Health Officer - Outreach at the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. 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. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Health Officer - Outreach

Requisition ID: req41336
Location: Zamfara
Employment Type: Full-Time
Employment Category: Regular
Sector: Health
Open to Expatriates: No

Project Overview

• The BHA (Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance) project, “Integrated Emergency Response to the Displaced Population in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina States, Northwest Nigeria" depending on fund availability will be carried out by a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in collaboration with the Alliance for International Medical Action (Alima), Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), and Life Helpers Initiative (LHI), aims to leverage each partner's expertise to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people populations through area-based approach.
• The Consortium partners will provide an integrated multisectoral intervention in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Protection, and Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) activities in Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states in collaboration with state governments, UN organizations and other key actors in Northwest Nigeria.
• The project will be implemented by a dedicated support, quality assurance, and coordination team, who will work closely with all partners through a management unit of well-structured consortium governance for the activity.

Job Overview / Summary

• The Health Outreach Officer is responsible for patient care at the mobile clinics and supported Health facilities, overseeing the mobile clinic activities in Anka and LGA, Zamfara State.
• She/he is also responsible for ensuring adherence to the implementation of program activities according to proposal and nationally accepted standards.
• The Health Outreach Officer reports to the snr Health officer and/or Health Manager.

Major Responsibilities
Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy:

• Health program management:
• Provides accurate diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients in a primary health care setting. Using standard national or internationally endorsed protocols, ensure quality of clinical and non-clinical service provision in health sites by assessing and monitoring performance against standards and guiding and motivating staff to meet and maintain standards.
• Promote behaviour, change by providing health and nutrition messages in the communities, in collaboration with community volunteers.
• Ensure adequate infection prevention and control standards are maintained at all times in the facility.
• Ensure health basic protocols and other IEC materials are well displayed in the facilities and outreach sites.
• Establish effective referral mechanism between the mobile clinic and the hospital/IPD.
• For new location: Liaise with local leaders and other partners in identifying new mobile clinic sites and sensitize community on project implementation.
• The Health Outreach officer identifies and liaises with the Medical Doctor on need for referral to secondary care and prepares the patient for referral including referral notes, pre-referral treatment and arrangement of transport.
• Collaborate with other relevant sectors such as Reproductive Health, Women Protection & Empowerment, Child Protection and Environmental Health to ensure holistic service package is available in response to the needs.

Program Development / Grant Management:

• Supervise and monitor Community health volunteers in the community.
• Develop and conduct training for the mobile clinic staff and community volunteers on clinical care, infection prevention and control, pillars of safe motherhood, infant and young child feeding practices, general childcare and hygiene promotion.
• Data Collection and compilation, timely preparation and submission of all internal reports including weekly and other associated monthly, quarterly, donor and special reports.
• Maintain an updated record and compile and submit monthly reports of all services given.
• Monitor and ensure the proper usage of pharmaceutical and other health program supplies.
• Prepare weekly workplans and ensure timely implementation of the project activities.
• As mobile clinic team lead, maintain vigilance and monitor surroundings for security of the mobile team on site and adhere to IRC’s safety and security protocols.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Required for all positions with supervisory responsibility, if special considerations are needed (e.g. remote management), make this additive to the base language here.
• Monitor and supervise the mobile clinic clinicians and ensure that work is done properly and efficiently.
• Routinely monitor mobile clinic clinicians ensuring performance according to their job description and provide written feedback in a timely manner.
• Develop ongoing education programs for mobile clinic clinicians and conduct training and on-the-job training for health staff.
• Review personnel issues and concerns of clinician and assist in determining and implementing solutions.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Research, Learning and Analysis:
Monitoring health program implementation:

• Monitor closely the morbidity and mortality trends together with all the other health indicators to ensure that prompt actions are taken.
• Provide weekly activity reports to the Snr Health officer and/Field Manager.
• Attend meetings concerning overall health program issues.
• Monitor and promote integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact of health program at the community level.

Coordination & Representation:

• Attend all relevant meetings in relation to the health program as may be required and feed in the IRC priorities during meetings;
• Facilitate field visits for internal and external stakeholders, when required.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Snr Health officer
• Indirect/Technical Reporting: Health Manager, Senior RH Manager, Health Coordinator.
• Position directly Supervises: CHEW, SCHEW, Pharmacy Technician, Community Mobilization Assistant.     

Key Internal Contacts:

• Country Program: SPC, Deputy Director Program, Finance Manager, Supply chain Manager, Senior Area Manager, DDFM
• Region/Global:   

Key External Contacts: 

• INGO Partner in Gusau and Anka

Qualifications
Education:

• Diploma in Nursing / Clinical Health Officer.
• Must possess the practicing license or qualifying certificate.
• B.Sc in Nursing, Certificate in Reproductive Health or nutrition is an added advantage.

Work Experience:

• Two (2) to three (3) years experience in clinical medicine or public health.
• Proven experience in community-based programming with the ability to motivate and lead community volunteers.
• Ability to work with displaced communities with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Experience in working in a team and able to lead a team.
• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Language Skills:

• English, working knowledge of Hausa and Fulani preferred.

Certificates or Licenses:

• Must be registered with Nursing and Midwifery council of Nigeria and allowed to practice in Nigeria.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.