The Norwegian Red Cross is a humanitarian organization whose work is driven by a desire to help others. It is committed to, and bound by, the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and acts as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions.

Our work is volunteer-based and organized to ensure that we can reach people in need quickly and efficiently. The Red Cross has local branches throughout Norway, while the Movement has a global reach through its network of volunteers.

Given the frequency with which wars break out and the ever-recurring famines, the need may seem overwhelming. Therefore, it is important to know that a lot of people are also working to make things better.

The purpose of the Country Offices (CO) is to ensure implementation of Norwegian Red Cross International Strategy at country level through programme support to the National Society partner, as articulated and established in the approved Country Framework. This means that the CO is responsible for ensuring results-based project management, risk management, and operational in-country Movement coordination. Furthermore, the CO is responsible for ensuring project implementation in support to NS partners, in line with established project agreements and project plans. The CO ensures sound technical quality of all country projects, in line with established technical standards and best practices. The CO ensures that Norwegian Red Cross programme support is based on regularly updated humanitarian needs analysis in line with established practices. The CO represents Norwegian Red Cross in-country with regards to external partnerships and relationships. The CO is responsible for in-country security management.

Purpose:

The Senior Program Officer will lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of the program activities to ensure high-quality and timely delivery in line with NoRC goals and objectives, and donor requirements. This position is intended to strengthen the overall program management capacity, provide strategic and technical guidance to program teams, ensure effective monitoring and reporting, and strengthen coordination with technical teams in the movement. The Senior Program Officer will also ensure the program coherence across sectors and relevant thematic areas and will support adaptive learning to improve impact and sustainability of ARCS-NoRC supported programs.

Strategic Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and refinement of program strategies to ensure alignment with ARCS goals, NoRC strategic priorities, and Afghanistan context, and identify emerging needs, opportunities, and risks and adapt program approaches accordingly.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with ARCS program teams, MoPH, participating movement partners and other humanitarian actors in the relevant sectors, and represent NoRC in relevant coordination forums and clusters to influence and align with sectoral strategies.
• Oversee the design and implementation of results frameworks, ensuring programs are guided by measurable outcomes and impact, and ensure that systems for monitoring and evaluation are in place and strategically used for decision-making.
• Support the development of high-quality proposals, concept notes and reports, and ensure strategic reporting that demonstrate program relevance, effectiveness and impact.
• Provide strategic guidance to ensure programs are evidence-based, inclusive, gender-sensitive and ensure the integration of cross-cutting themes such as protection, gender, and climate resilience.
• Identify strategic and operational risks and propose mitigation measures, and ensure that programs comply with MoPH policies, ARCS health strategy and NoRC result frameworks.

Main responsibilities and tasks for the position

1. Lead orientation of programme’s health activities & strategy

• To plan, organize and develop health program activities, according to the programme proposal & country plan of action and to ensure the quality and accountability of those activities.
• To participate in revision and development of the country plan of action, in accordance with the regional plan of action and ARCS POA, annual plan, and relevant NoRC International Strategy and guidelines.
• To translate the objectives of the programme proposal into a work plan together with the program team, Senior finance officer and supported by the Program Coordinator.
• To advise and inform the Program Coordinator and Country Manager regarding the development, monitoring, and assessment of the ongoing NorRC supported programs.
• Support the Program Coordinator with the analysis of the humanitarian context and health framework.
• Participate in the RCRC movement technical working groups (Health, WASH, MHPSS…) and ensure that NoRC’s views are heard and understood properly.

2. Monitoring of health program activities within the programme:

• Organize regular health meetings (with ARCS Health/technical department, regional health officer, Provincial Health Officer, clinics head and mobile team leader as interactive exchange of information with all medical team, with proposals of solutions to identified problems or of new approach / strategies.
• Analyse the health data with ARCS HQ Health team and review data/HMIS for the quarterly report according to the NoRC reporting schedules.
• Follow up the implementation, consolidate and adapt different integrated programs in all locations and ensure the quality of care offered by ARCS clinics.
• Make regular evaluation of elaborated protocols for OPD consultations, referrals, nutrition, EPI, etc. Adapt them to the MoPH tools, and together with the ARCS Health team, follow up its implementation at field level.

3. Centralize and analyze program health data:

• Consolidate the collection, analyses and reporting of health data in all locations.
• Oversee the accuracy of the filled in HMIS tools by data manager and excel tools at field level.
• Consolidate the compilation of the monthly data and the analysis with HMIS-IM Data Officer.

4. Representation/communication:

• To work in close collaboration with ARCS, IFRC, ICRC and MOPH representatives, and other technical counterparts, facilitating and participating in meetings discussing the implementation of program activities.
• To maintain regular contact with the Program Coordinator and Country Manager and inform them of the progress of the program including but not limited to preparing and sending the situation report.

5. Training:

• Ensure and supervise the planning of different training needs for ARCS HQ health department follow up the implementation by both ARCS Regional Health officer and clinic/Mobile health personnel and ensure the involvement of ARCS in the training planning.
• Coach and provide technical support to the ARCS HQ or Field Team.

6. Medical Supplies – Orders:

• To be overall responsible for the management of the medical supply order in the clinics and mobile health team, consumption monitoring and medical stock management in collaboration and with the close support of the PHC Health Focal point and Pharmacist from ARCS Health in coordination with ICRC responsible.
• To assess the need for medicines and materials and to organize the ordering, distribution and use of medicines and medical material with program officer.
• Oversee the monitoring the drug consumption and adherence to medical protocols with med-log assistant.
• To liaise with the med-log assistant officer regarding distribution, transport, safety, and security.

7. Prepare emergency response at field level:

• Together with the Program Coordinator and Country Manager, follow up information at local level to detect small- and large-scale emergencies with the possibility of intervention for ARCS. Make assessments of suspected epidemics and emergency situations.
• To assess the need for and participate in exploratory missions and outbreak investigations.

8. Budget and Financial procedures:

• Contributes to drafting of yearly budget, provides input and review to ensure that budgets are appropriate to address the needs.
• Contribute quarterly cash request for program actively and assure timely submitted to country finance responsible for sufficient fund.
• Ensure timely working advances settled by staff under his/her supervision.
• Review and sign all financial documents related to the program activities.
• Actively participate on (BVA – Budget vs actual) process.
• Working together with finance officer on quarterly budget review or reallocation process.

9. Reporting:

• Work in close collaboration with program and finance of on T1, T2, T3 and annual report.
• Bi-annual and yearly external report shared with regional office, and produce any other program’s relevant reports.
• Reporting to country Manager incidents and issues happening in the facilities in all project locations.
• To prepare monthly activity reports, which include statistics and planning and monitoring of morbidity trends.

      Qualifications:

• Relevant university degree (Medical Doctor, Master in Public Health)

Experience:

• 7-9 years, with the humanitarian sector (RCRC, UN, INGOs) in conflict, remote locations, and ideally senior role on a Primary Health Care program, training in public health, or equivalent desired.

Skills and knowledge:

• Most of all patience, organization, training/coaching skills, and diplomacy are required.
• Track record of managing humanitarian projects in complex humanitarian setting
• Proven experience in working with vulnerable groups and marginalized populations.
• Excellent drafting skills.
• Excellent knowledge of words and excel.
• Fluency in English in required. Working proficiency of regional languages is an asset.

  Personal Qualifications:

• Ability to work towards achieving objectives and results.
• Ability to convince and gain acceptance.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to be solution oriented.
• Collaborates well with others and supports others in the pursuit of team goals.
• Creates a stable and re-assuring work atmosphere and is firm and reliable.

• Submission Email:
• https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkIJWPz4tvG5vtYj9jAz5E38kMiAfGOmkzvtMhFlyje76pPQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=112716180054966574514
• Submission Guideline: to apply for the job, please follow the link and fill out the form and upload the required documents.