Medair is an international humanitarian organization established in 1988. Medair has been operating in Afghanistan since 1996 with programs mainly in the Health, Water & Sanitation, and Livelihoods sectors with significant reconstruction activities in remote areas. Current projects are Water & Sanitation, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Tirinkot district.  The project intends to improve and extend WASH services including water supply infrastructure and hygiene practices to improve outcomes for vulnerable families.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Uruzgan, which has been significantly affected by drought and conflict conditions. Building upon Medair’s decades of experience in the Central Highlands and Kandahar, the project intends to improve and extend the utilization of lifesaving preventive and curative nutrition and health services by mothers, PLWs, and children U5; to increase access to clean water, to reduce vulnerability to water-related and other preventable diseases, and to improve and increase food security for the most vulnerable families through food voucher distributions.

Overall Purpose:

This is a senior technical lead position for Health and nutrition at BHC and outreach sites. The incumbent is required to supervise, ensuring correct tools and guidelines are in place at all times, provide technical support for the health and nutrition team across all four facilities and outreach sites ensuring that health and Nutrition service provision to targeted communities in Uruzgan are undertaken in accordance with national BPHS guidelines, including IMAM, IYCF-E, IMNCI, MISP, MHPSS, EPI, and COVID-19 protocols. Additionally, the incumbent shall assist in establishing referral pathways to nearby health facilities for emergency services, and assist in surveillance, reporting, and data management. He will as well provide cover up role for the position of male MD in his absent to ensure continuity of services at the facilities and outreach sites.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Effective Health and Nutrition implementation by undertaking a technical lead and supervision in all health and nutrition facilities working closely with facility charges and staff at the BHCs and at the outreach sites.
• Ensure all supplies including M&E tools are in place, well managed, staffs oriented on use of the tools and reports are completed and shared in a timely manner.
• Support covers up of facility in charges and directly gets involved in medical consultation and treatment where need be, prevention and treatment of malnourished children and PLW in the assigned locations as required.
• Ensure all staff in the health and nutrition team is following the national guidelines and organizational protocols.
• Supervision and coordination of the community component of IMAM and IYCF in the assigned catchment areas.
• Liaison with community leaders in the assigned areas to facilitate good working relations and community acceptance and participation in the project.
• Disease surveillance, data compilation, analysis and reporting.
• Any other activities not listed in the JD but requested by line manager and Health & Nutrition Project Manager.

Supervisory responsibilities:

• Provide oversight and supervision of all health and nutrition activities at the BHC and outreach sites using monitoring check lists.
• Provide cover up support to service provision where necessary.
• Coordinate staff to check patient flow and organize the team and the site efficiently and according to quality standards.
• Oversee the implementation of OPD health Nutrition (SAM and MAM) services and IYCF, EPI, RH services and community components of IMAM and IYCF at the assigned location while following the national guidelines and protocols.
• Carry out supervision and on-the-job training of health and nutrition staffs and CHNVs involved in the program.
• Establish staff duty roster and work plan for the outreach services and provide daily oversight and supervision.
• Coordinate and liaise with the NEWs covering the outreach catchment area to ensure community mobilization, screening, education is carried out according to the work plan, and defaulters and non-responders are followed up.
• Ensure adherence to the organization’s values and professional behaviour of all nutrition staff and take the lead in resolving problems if needed.

Technical responsibilities (involvement as needed):

• Knowledge gap assessment, on job coaching, organise and conduct refresher trainings for Health and Nutrition staffs.
• Provide OPD consultation and treatment when required, examine admitted children and provide appropriate nutritional and medical treatment following national protocols.
• During time for gaps filling, the incumbent should Examine patients and SAM/MAM admitted children for complications, and provide appropriate nutritional and medical treatment or referral to higher level of support
• Assess and review health, and Nutrition (SAM/MAM) complications and children under 6 months and take the final decision on referral to the hospital or IPD SAM
• Ensure appropriate education and counselling is given to the beneficiaries and care takers
• Standard set up of BHC and outreach sites while ensuring availability of function equipment’s are in place.
• Ensure effective response to medical emergencies including coordination with Midwife on deliveries at the facilities and support in arranging for timely referrals when needed.
• Oversee the discharge of children U5 and PLW according to specified discharge criteria as per national guideline
• Support health and Nutrition team in conducting triage to identify severe sick patients and assure direct treatment according to BPHS, IMA and INMCI guideline
• Support in ensuring and monitoring Cold chain equipment’s including support in filling the cold chain refrigerator when needed
• Support in disease surveillance at the facility and at the outreach site.
• Assure COVID-19 rules to reduce transmission are always followed

Quality management:

• Ensure accurate record keeping of all activities at the health & nutrition site or in the communities.
• Collect, review, and submit required daily, weekly and monthly reports.
• Carry out required quality checks according to provided checklists.
• Ensure the functionality of feedback mechanism and AAP from beneficiaries.
• Ensure all guidelines, education charts, IEC materials and M&E tools are always available in the facility and staffs are oriented on the usage.
• Clinical supportive supervision and conducting on job training to H&N staff.

External representation:

• Act as the team focal point for community leaders and beneficiaries in the assigned catchment area.
• Liaise with Government and other partners providing health and nutrition services in the same location.
• Attend district level nutrition related meetings if required
• In collaboration with the Heath & Nutrition Manager and other staff operating in the same district ensure staff of referral facilities are informed of all aspects of the program including referral criteria
• Assist in mapping of villages and communities that have poor access to health and nutrition services.
• In collaboration with the Health & Nutrition Manager establish referral pathways to health facilities, RH, Paediatric inpatient facility and IPD SAM services .
• Provide feedback to the Health & Nutrition PM and Health & Nutrition Technical Manager on community specific challenges and barriers.

Logistics:

• Coordinate and ensure timely preparation of regular stock requests to ensure sufficient stock (medicine, vaccines, medical supplies, food products and non-medical supplies) is available at each assigned location.
• Ensure safe storage of all medicine’s medical supplies and equipment’s, food products and equipment.
• Monitor expiration dates to ensure stocks are used prior to their expiration date.
• Ensure weekly stock checks and keep accurate records of stock movements of medical and nutritional supplies.
• Report any suspected or identified fraud cases at the health and nutrition site to the Project Manager.

Education: Graduate from recognized medical faculty (medicine, Public Health or Advanced Nursing) with certified licenses is essential. But to be a Medical Doctor, Public health background, IMAM, IMNCI, RH, IYCF trainer, and EPI knowledge is desirable. 

Relevant experience: 

• Minimum 8 years of relevant post graduate experience is essential. 
• Supervision or Team Leader is essential.
• Health & Nutrition project implementation experience is essential.
• Experience implementing BPHS including IMAM/ CMAM/ IMNCI/ RH/ MHPSS and EPI programs is desirable.
• Working/implementing programs in insecure and remote environments is desirable.
• Working with an international organization is desirable.

Languages: Fluent Pashto oral and written skills and good English skills is essential.

Computer: Strong MS Excel, MS Word and ODK is essential and proficiency data analysis and reporting, familiar with PNND, WFP and UNICEF reporting is desirable.

Organizational capacity: 

• Able to plan activities based on tight project objectives
• Ability to organize a health and nutrition site efficiently and orderly, coordinating team members and beneficiaries, identifying bottlenecks, and providing solutions.
• Experience in project monitoring and management.
• Ability to work with community leaders to arrange clinic sites, access, and security.

Team- building:

• Leadership skills and team player
• Ability to assist teams when needed
• Willingness to cover tasks of other team members when needed
• Good training and coaching skills
• Supportive leadership skills and team player.

Adaptability:

• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to plan work efficiently and delegate or fill gaps if needed.

Problem solving & initiative:

• Excellent problem-solving skills with a solution-oriented attitude
• Able to recognize and resolve team conflicts productively.

Character:

• Respectful attitude towards team members and beneficiaries.
• Comfortable talking and negotiating with community leaders and beneficiaries.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills.
• Honest and dependable, with strong anti-fraud principles and high level of integrity.
• Flexible working hours.

Communication skills:

• Maintains clear and consistent communication with line manager and other team-members.
• Willingness to listen and consider differing opinions.

Interested applicants should apply and forward their applications through the online JOB APPLICATION FORM which can be found under the submission email. The link should be copied, pasted, and opened on a new page.

Note: Please indicate the position title and vacancy number in your application letter. Applications received after the closing date or without the exact position title and vacancy number will not be given consideration. After submitting the online application, if some applicants do not immediately receive an automatic email from Medair, they shouldn't worry about their submission. When you open the link. please use the dropdown menu and choose the title of the position.