A Health Program Manager – Sahel At Children of the World

Context and rationale

Founded in 1968, “Enfants du Monde” (EdM) is a Non-Governmental Organization of Swiss origin specializing in child welfare, focusing its efforts in the education and health sectors. Enfants du Monde positions itself as an actor in sustainable development whose central concern is to contribute to the establishment, in its sectors of action, of quality processes, viable in the long term and based on local policies. of development. Its basic strategy is based on close collaboration with local partners within the framework of a program approach. The working approach is to favor and facilitate the development and implementation of concerted programs between different local actors. EdM contributes to these programs not only financially but also technically through the provision of innovative approaches and highly specialized human resources. The NGO started its activities on the African continent in West Africa from Niger in 1985 before expanding to Burkina Faso in 1989 where it set up at the same time its regional coordination office for the Sahel . This office is responsible for ensuring the link between local partners and the general secretariat at headquarters in Geneva.

Since 2006, EdM has supported the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (MSHP) of Burkina Faso in the implementation of a health promotion strategy in the field of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) . To do this, it draws, among other things, on the strategic framework of the World Health Organization (WHO) “Collaborating with Individuals, Families and Communities to improve maternal and neonatal health” (IFC framework). EdM’s support for the MSHP is based on a program articulated in phases and its commitment for the period 2021 – 2024 aims to improve access to quality health care for pregnant women, new mothers and their children (under 5 years old). It is structured around two axes: (i) Improvement of the national health system and (ii) Strengthening the capacities of populations to remain in good health.

As part of the implementation of this program and with a view to developing the health portfolio, EdM is recruiting:

A HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER

Missions

The EdM regional health program manager will assume three distinct and complementary roles: 1. Support and supervision of the implementation of health programs/projects in Burkina Faso; 2. Development of the health portfolio at the regional level and 3. Knowledge management and development of the health theme within the institution overall.

Furthermore, the regional health program manager will have to contribute to adapting the portfolio of activities to the current context of the countries of intervention in the Sahel. To do this, he/she will have to leverage EdM’s expertise and experience in health promotion to enable EdM’s engagement in health interventions in crisis situations.

The three objectives of the position are:

1. Ensure the monitoring of health projects, both from a management and technical support point of view, and contribute to the development of a strategic vision of EdM intervention in health in Burkina Faso and gradually at the regional level. To this end, he/she is responsible for the overall supervision and coordination of programmatic, operational and strategic management as well as the performance of the health programs/projects implemented. He/She is also responsible for supervising the various heads/managers of health programs/projects to ensure good management of partnerships. He/She ensures consistency and compliance of implementation with national health policies, with the policies and procedures of EdM, principals or donors. He/She is responsible for the overall leadership of health programs/projects and guarantees the achievement of objectives and results in strict compliance with all commitments made to principals and donors. And finally, he/she contributes through his/her conceptual and operational reflections to the strengthening of an EdM health intervention strategy in Burkina Faso and gradually, on the basis of future opportunities, in the region integrating that in crisis situations. .

2. Develop new projects in the field of health in Burkina Faso and in other countries in the region, including interventions in crisis situations and the dimensions of education and health. To do this, he/she monitors calls for projects and funding opportunities, participates in building partnerships and alliances and organizes the drafting of health project proposals to be submitted to donors.

3. Ensure knowledge management, develop conceptual reflections and represent EdM on the theme of health at the regional and sometimes international level. Thus, in conjunction with the regional coordinator, the EdM management at headquarters, the Sahel health program manager and the health specialists at headquarters, he/she capitalizes on and shares good practices from health programs/projects (including the articulation education and health and intervention in crisis situations) in a logic of internal learning within the organization. He/She provides technical and operational support to EdM staff and its partners on the application and understanding of policies, strategies, processes and best practices in health and particularly in crisis situations.

Main tasks

Technical support/support for partners and monitoring of activities:

• Assist project/program teams in the development of strategic documents, planning and periodic reports;
• Support/advise project/program teams and challenge them regarding the technical, administrative and financial management of projects/programs;
• Organize and/or participate in the reflection and design of tools for implementing health projects/programs in the Sahel region;
• Strengthen the capacities of EdM health project/program teams, particularly in terms of intervention in crisis situations;
• Support project/program teams to ensure quality requirements and compliance with good practices in the health field and particularly in crisis situations;
• Contribute to the quality assurance of data from the various health programs/projects in the Sahel region;
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the quality of their execution (project monitoring).

Administrative management, coordination and reporting:

• Participate in the preparation of partnership agreements for the implementation of programs/projects;
• Ensure that the Partnership Agreements comply with the procedures, policies and requirements of the principals or donors where applicable and ensure their proper execution;
• In conjunction with the Administrative and Financial Manager (RAF) and the Regional Coordinator, monitor disbursements and/or payment requests;
• Supervise the budgetary monitoring of programs/projects at the regional coordination level;
• In collaboration with the coordinator, ensure the consistency of the management (HR, finances, materials, etc.) of the health programs/projects of the regional coordination of EdM in the Sahel:
• Facilitate work in synergy between program/project teams from EdM health intervention countries in the Sahel region;
• Coordinate and facilitate the various reflection, assessment and programming meetings between the stakeholders of the health programs/projects of the Sahel regional coordination;
• Report on the implementation of various health programs/projects to management and technical and financial partners;
• Supervise the production of all reports provided for in the monitoring matrices of health programs/projects in the Sahel region;
• Ensure, with crisis intervention program/project teams, regular and timely information on the 5W matrix of the Health Cluster;
• Ensure with health program/project managers the completion of all baseline studies/research and planned evaluations and supervise the conduct and monitoring of deliverables as well as the dissemination of results;
• Develop and facilitate and/or implement response plans to the recommendations of evaluations and studies;
• Evaluate and monitor program/project accountability measures in line with EdM’s overall commitments to basic humanitarian standards.

Development of a strategic vision:

• Develop an integrated vision between the organization’s different health programs/projects, their components and implementation actors;
• Participate in discussions concerning the development of health programs/projects and a vision of EdM’s intervention in the field including the dimensions of education and health as well as in crisis situations (medium-term strategy, positioning).
• Maintain dialogue with institutional and strategic partners;
• Participate in networks and technical and political dialogue bodies;
• Represent EdM at conferences and events on themes linked/related to health projects/programs in EdM’s countries of intervention in the Sahel (including Switzerland).

Exploration of new partnership and financing opportunities in Burkina Faso and potentially in other African countries:

• Create a directory of potential financial partners at the local and regional level;
• Monitor and inform the Regional Coordinator and headquarters of any grant or financing opportunities in a timely manner;
• Participate in building partnerships and alliances;
• Organize and participate in the writing of technical and financial proposals for programs/projects (exchanges, design of the concept note and project document, links with partners and donors, submission to donors, etc.);
• Maintain a network of contacts with donors in the sector;
• Create and maintain virtual consortium links with other organizations with a view to responding to possible calls for projects;
• In close collaboration with the hierarchy, define intervention mechanisms in other countries in the Sahel region, in particular the exploration of new countries of intervention (prospecting missions, data analysis, etc.).

Health knowledge management: Collaborate in the capitalization and dissemination of knowledge accumulated in the organization in Burkina Faso and in the region

• Facilitate access to relevant information on programs/projects carried out in Burkina Faso and the region;
• Contribute to identifying external sources of information (ie: data, articles, case studies, research reports) existing in the country and in the region in relation to health experiences and in the dimensions of health and education, carried out by the organization’s programs/projects;
• Capitalize on good practices from health programs/projects and in the health and education linkage dimensions carried out in Burkina Faso and in other countries in the region;
• Share experiences of health programs/projects carried out in Burkina Faso and other countries in the region within Buco-EdM and with headquarters;
• Collaborate in the dissemination of knowledge at the national, regional and international level: collaborate in research and capitalization work

Miscellaneous :

In addition to the tasks mentioned, the Health Program Manager may be required to carry out any other tasks assigned by their hierarchical supervisors.

Required qualifications, experience and skills

• University degree of Master’s or Master II (BAC+5) at least in health sciences, social sciences or an equivalent field;
• At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in implementing health programs;
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of health promotion;
• Experience in emergency program/project management;
• Good organizational, coordination, negotiation and communication skills (written and oral) both in groups and interpersonally;
• Excellent skills in supervision, coaching and project coordination;
• Real capacities for adaptation, critical analysis, listening, synthesis, writing as well as a great sense of priorities;
• Ability to produce short- and medium-term prospective reports, analyses, briefing notes and briefing documents;
• Good budget management skills;
• Ability to identify donors, financing opportunities and write projects;
• Experience in fundraising;
• Perfect command of written and spoken French, knowledge of English an asset;
• Knowledge of common computer applications (Word, Excel, Office, Outlook, etc.);
• Ability to cope with heavy workloads and work under pressure;
• Be proactive, rigorous and organized;
• Comfortable with video conferencing tools.

Success indicators

The person will be evaluated on the following points:

• Management: ability to plan, implement and monitor in support and accountability of partners in order to ensure the achievement of the expected results of the program;
• Communication: ability to communicate to different audiences, through different channels and in a formal manner, to write reports and to intervene during events ensuring the visibility of EdM;
• Collaboration: ability to contribute to a healthy work environment conducive to exchanges, carrying out activities and celebrating successes;
• Resource mobilization: ability to identify donors, financing opportunities and write projects.