TITLE: Health and Nutrition Advisor
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Impact and Influencing
LOCATION: Damascus/ One of the Syria Country Offices within Syria with expectation to travel to other locations 50% of the time
CONTRACT LENGTH: Fixed term – 12 months
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
ROLE PURPOSE:
The Health and Nutrition Technical Advisor plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality, expansion, and impact of Save the Children’s health and nutrition programming in Syria. The primary purpose of this role is to provide technical leadership, strategic direction, and capacity strengthening for SCI’s health and nutrition interventions to enhance child survival, maternal health, and nutrition outcomes across the Whole of Syria.
The Health and Nutrition Technical Advisor ensures that SCI’s health and nutrition programs in Syria are technically sound, well-funded, and aligned with national and global best practices. By leading program design, providing technical oversight, and advocating for improved policies, the role directly contributes to SCI’s mission of improving child survival and well-being in conflict-affected areas of Syria.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Head of program quality and Impact
Staff reporting to this post: This is an advisory role with no direct line management responsibility; however, the role provides technical backstopping and guidance to program staff.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Strategy and Programme Development:
• Lead on Health and nutrition technical needs assessments and partner capacity assessments in coordination with other SC thematic areas and/or other external sector agencies (ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs).
• Lead on health and nutrition or multi-sectoral technical assessments, baselines, evaluations and surveys in coordination with other thematic areas and/or other external sector agencies
• Lead on the development of the Health and Nutrition strategy with a particular focus on maternal and Child health and integrated nutrition interventions addressing both chronic and acute malnutrition, ensuring Health and nutrition program respond to the overall child-centred and integrated response model.
• In coordination with the wider technical team, lead on the development of sector specific high-quality concept notes and proposals including engagement with member and donor Technical Advisers.
• Lead on the design of contextually relevant sector guidelines, standards, tools and quality benchmarks
• Provide technical checking of health and nutrition sub-thematic areas designed in an integration with other sectors, and proactively promote high quality health and nutrition technical approaches within country programmes.
• Lead on preparedness and response to immediate onset emergencies, Disease outbreak, or any public health emergency in collaboration with WASH sectors.
• Work with other TAs to operationalise the Integration matrix, ensuring Health and nutrition are integrated within all programs. identify key areas and opportunities for health sector expansion and support integrated programme design that helps in achieving protection and multi-sector outcomes
• Working closely with the MEAL team to develop sector indicators, MEAL plans and feedback mechanisms across all health and nutrition programmes, as well as monitor the impact of Health and Nutrition interventions
• Represent Syria Country office in Community of Practice and Technical Working groups within Save the Children, relating to health and nutrition sectors.
Continues technical support for health and nutrition program implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Ensure all health and nutrition programme staff receive the necessary and appropriate technical support. In consultation with staff and project managers agree on the range of advice, support, training and/or other assistance required from the role to facilitate high quality programming, involving regular visits to field sites.
• Extend technical support and direction to Syria program staff in IYCF-E counselling, treatment and prevention of both chronic and acute malnutrition, maternal health and key areas for integration such as Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Child Protection, Education and Food Security and Livelihoods.
• Provide technical oversight of Health and Nutrition programme implementation (with staff and partners) to ensure timely and quality delivery of programme activities
• Collaborate closely and provide technical support to the health and nutrition field staff to identify needs and help solve operational and technical challenges.
• When needed, identify Health programme supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan and provide proactive technical input to health and nutrition tender procurement.
Capacity Building:
• Identify learning and training opportunities for Save the Children staff and partners and work as a mentor and role model for less experienced staff.
• Oversee development of technical training material on Newburn, Child, Maternal and reproductive health and nutrition strategies and approaches including contextualization of Health and nutrition Common approaches within Save the Children, at country level and lead on delivery of capacity-building objectives.
• Develop learning needs assessment and capacity building plans for internal teams and for partner staff, linking capacity building initiatives to wider opportunities identified via coordination and networks.
Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:
• Help shape broader sector strategies through influence of and if possible, leadership within inter-agency coordination forums, such as the Whole of Syria and health and Nutrition Working Groups, ensuring the specific health and nutritional activities are well coordinated.
• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies, and take a leadership role within Interagency Coordination forums, such as the health cluster, Nutrition Cluster and the health and nutrition Working Group ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. Take the lead in technical working groups at national or sub-national level where needed.
• Take steps to document lessons learned, from health and nutrition interventions programmes, for wider dissemination.
• In collaboration with SC health and Nutrition colleagues, feed in learning, experiences and evidence to relevant global advocacy health and nutrition objectives. Take the initiative in documenting lessons learnt, best practice and case studies from all programming areas to shape in-country strategies and programme approaches and contribute to broader sector learning.
• Support fundraising for the health and nutrition sector, including development of high-quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with key members and donors.
• Pro-actively identify advocacy opportunities, case studies and research opportunities which link with wider organisational strategic objectives and turn these into action.
General:
• Demonstrate leadership in relation to Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian aid are maintained in accordance with the Sphere and other relevant sector Standards while ensure the long-term health and nutrition intervention including building the national health system.
• Ensure the Centrality of Protection and Do No Harm are embedded across the health and nutrition programme cycle
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
The post holder must commit to work in an international agency that promotes diversity, equity and
inclusion and fights racism, gender inequality and discrimination in all forms; and to model positive behaviours that demonstrate a commitment to equality and respect to all colleagues, partners and communities.
QUALIFICATIONS
MSc/MA Public health/ degree one of the public health field, in project management, development studies, research or other areas relevant to the role and scope of work – Bachelor degree and relevant work experience (at least 6 years) can be considered as well.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience public health professional with experience in applying health and nutrition best practices and approaches in emergency, recovery and development contexts.
• Fluency in Arabic and English; Kurdish language is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing Health and nutrition teams.
• Program implementer with at least 5 years of proven public health and clinical experience in MNCHN/FP-N program implementation;
• Demonstrated understanding of how issues of equity and gender relate to accessibility of health care services for women, newborns, and children, and will have experience analyzing these issues, and developing and implementing strategies to improve community level demand for and access to services;
• Familiarity with existing MOH guidelines, policies, and programs;
• Proven experience in training staff and community members, and has proven experience and knowledge of capacity building team members and government and community counterparts;
• Ability to think critically, strategically and operationally;
• Education to Bachelor/Masters level in Public Health, Nutrition, or a related subject
• Previous experience of providing technical support to Health and Nutrition teams in the areas of maternal health, IYCF-E, CMAM, and Micronutrients.
• Proven ability of mentoring, coaching and training on health and nutrition subjects
• Experience of senior level representation.
• Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessments, project reports, and proposals
• Excellent communication skills, politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
Desirable
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts.
• Experience in utilizing gender and disability sensitive indicators and measures.
• Experience in promoting children’s participation in program design, implementation and evaluation.
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Safeguarding our Staff:
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.