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.
BACKGROUND:
The IRC has been among the leaders in the field of reproductive health in conflict-affected settings for over fifteen years during which time enormous strides have been made in integrating and prioritizing reproductive health in humanitarian responses. IRC is a founding member of the Reproductive Health Response in Conflict Consortium and an active participant in the Interagency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations. Reproductive Health programs constitute the largest portion of IRC’s health programs.
IRC’s reproductive health services are geared towards addressing the most critical needs of conflict-affected people and are respectful of their cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. IRC strives to ensure that reproductive health services in accordance with the MISP+ are made available to all populations affected by acute crises. However, the IRC, along with other humanitarian agencies, still finds itself falling short of providing these valuable services during acute crises in a timely and relevant manner. The IRC is currently in the process of improving its reproductive health response capacity in emergencies. A technical advisor dedicated to emergency RH response will be recruited and a stock of medical and other material for launching rapid RH responses to emergencies will be put in place. The stock will include, among other items, several MISP kits and will be based in Nairobi. A program manager will oversee the management of the stock and the capacity to move the stock, by air if needed will be built and maintained.
SCOPE OF WORK: The Emergency Technical Advisor-Reproductive Health will be based in Nairobi and be deployed in case of emergencies that require a comprehensive RH response. S/he will report directly to the Senior Technical Advisor – Reproductive health (STA-RH). The technical advisor (TA), when deployed to an emergency setting is expected to rapidly initiate a quality RH response including securing a base of operations, recruiting staff and liaising with other agencies on the ground. The TA will ensure that RH services in accordance with the MISP+ model will be made available to the populations affected by the crises.
The emergency deployment will take place within 72 hours of a decision to intervene in a given emergency is made. S/he will be responsible for securing a suitable location from which to spearhead the response, recruit local staff. Manage the emergency RHs tock once it is on the ground and collaborate with other agencies providing services amid that crisis. The length of the stay of the TA in the emergency setting will vary widely in accordance of the evolution of the situation and could last for over 1-2 months at times.
During times with no acute emergency deployment, the TA will be responsible for supporting RH programs in several countries where IRC conducts long term health programs. The support will be provided in collaboration with the STA-RH, the RH Specialist and TAs supporting health programs in the given countries.
S/he will be responsible for keeping abreast with best practices. The TA will document IRC’s emergency RH responses and present data and lessons learned at relevant professional meetings and other forums, and will participate to RH related relevant interagency initiatives.
Finally the TA will be responsible, together with a program manager, for the proper maintenance of the emergency RH stock that will be maintained in a Nairobi warehouse. The TA should ensure the stock is properly stored, rotated and moved when needed.
RESPONSIBILITIES: • Together with the RH team headed by the STA-RH, work on deciding if a given acute emergency requires a IRC RH response and rapidly mobilize to locations where the IRC decides to intervene. • Once on the ground design, implement, monitor and spearhead strong RH programs in response to acute emergencies where the IRC decides to intervene. • Coordinate the IRC’s emergency RH responses with other agencies and local actors and represent the IRC in relevant forums in locations where mobilized. • Ensure the proper maintenance and management of the emergency RH stock by the program manager and ensure the proper mobilization of relevant components of the stock in case of emergencies. • In between emergencies, support RH programs in countries other than DRC, Pakistan and Chad with a strong emphasis on the implementation of the FP and PAC services and emergency RH preparedness through regular contact and field visits in collaboration with the RH Specialist based in New York and the STA-RH. • Identify programmatic gaps in the above country programs and make recommendations on addressing them. • Collaborate with other Health Unit colleagues in the development and refinement of the IRC RH strategy, RH policy and RH technical resources. • Take on other special projects as negotiated with supervisor.
REQUIREMENTS: • Demonstrable technical expertise and working knowledge of Reproductive Health in developing countries with a strong emphasis on emergency/conflict settings. • At least 5 yrs. progressive public health related international field experience in Reproductive Health in developing countries with a strong knowledge of the MISP/MISP+ and family planning • Fluency in written and spoken English. Spoken French ability is required. • A medical/nursing/midwifery degree is a strong plus. • Excellent capability to represent the IRC in forums in emergency settings and excellent communication skills including the ability to deliver presentations to professional, lay and donor audiences. • Proven writing and editing skills, including the ability to effectively write and edit grant proposals and reports. • Effective people and program management skills in acute emergency contexts: the ability to train, lead and manage staff productively under stressful circumstances. • Flexible work attitude: Be flexible and yet focused & reliable in an environment of changing demands; • Availability and willingness to travel 60-80% of the time to regional and international locations (at extreme short notice in case of emergencies). • Good Computer skills: facility with MS Word, Excel, and email/internet software.
Please apply at
http://tbe.taleo.net/NA2/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRC&cws=1&rid=7254