Senior RMNCH Expert At Expertise France

Senior RMNCH Expert

1. INTRODUCTION:

About Expertise France

Expertise France is a public agency part of the AFD Group, merging six agencies under the supervision of the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance with a strong inter-ministerial vocation. EF offers program engineering and technical assistance by developing and implementing international cooperation actions worldwide. EF operates in various development and institutional cooperation fields, including safety and security reform, post-crisis/stability, public health, human rights, strengthening of institutions and NGOs, and governance.

Expertise France designs and implements projects which aim to contribute to the balanced development of partner countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the priorities of France’s external action.

1. CONTEXT

Syrian conflict

The Syrian conflict is having a devastating and lasting impact on Syria and across the region. With the conflict almost entering its eleventh year, the needs of the affected populations for assistance are of an unprecedented scale. In 2013, the Syria crisis transformed itself from a humanitarian emergency to a multidimensional and protracted crisis directly affecting several countries in the region – mainly Lebanon and Jordan, but also Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt – whose social and economic capacity to deal with the ever-growing influx of refugees is all but exhausted. All actors involved in the crisis response agree that this massive challenge requires a comprehensive regional response, not only humanitarian aid but also longer-term structural support to host countries and communities, especially as no political solution to the crisis is in sight in the short term. Many communities inside Syria face disrupted humanitarian support and quickly deteriorating public services and infrastructure, including the communities of northeast Syria.

1. EXPERTISE FRANCE IN SYRIA:

Since 2013, Expertise France has been implementing direct non-humanitarian assistance programs in non-regime-held areas across Syria. EF developed and implemented several stabilization projects targeting conflict-affected communities in Syria through local Syrian NGOs and CSOs with whom EF built strong partnerships. Expertise France’s fields of intervention cover the following sectors: health, livelihoods, early recovery, and capacity development.

Expertise France in Northeast Syria:

Expertise France has been engaged in northeast Syria since the defeat of ISIS with an aim to support the transition to stability. EF stabilization efforts pursue backing the third pillar of France’s stabilization approach that involves improving access to essential services and stimulating economic recovery and livelihoods.

Health recovery in Northeast Syria Project:

Expertise France (EF) developed the “Health Recovery in Northeast Syria” (HERNES) program. The HERNES program was funded jointly by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (French MoEFA) and the European Union (EU). The program was delivered as HERNES 1 between 2019 and 2021 and was extended as HERNES 2 until January 31st, 2023. The third phase of the HERNES program started from 1st of February 2023 and ended on 31st of January 2024, and was funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (French MoEFA). HERNES 4 starts by February 1st, 2024, and is planned to be concluded at the end of January 2026. The program is delivered in close collaboration with the NES Health Working Group (HWG) and in partnership with its implementing partners (IP). The IPs focus on health service delivery, while EF’s broader approach is harmonization and coordination of healthcare services and support to capacity building of RMNCH service providers, this includes operational research, supportive supervision, and capacity building activities.

1. TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

To support the Project’s objectives, HERNES project has sector harmonization and capacity building components aiming at providing technical support to healthcare providers in NES which include activities related to provision of Training of Trainers (TOT), Cascade training workshops, Supportive Supervision activities focused on Clinical Audit and Operational Research. In addition, HERNES supports several healthcare facilities providing RMNCH services.

EF is seeking the expertise of a qualified senior Obstetrician-Gynaecologist with the below specifications:

Mandatory

• Location: Based in North East Syria (remotely)
• Specialist Medical Doctor with a Postgraduate Degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
• Knowledge of and adherence to international and national evidence-based practice and guidelines for Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• More than 5 years experience of working as an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist in a clinical and leadership capacity in NES
• Understanding of the health system in NES with ability to identify gaps, find solutions to and prioritize actions to improve the availability and quality of care for women and children
• Knowledge and experience of clinical teaching in Obstetrics and /or Gynaecology
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Arabic including in medical terminology
• Experience in the use of software packages including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Effective communication and reporting skills in English and Arabic
• Teambuilding, leadership, and ability to work to deadlines with excellent prioritization and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness and ability to travel within NES
• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the international agenda for the improvement of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (RMNCH) in humanitarian and/or development settings
• Previous experience and use of quality improvement methods including clinical audit, maternal death audit and/or perinatal death audit
• Previousworking experience with an NGO or INGO working in NES
• Experience in the use of other software packages such as KOBO , SPSS
• Previous research experience including regarding development of a research agenda and questions, research methods and tools for qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis of data, writing of papers and dissemination of research findings