Switzerland: Team Leader Community Health and Emergency Care

Background

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, with 190 member National Societies. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organisation established by and comprised of its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. The Federation is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides the central capacity of the International Federation to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s focus includes providing support to the IFRC governance mechanisms; setting norms and standards; providing guidance; ensuring consistency, coordination, and accountability for performance; knowledge sharing; promoting collaboration within and respect for the RCRC Movement; and expanding engagement with partners. The Secretariat’s headquarters is organized in three main business groups: (i) Partnerships, including Movement and Membership; (ii) Programmes and Operations; and (iii) Management Services. The Programme Services Division is in turn organised in three Departments, each of them led by a Director. The department of Health consists of 3 teams, of which Community Health and Emergency Care is one. The leader of that team serves as a member of the Health Management Team.

Job Purpose

Under the supervision of the Director of Health, the Team Leader Community Health and Emergency Care (CHEC) support the IFRC's programmatic vision for Community Health and Emergency Care and its translation into programmatic interventions, in close collaboration with Regional Offices. The Team Lead has direct line responsibility for team members based in Geneva and those based elsewhere with global functions. Under the matrix management arrangement, the Team Leader has technical (secondary) supervisory responsibilities over staff who work directly on Community Health and Emergency Care in the Regions. Regional Directors retains primary supervision over regional staff. The Team Leader liaises closely with a wide array of partners with respect to Community Health and Emergency Care. The Team Leader is expected to support resource mobilization, in close coordination with the Partnership Office.

The Team Leader manages and supervises the delivery of all global activities covered by the Community Health and Emergency Care programmes including (1) strengthening RCRC global leadership (2) supporting RCRC as a significant provider of high quality volunteer led community based health care and first aid and (3) improving the coordination of emergency medical care during emergencies and throughout recovery.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strengthening RCRC Global Leadership in area of Community Health and Emergency Care

• Coordinate and represent (under direction from the Director of Health) the work of RCRC at relevant international fora, in publications, conferences and meeting and ensure that relevant advocacy themes are well presented and followed up internally and externally.
• Support the positioning of RCRC as a global leader in volunteer led, community based health care and emergency care.
• Contribute to the continual development of global health initiatives and their integration into RCRC work to ensure comprehensive and quality care in all RCRC health related activities.
• Articulate and promote community based health care as a significant means of achieving the health related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 and other global health development targets.
• Contribute to the continual development and instrumentalization of global health emergency frameworks such as Health Risk Management, Safe Hospitals and International Health Regulations in order to strengthen prevention and response capacity.
• Work closely with the Communications and Partnerships Teams in ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.

Support Regional Offices and National Societies in order to improve delivery of Community Based Health and First Aid programmes – before, during and after emergencies

• Map and continually monitor global practices and priority needs of National Societies.
• Provides high level policy advice to Regional Offices and National Societies. Ensure professional dialogue with and relevant support to technical staff and maintains a functioning network of delegates, NS staff and professionals.
• Support the expansion (width, depth and reach) of the Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme within RCRC and lead the four CBHFA related cross organizational Community Health work streams: Health Promotion, Care in the Community, Active Outreach and Access to Essential Health Services.
• Work with the Global First Aid Reference Centre and National Societies to incorporate mandatory basic first aid training into all community health volunteer training programmes as well as support National Societies to fulfil the first aid training commitments included in the Disaster Law Resolution (IC 2015).
• Work with the Global Advisory Panel on Blood Safety to ensure that effective promotion of non-remunerated voluntary blood donation is included within all CBHFA programmes.
• Support National Societies to provide quality community based health promotion and care services through standard setting, tool development, monitoring and evaluation and knowledge sharing.
• Provide specific technical support to ensure National Societies are able to effectively incorporate community based health within each stage of the emergency cycle and along the resilience continuum: prevention and strengthening of community based health resilience; community health and first aid preparedness; community based disease detection and early warning; emergency medical services and community health response and health service recovery including ‘building back better’.

Strengthening of Emergency Health Coordination – at National, Regional and Global Level

• Map and continually assess global practices and priority needs of National Societies including active monitoring of global health risks and development of relevant epidemiological and other emergency health information management systems.
• Actively engage with the relevant IASC sub committees, the Global Health Cluster and the Global Emergency Medical Team coordination mechanisms to ensure that RCRC - at all levels - is prepared and able to interact with these and other global health emergency coordination systems as needed.
• Support IFRC involvement in the International Coordinating Group mechanisms for outbreak prone vaccine preventable diseases.
• Manage the RCRC global health surge mechanisms and, as part of the cross organizational Emergency Support Team and in conjunction with partner and host National Societies, ensure that the right people with the right skills and equipment are able to be deployed to the right places at the right time to support National Societies emergency health needs.
• Work with the Global Advisory Panel on Blood Safety to promote and support the provision of safe, timely blood services during emergencies.
• Work with the Psychosocial Reference Centre to promote and support effective psychosocial support in emergencies and during recovery.
• Support National Societies to provide quality emergency medical services and emergency community health care through investment in preparedness, standard setting, tool development, monitoring and evaluation and knowledge sharing.
• Lead the four emergency health related cross organizational work streams: Emergency Medical Services, Public Health in Emergencies, Psychosocial Support in Emergencies and Health Emergency Coordination.

Deliver quality in operations

• Ensure that tools, guidelines and projects in the CHEC team are based on evidence and applicable international standards.
• Ensure that operational questions and challenges are addressed by operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners.
• Ensure that behavioural change components and training are following good standards and are aligned to department wide approaches.
• As part of quality enhancement programme, work with regions to support National Societies to develop systems that allow a ‘seamless’ transition from health development to emergency response to recovery, build back better and back to accelerated development.

Be a role model in leading and managing an effective, high quality team, fit for purpose

• Define clear roles, accountabilities and activities, and assign them across the team members on an ongoing basis while improving efficiencies within available resources.
  
• Plan, manage, monitor and report on the use of available resources (people, budgets, etc.) of the team in order to deliver the agreed activities for area of responsibility.
  
• Foster a customer service-oriented culture that values accountability for results, proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, and high performance.
  
• Lead the delivery of service improvement, good practice, continuous learning and knowledge sharing between the IFRC and NSs and between colleagues.
  
• Create a working environment that ensures staff growth, motivation and satisfaction.
  
• Work effectively in a matrixed, multilevel organization actively working to reduce silos and enhance collaboration. Act as secondary supervisor to project staff directly working on Community Health and Emergency Care in the field and liaise with CHEC heads in the Regions.
  

Education

All required:

Medical degree or other advanced health professional related degree.

Relevant post graduate degree in public health or tropical medicine, nutrition, or control of infectious diseases. Experience

Required:

At least two years clinical (medical, nursing or paramedical) experience of delivering community health and/or emergency health care ideally in a developing country setting.

Additionally at least 8 years working in the humanitarian or development sector, with proven experience in health programming in emergencies at community level.

Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment.

5 years management and supervisory experience in a multicultural environment, with developing countries and/or with an international organisation at management level.

Preferred:

Experience working in a RC/RC National Society and/or Federation/ICRC. Knowledge, skills and languages

Required:

Proven knowledge of health operations and programmes in (a) emergencies (b) community based health care (c) post disaster recovery and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programmes and positioning.

Programme and project management with know how to standardize and apply quality criteria
Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations.

Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilise talent and experience of team members in a productive way.
Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive.

Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners.

Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation
Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality
High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.

Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment.

Fluently spoken and written English.

Preferred:

Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic).

Competencies and values

Values : Respect for Diversity, Integrity, Professionalism, Accountability

Core Competencies : Communication, Collaboration & Teamwork, Judgement & Decision Making, National Society & Cusstomer Relations, Creativity & Innovation, Building Trust,

Managerial Competencies : Managing Staff Performance, Managing Staff Development

Functional Competencies : Strategic Orientation, Building Alliances, Leadership, Empowering Others

Comments

The Federation is an equal opportunity employer.

Please apply under organization's website : http://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/working-with-us/current-vacancies/job-description/?id=2580