UN Health Specialist (IDEC) Job Careers – United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Job Title:        Health
Specialist (IDEC)

Organization: United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Duty Station: Kampala,
Uganda

Reports to: Head
of Office

Grade: NOC

About US:

The United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate for
the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and expand
their opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners,
we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical
action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded
children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Job Summary:  The Health Specialist (IDEC) supports the
development and preparation of the health programme and is responsible for
managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting the programme
progress of a sector of the health programme (e.g. gender, maternal, neonatal,
child survival/development) within the country programme. The Health Specialist
provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming
processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and
sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management
approaches and methodology (RBM), organizational Strategic Plans and goals,
standards of performance, and accountability framework.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

Support to
programme development and planning

  • The Officer will provide overall technical support, quality
    assurance, monitoring of progress and ensure adequate planning &
    coordination for the successful implementation of the Intervention for
    Disability in Early Childhood (IDEC) project in Mubende & Kasanda
    districts. This will form the basis for the development of national
    guidelines for scale up across the country.
  • To provide technical support for the implementation of the IMNCI/
    ICATT programme including the evaluation of the quality of programme in
    the 10 West-Nile districts and 17 districts of northern Uganda.
  • Participate in district planning and quarterly health program
    performance review meetings to ensure that the IDEC and IMNCI programmes
    are integrated and regularly reviewed in the one district health plan in
    the districts of focus.

Programme
management, monitoring and delivery of results

  • Collaborate with the C4D team to conduct the orientation of district
    leaders, cultural leaders, faith-based leader, other resource persons
    including VHTs & staff from Mubende & Kasanda districts on the C4D
    package developed for social mobilization against negative Attitudes &
    Practices towards children with disabilities.
  • Work in close collaboration with the PCA partner as well as the
    district health and education departments, coordinate the training of
    trainers and cascade training on Early Identification, Screening &
    Referral of children with Disabilities in Mubende and Kasanda districts
  • In collaboration with the PCA partner, the health and education
    department, oversee the screening and assessment of children with
    disability and support their referral to appropriate institutions for care
  • In collaboration with the DHOs/DHTs the health officer shall
    coordinate the strengthening of supervision and IMNCI /ICATT training
    follow up in the ten (10) West-Nile districts of: (1) Adjumani, (2) Arua,
    (3) Koboko, (4) Maracha, (5) Moyo, (6) Nebbi, (7) Obonge, (8) Pakwach, (9)
    Yumbe and (10) Zombo.
  • Work with the quality assurance teams at district, health facility
    and community level to monitor supervise the IDEC and IMNCI programmes to
    ensure quality of the services being delivered as well as integration of
    the program into the general health system in the districts of focus12
    districts.

Technical and
operational support to programme implementation

  • Provide Technical Support & coordination of project activities
    with other partners working on; Care & Development for Young Children
    with Disabilities in Mubende & Kasanda districts
  • In collaboration with the CAO(s) of Mubende & Kasanda, provide
    Technical Support & coordination of activities for the District IDEC
    Committees on; Care & Development for Young Children with Disabilities
    working on Early Intervention
  • Support supervision and mentoring of health facility workers to
    ensure quality screening and interventions to children with disabilities
    in the 75 health facilities by the district trainers on a quarterly basis.
  • Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify
    gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management, identify
    lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and
    timely intervention to achieve goals.
  • In collaboration with the CAOs of Mubende & Kasanda, coordinate
    the support supervision and mentoring of schools and ECD centers to ensure
    quality identification, assessment and referral of children with disabilities
    in 200 institutions by the district trainers on a quarterly basis.
  • In collaboration with the DHOs/DHTs the health officer shall
    coordinate the strengthening of supervision and IMNCI /ICATT training
    follow up in the Seventeen (17) districts of Acholi & Lango
    sub-regions of Northern Uganda, that include: (1) Agago, (2) Amuru, (3)
    Pader, (4) Omoro, (5) Lamwo, (6) Gulu, (7) Nwoya (8) Kitgum (9) Apac, (10)
    Lira, (11) Kole, (12) Oyam, (13) Amolatar, (14) Dokolo, (15) Otuke, (16)
    Alebtong and (17) Kaberamaido.
  • Participate and provide technical guidance during the district
    planning and monitoring processes according to the district planning
    guidelines as part of district health systems strengthening

Networking and
partnership building

  • The Health officer shall coordinate with organizations /
    institutions providing specialized services to link the referral of
    children with disabilities and their caregivers for specialized
    management. On average 15 children are projected to be referred monthly to
    places like; CoRSU, Sense international, Mengo Hosp. UNAB & others.
    (25% of the targeted 720 children are projected to be managed at centers
    for specialized services).
  • Collaborate with specialized training institutions such as; Kyambogo
    University & Uganda National Association of the Blind, Deaf & Dumb
    (UNAB), to organize on-site skills building for Health and Education
    workers, to easily handle children with disabilities.
  • Coordinate and ensure the involvement of institutions of excellence
    (Makerere, Kyambogo, Mbarara & Busitema Universities) in this pilot
    project, to document best practices
  • Prepare communication and information materials for CO programme
    advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances and
    support fund raising for health programmes (maternal, neonatal and child
    survival and development).
  • Represent UNICEF in appropriate technical working groups on
    health-related issues in preparation of health programmes including the
    CPD and health projects, ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities
    are fully considered and integrated in development planning and agenda
    setting.

Innovation,
knowledge management and capacity building

  • Coordinate the establishment of champion groups (Persons with
    disabilities who have overcome the demerits of disability), to give
    inspiring testimonies / talks to families of the affected children as a
    way of providing moral support for the to easily cope with the conditions
    of their children and reduce stigma.
  • The health officer will closely work with the global child
    disability expert group team to initiate innovative approaches that are
    tailored to the local context that will augment the global approach.
  • Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials
    for management use, information and consideration.
  • Evaluation of the IMNCI training model (ICATT or distance learning)
    that is most impactful among health workers

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

  • The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNICEF Health Specialist
    (IDEC) job opportunity should hold an advanced university degree in one of
    the following field is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric
    health, family health, health research, global/international health,
    health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics,
    socio-medical, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant
    technical field.
  • At least five years’ experience working in the area of Reproductive,
    Maternal, Newborn and Child Health required –particularly in the Ugandan
    context.  Additional experience in
    HIV, particularly PMTCT / EMTCT desirable.
  • Training and practice in Care for Child Development
  • Demonstrated ability of technical support to ICATT/IMNCI and child
    health interventions in similar settings.
  • Ability to network and establish professional liaison at national
    and district level- working with people
  • Motivated, highly organized, critical thinker with strong analytical
    skills who can work as part of a team and independently.
  • UNICEF’s Core Values: Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in
    Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
  • Competencies:
    Leading and Supervising, Formulating Strategies and Concepts, Analyzing,
    Relating and Networking, Persuading and Influencing, Creating and
    Innovating

NB:
The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment
process (Application, interview meeting, processing, or training). The United
Nations does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified
and interested candidates desiring to serve the United Nations in the
aforementioned capacity should express their interest by visiting the UN
recruitment website and clicking Apply Now.

Click Here

Deadline: 5th July 2019

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