Requisition ID: req44725
Job Title: Senior Technical Specialist HSS
Sector: Governance
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: No
Location: Dakar, Senegal
Work Arrangement: Open to Remote
Job Description
Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive, recover 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.

The IRC’s vision is that the impact of our programs and the influence of our ideas empowers those caught in crisis to make lasting change in their lives. To support achievement of this vision, the IRC’s Technical Excellence (TE) unit provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice. The TE unit supports technical excellence through the following ways:
1) Guide program design to achieve outcomes by incorporating the best available evidence
2) Build technical capacity of country program staff to implement, measure and continuously improve programs
3) Influence the IRC, peer agencies and donors to use proven interventions and generate new evidence to achieve change in peoples’ lives

The TE Unit is comprised of five technical Units, all of which have deep expertise in their respective sectors: Education, Economic Wellbeing, Governance, Health, Violence Prevention and Response.

IRC governance programs amplify the voices of people whose lives have been impacted by conflict and crisis. They help them regain control of their future by championing their right to influence the issues that affect their cities, towns, and communities. To achieve this, we:
1) Strengthen the ability of people affected by conflict and crisis to have a voice in how decisions are made in their communities.
2) Enable governments, civil society organizations, community representatives, and the IRC to respond to their voices and provide effective and inclusive services; and
3) Promote communications between leaders and the people they represent so that actions are meaningful and lasting.
The health technical unit (HU) is organized in three sectors: Health (integrating general primary healthcare including sexual and reproductive health, child health, chronic care, mental health & Psycho-Social Support), environmental health and nutrition. The structure emphasizes a clear division of roles between technical assistance core and important functions versus other specialized support functions to best meet the needs of country programs and regions. In 2021 the health technical unit supported programming in 6 regions and 34 countries. Health programs represent the largest sector within IRC, currently constituting of 45% of the international programs budget. Health programs are implemented through direct service delivery, use of technical assistance models and increasingly through local partnerships.

Job Overview / Summary:
The Senior Technical Specialist (HSS) is a senior position within the Health and Governance Technical Units (H/G TUs). The incumbent is responsible for ensuring strategic leadership for the HSS workstream to set the foundations to put forward Systems Strengthening as one of IRC’s Strategy 100 Phase 2 ambitions starting in FY2025. He/She will contribute to building HSS capacity within TUs and where required support IRC’s country programs on business development, while promoting a continuous learning and communication culture across the organization.

This position will work in close collaboration with the Health and Governance Unit Senior Management teams, Senior Technical Advisors and other technical staff working in different HTU sectors. This position will also play an important role in partners and donor engagement, advocacy, and IRC representation related to delivery of HSS programming.

Major Responsibilities:
1) Technical Influence
• Build on the existing resources and governance structures (HSS steering committee, HSS working group) established by H/G TUs to update and develop HSS-related strategic guidance documents and tools that will ultimately feed into the development of IRC’s Systems Strengthening ambition.
• Lead the internal dissemination process and ownership building of the above-mentioned key resources among TU and CP staff through seamless coordination and communication
• Develop a capacity building plan for TU staff and support capacity building/recruitment of systems strengthening country program staff as needed.
• Contribute to global workstreams on HSS such as the HSS in fragile settings WG, donor-led HSS workstreams, etc.
• Ensure internal dissemination and use of donor and operational partner strategies on HSS

2) Partnership and Resource Mobilization
• Contribute to the design of HSS proposals and the HSS component/strategy of health proposals.
• Support country facing TAs in identifying and building strategic partnerships that will improve health outcomes at the national and sub national levels, in close working relationship with the HU Director for Partnerships and Program Development, AMU, Grants, Operations & Analytics Team (GOAT).

3) Technical Assistance to country programs
• Support health and governance TAs to provide result-oriented technical assistance to existing strategic health projects. This may include engagement with local and national health authorities to facilitate discussions on innovative approaches or reforms.
• Guide and coordinate evidence generation around HSS, documentation of best practices and lessons learned including on models of service delivery, human resources, medications and technologies, health information systems, financing, and governance and leadership.
• Contribute to quality assessment of HSS projects.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of Collaborating, Learning and Adapting processes that involves key partners.

Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: STA – SS, Governance Unit and STA Country Support, Health Unit (Management in Partnership)
Directly supervises: May temporarily supervise interns or consultants
Other Internal contacts: This position requires a collaborative working relationship with health and governance unit teams, other technical units, Awards Management Unit, Grants, Operations & Analytics Team, Private Fundraising, country programs and regional offices and departments – particularly with other STAs in the health unit and other technical units.
Job Requirements:
1. Public administration and management in the health sector, or other related experience plus degree in MPH or equivalent
2. Experience in designing and supporting the implementation of the WHO HSS six core components or “building blocks”: (i) service delivery, (ii) health workforce, (iii) health information systems, (iv) access to essential medicines, (v) financing, and (vi) leadership/governance
3. 6-8 years of public health experience in senior technical and management positions, designing, implementing, managing and evaluating HSS programs and activities for developing countries including provision of remote technical support.
4. Demonstrated expertise in primary health care service delivery in humanitarian and development settings and strategic areas (e.g., governance, health systems strengthening and research), and program management and fund-raising (e.g., program development, proposal writing, monitoring & evaluation, and management of donor relations).
5. Excellent team player - the ability to work with multidisciplinary team, motivate staff and promote productivity, resolve conflict, and contributes to a pleasant work environment.
6. Excellent communication skills - the ability to write professional documents, and create and deliver presentations to different audiences: project/program staff, management staff, mature professionals, policy makers, donors etc.
7. Solid organizational skills - the ability to be flexible and work well under pressure, dealing with competing priorities, in a fast-paced team environment.
8. Professional-level fluency in English; French proficiency would be a strong advantage. Proficiency in Arabic and Spanish would be a plus
9. Ability to travel approximately 20% of the time.

Working Environment: “Standard office work environment” as per IRC policy. May be required to travel to provide on demand targeted HSS technical assistance to some country programs.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, l'égalité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.
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