Health Coordinator, SHOW Project - Plan International Ghana

Plan International is an independent non-profit organization that advances children’s well-being and equality for girls. Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crisis and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.

We employ more than 9,000 people in program countries, working with over 85,000 communities. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for almost 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Job Description

Plan International Ghana is looking for a highly qualified, proactive, motivated, and resourceful person to fill the position of Health Coordinator – SHOW Project. 

The duration of the project is eight (8) months.

• Grade C 2
• Location: Tamale
• Reports to (position): Project Manager, SHOW Project 
• Area of Responsibility –Project districts

Summary Description of the SHOW Project Second Costed Extension to COVID-19 pandemic (CE2)

As an extension to the Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women & Children (SHOW) Project, the SHOW Costed Extension to COVID-19 is aimed at increasing demand for COVID19 prevention messages, ensure continuity of services, and improve access and utilization of essential health services by women of reproductive age (WRA), adolescent girls, newborns and children under 5 living in poverty, with high vulnerability on the Demand side. On the Supply-side it aims at an improved delivery of quality essential health services to WRA, adolescent girls, newborns, and children under 5 living in poverty, with high vulnerability.

Purpose

To coordinate, facilitate and provide technical support to local partners (and communities) in the implementation and management of SHOW Project within Project districts.

Dimensions of Role

Financial measures or statistics relevant to post such as budget; list of direct and indirect reports

Typical Responsibilities - Key End Results of Position:

• Assists Project Manager and the rest of the team to design and manage project activities in assigned project district(s);
• Monitors health-related activities in project communities through regular visits, and submits reports of such visits to ensure quality supervision and monitoring leading to improvement in program delivery;
• Leads in the implementation of community-based sensitization and education on the prevention of COVID-19 and other related issues;
• Ensures the strict observation and adherence of COVID-19 protocols at all community level meetings, partners’ meetings, district level coordination meetings, training, etc.;
• Leads in the implementation of community-based actions on Unpaid care work, women and girls’ participation in decision making and the equitable distribution of household works between men and women and between boys and girls;
• Participates in periodic health sector review meetings with GHS at the district level, and ensures greater collaboration with other key strategic partners in health across the SHOW project district(s);
• Under the supervision of the Project Manager, facilitates capacity building of partners; Community volunteers, etc. to ensure quality and timely delivery of project activities (including facilitation of training of partner NGOs and project communities);
• Facilitates empowerment of children and youth groups to be active participants in seeking prompt and appropriate services and keeping positive health-seeking behaviors; unlearning misconceptions and bad cultural practices that hinder access to quality and timely healthcare services at health facilities;
• Conducts regular visits to partners (LNGOs, GHS, and Communities) in the assigned district(s) to provide technical support for effective implementation and management of project activities;
• Develops and maintains good relations with the Ghana Health Service and other partners (Both LNGOs and INGOs) who operate within the SHOW project district to harness the possibility of building a strong network/partnership that can help shape or influence national or local level health policy;
• Collaborates with other Project Coordinators to ensure effective integration of Health, WASH, and Child Protection in the SHOW project; 
• Ensures gender is mainstreamed into all SHOW related activities in the district - demonstrating gender sensitivity towards staff, partners, community members, and other associates;
• Ensures Child Protection, and other rights of the child are mainstreamed into all health-related program activities in the district to meet project objectives and to promote recognition of the voice of children (i.e. incorporating a rights-based approach to community mobilization and programming);
• Ensures Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is well integrated into all health program activities to assure child protection in the project district(s);
• Liaises effectively with the Project Manager to compile a register of best practices and project outcomes (ensuring that best practices are well documented and shared with donors and partners);
• Participates in the development of action plans, budgets, and assists in implementing partners on how to achieve project results cost-effectively;
• Prepares and submits quarterly work plans detailing tasks (including monitoring plans) to be undertaken and indicators of performance and prepare progress reports for reference and support attainment of objectives;
• Complies with Plan International’s Safeguarding children and young people policy at all times to prevent children from all forms of child abuse;
• Performs any other duties to be assigned to support the achievement of organizational goals.

Dealing with Problems:

• The complexity of problems handled & the degree of investigation, analysis, & creative thinking required to solve them
• Ability to identify technical gaps and to provide the needed support to address those gaps in a timely, and cost-effective manner.  
• Demonstrates the ability to understand the SHOW project’s theory of change and to effectively monitor and provide technical soundness in the implementation of the SHOW project.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Ability to analyze issues in a wider perspective to strengthen and support effective decision making, and to improve the delivery of quality health programs.

Communications and Working Relationships:

• Working contacts inside and outside the organization; include the purpose and level (high, medium, low) of the contact
• There is a medium contact with community members, children, and other stakeholders to develop and implement programs that would meet Plan International Ghana’s health program implementation. 
• Maintains high contact with staff working on health program activities at PU level to offer support for understanding and implementation of health-related activities
• There is low contact with other staff to support them with understanding health programs and their support in the implementation of related activities. 

Required Skills or Experience

• First Degree in Public Health & Allied Sciences, Nursing, Development studies, Social sciences, 
• At least 3 years experience as a technical staff in a health-related institution.
• At least 2 years experience in the civil service
• At least 5 years of similar experience in an international organization similar to Plan International.

Demonstrated behaviors needed by the post holder to successfully perform the role: 

• Knowledge of the health system and activities in Ghana
• Knowledge and a firm understanding of the continuum of care in MNCH and SRH services
• Ability to develop, motivate, coach, and promote high performance in partners’ staff.
• Teamwork.
• Working under pressure.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively (with a good understanding of local area language).
• Ability to work in a participatory community approach.

Skills Specific to the post needed to put knowledge into practice.

• Strong knowledge of the health system in Ghana.
• Knowledge and understanding of the continuum of care in MNCH and SRH services
• Strong knowledge of the Rights of Child.
• Analytical skills.
• Communication skills, appropriate to the audience.
• Strong team-building and motivational skills.
• Strong negotiating, facilitating, and influencing skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft applications and use of relevant software and other applications, e.g. word processing, spreadsheet, database, internet.

Physical Environment and Demands:

• Maybe a “typical office environment”; note if heavy lifting, climbing, excess travel, etc.

Travel requirements

• This position entails 60% traveling within communities in the project district.

Level of Contact with Children:

• Low contact:     No contact or very low frequency of interaction
• Mid contact:     Occasional interaction with children
• High level:        Frequent interaction with children
• High contact: The responsibilities of this position require the post holder to have frequent one-to-one contact with children. It is expected that extra care shall be taken to protect children at all time