and under immunized children in targeted fragile and affected settings by quality immunization coordinated with Primary Health Care (PHC) platforms. They will support the team in trainings for community level and facility-based health providers to ensure that ZDC are all addressed and are an integral part of the activities. The officer will have a big role to play in ensuring that EPI/Surveillance program are accepted by the beneficiary community by working with HEWs, health workers, and other community level stakeholders such as Community Health Volunteers (CHVs/HDAs) to improve the awareness of the community to identify and report vaccine preventable diseases.

Major responsibilities include:

·    Assist in the micro-plan preparation for immunization and SIAs campaign including for routine EPI and with emphasis on inaccessible, border and poorly performing areas.

·    Work with Gavi REACH team to map out missed communities, ZDC and hard to reach populations to develop strategies that will ensure adequate reach of immunization services.

·    Facilitate effective cold chain logistics, including adequate forecasting, quantification and requisition of vaccination supplies, timely delivery of vaccines and health supplies for campaigns and routine activities, vaccine stock management, and appropriate maintenance and expansion of cold chain.

·    Develop weekly movement plans to project support areas in line with the project activity work plans to ensure regular support supervision and mentorship of field teams, last mile delivery of HMIS, vaccine and other needed supplies to health services delivery points.

·    Conduct regular Infection prevention and control (IPC) assessments at the supported health service delivery points to ensure high standards of IPC are maintained.

·    Develop IPC action plans with the relevant teams and use this for continuous quality improvement.

·    Work with communities and key collaborators to design, and effectively disseminate risk communication and community mobilization (RCCE) materials on immunization to generate community acceptance and consensus.

·    Support the project teams to detect, identify, report and manage adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in supported project locations.

·    Highlight gaps, using field reports and empirical data on performance and technical coverage in EPI activities that need to be addressed.

·    Represent IRC in monthly coordination meetings at woreda based with district health staff and partners working in the woredas.

Grants Management

·    Responsible for preparation of activity, procurement, and spending plan.

·    Responsible for revision and updating detailed activity, spending and procurement plans accordingly.

·    Ensure budget activity lines are assigned well as per the description in the proposal.

Monitoring & Evaluation

·    Compile, and report project progress reports (weekly, monthly, and quarterly) to Senior project officer and EPI specialist.

·    Ensure timely compilation of social mobilization field data, including social mobilization checklists within the overall polio and RI monitoring and evaluation framework.

·    Supervise and evaluate the program activities and make sure that monthly & quarter indicators met or not.

·    Provide technical support to evaluate the efficiency of the program implementation and recommended changes in goals, objectives, intervention strategies, measurable outputs, and timelines.

 Safeguarding Responsibilities

·    Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]

·    Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

Educational

·    Public Health/Health Officer/Nursing qualification from a recognized college/University.

Work Experience

·    Minimum of five years of relevant experience for diploma holders, two years for degree holders and one year of relevant experience for postgraduate.

·    Work experience in immunization, and PHEM is an asset.

·    Good project management skills. Ability to plan, coordinate, and manage implementation of ZDC in hard-to-reach areas.

·    Understanding of Expand program of immunization (EPI) and diseases surveillance /PHEM/ policy in Ethiopia.

Personal specifications

·    Ability to work under pressure, long work hours and high workload.

·    Good interpersonal skills- verbal and written communication skills.

·    Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.

·    Work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.

·    Ability to constructively address gaps and weaknesses.

Language Skills 

·    Strong oral and written communications skills in English, Amharic and Tigrigna is plus

Certificates or Licenses:

·    Renewed Professional license.