Health Program Manager at Medecins du Monde

Medecins du Monde (MdM) is an international humanitarian organization whose mission is to provide medical care for the most vulnerable populations, the world over, including France. It seeks to stimulate voluntary commitment from doctors, other health care providers, and from those whose expertise in other fields is needed for its activities, to enlist all competent support required for the achievement of its projects, and to seek at all times to encourage close working relationships with populations in its care. MdM operating in Nigeria, Borno state since October 2016.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Health Program Manager

Location: Damboa, Borno

Main Responsibilities

• The Health Program Manager is in charge of the implementation, follow up and overall supervision of the health program in Maiduguri as per MdM standard requirements and procedures.
• She/he ensures compliance with donor contracts and guidelines and initiates proposals and reports.
• Finally, she/he ensures the follow up of his/her budget lines, as well as a close collaboration with the logistic and administrative departments and a good team spirit.

Working Relationships:

• Hierarchical link: Field Coordinator Damboa
• Team under his/her direct supervision: Medical supervisors, Outreach Officers and Referral Nurses.
• Functional link: Deputy General coordinator in Charge of Programs, Medical referent based in HQ, Field technical advisors

Roles
Program Management:

• Ensure development and implementation of all activities in Damboa in accordance with the proposal, the donor guidelines and MdM Standards.
• Contribute to needs assessments and context analysis for the Damboa region  support and implement health surveillance system and give regular feedback on the contextual health situation and react to any change by proposing program adaptation to the coordination team if necessary (outbreaks, nutrition crisis, new needs arising, influx of IDPs, etc.).
• Supervise the facilities in regards of their different needs especially considering assets, equipment, supply chain and operating aspects.
• Monitor the ongoing projects and supervise and monitor data collection processes and analyze the medical data on a regular basis and set up corrective measures in case of need, with the support of the MEAL teams.
• Analyze monthly budget monitoring (forecasts, expenditure monitoring, purchasing plans, etc.) for each donor/projects. Guarantee the general consistency of the use of budget lines for program activities, for an effective and efficient use of resources, including financial and human, and of all assets.
• Participate to the development of the health strategy for MdM in Damboa: sustainability of activities (transitional plan, exit strategy…) , adaptability to the needs, project development…
• Ensure the quality and consistency of MdM program activities implemented according to the needs, MdM policies, the Fundamental Humanitarian Standard, including gender, age, diversity and minorities issues, national and international standards, and available funds.
• Make sure that activities are implemented in holistic and integrated way (especially for GBV and MHPSS services).
• Support the creation of specific tools in collaboration with the technical advisors and the medical referent at HQ.
• Ensure the establishment of the appropriate documentation and an effective archiving system of all processes and activities.
• Work in close collaboration with the technical program unit based in Maiduguri and with local partners (civil authorities, technical services, humanitarian partners, etc.) in the intervention areas. Guarantee the implementation of the recommendations of the Technical Advisors.
• Work closely with the local partners to ensure capacity building where necessary, compliance with MdM procedures and smooth integration of different types of assistance.
• Actively participate in the sector meetings to share information on MdM activities and plans, coordinate with sector partners, and ensure compliance with sectoral guidelines.

Team Management:

• Directly manage the medical supervisors of each facility.
• Provide technical support to the medical supervisors and all medical teams.
• Recruit, integrate and provide hands-on support to the medical teams in the field and ensure that all positions have a precise and relevant job description, that each member of the team fully understands the results expected from him/her (including individual action plans where necessary) and that he/she knows the criterias/targets to achieve them.
• Carry out appraisals as per MdM standard requirements and procedures.
• Ensure that all staff under his/her responsibility know and follow MDM policies and procedures related to his/her position.
• Organize regular team meetings, briefings, and debriefings with the medical teams, as well as inter-service meetings especially with support services and document all the discussions held for further reference.
• Maintain good inter-team communications, engender good team dynamics, and take suitable action when problems occur.
• Support team members professionally and monitor and support stress management and liaise with the field HR in case of any support needed.
• Ensure that work is planned and organized to meet MdM needs in the most efficient way possible; ensure team members receive an appropriate workload and work in accordance with local labor laws, especially with regards to daily workers.
• Carry out performance reviews, give corrective feedback or capacity building as needed and take decisive action in case of poor performance.
• Plan and implement thematic specific trainings/capacity building/refreshers according to the identified needs for MdM/MoH medical staff, in line with budget lines and donor guidelines. Setup a formal training plan and ensure its follow up.
• Make sure that the midwives are trained to manage cases of Gender Based Violence with a focus on upholding a survivors’ rights to dignity and confidentiality.

Management of Medical Stock and Logistic Chain for Medical Purchase:

• Establish, together with the Pharmacy Coordinator, the pharmacy team and the logistics an agenda regarding procurement processes and delivery of drugs to the clinics. Define in advance the drugs / consumables’ needs with the pharmacist and share the information to the pharmacy coordinator for the procurement process.
• Ensure the supervision of the clinic’s pharmacist (consumptions, orders & inventory) and ensure that supported health facilities receive drugs and consumables on time. Validate and cross check the consumption reports shared by the pharmacist on regular basis and discuss any discrepancies identified on regular basis.
• Ensure proper documentation and analysis of all pharmacy and medical stock reports.
• Ensure communication within medical team and pharmacy regarding stock analysis and needs.

Representation, Coordination and Communication:

• Participate in the writing of donor’s activity reports and proposals and represent / attend all relevant forums and medical meetings in Maiduguri especially the health and nutrition clusters and any relevant medical coordination mechanisms, during outbreaks notably.
• Respect and apply internal reporting requirements, and contribute to external reports, as well as ensure quality control and contribute to monthly sitrep.
• Ensure constant, transparent and proactive communication with the hierarchy and the office of the capital, as well as HQ when needed.
• Participate to the writing of reports, factsheets, program reviews, lesson learnt, etc. and any feedback required by the mission’s coordination, HQ or the donors.
• Maintain relations with the administrative authorities and other stakeholders in the region and avoid overlaps.
• Maintain close and beneficial working relationships with all relevant stakeholders: donors, national and international organizations, UN agencies, local authorities, SMoH, community representatives and organize regular meetings with district authorities as well as with the community leaders to ensure accountability, foster appropriation, and maintain a full adherence to MdM medical programs and strategy.

Context

• MdM is active in North-East Nigeria since 2016. The program is implemented around the main following components:
  • Access to primary health care,
  • Nutrition treatment (severe acute malnutrition),
  • Gender based violence survivors’ treatment,
  • Mental health and psychological support.
• MdM has its coordination office in Maiduguri, a Field Offices in both Maiduguri City, a field office in Damboa a sub office in Damboa and a Liaison Office in Abuja. The team is composed of around 5 expatriates and 250 national staffs.
• For now, MdM is running directly 3 clinics In Maiduguri : Garba Buzu, Kawar Maila et El Meskin in informal IDP camps. In Damboa, a field team has been in place since June 2017 where MdM  is running two fixed clinics in two IDP Camps  (also for host population). In addition, MDM  Damboa medical team is semi-remotely supporting  2 health posts (Ministry of Health) outside Damboa town in Azir and Gumzuri villages.
• Untill recently MdM’s intervention was pretty much emergency oriented, with five MdM runned clinics (3 in Maiduguri, 2 in Damboa) plus an emergency response team (ERT) for rapid resposne to sudden population displacements and cholera outbreaks. Currently the mission is shifting its logic of intervention towards a Nexus approach: ERT team doesn’t exist anymore and we are slowly shifting from substitution programming (MdM clinics) to the support to State MoH health facilities in a bid to foster sustainability.
• At the same time, a new crisis has arrisen in North-West Nigeria in link with massive banditery acts and farmers/herders conflict dynamics. Two needs assessments have been conducted by MdM teams in Zamfara State in 2021 and even though we are not planning to be operational in this area in the coming months, we keep a close eye to the developmentrs in this region and start to work on our access strategy. This could lead to a scale-up in MDM’s humanitarian operations.

Skills Required
Training & Experience:

• Medical Doctor/Nurse/Midwife with experience in Public health and project management
• Experience/knowledge of the region is an asset
• Significant experience in similar positions
• Experience in supervising health facilities
• Experience in program cycle management and budget follow up
• Experience in outbreak management and emergency response

Skills:
Technical / Managerial:

• Ability to have a global overview of a program (not only on medical plan)
• Ability to analyze an epidemiological context and propose relevant interventions
• Ability to take quick decisions according to the context in coordination with the team
• Ability to manage and motivate a team
• Proven ability to problem solving and lead teams through very challenging situations

IT:

• Excellent knowledge of the Windows environment (word, excel)

Languages :

• English is mandatory (oral and written)
• Knowledge of country languages such as Hausa or French would be an asset

Soft Skills:

• Ability to work in an international team
• Interest for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law
• Capacity of respecting the traditions and local culture
• Capacity to work and to live in tense conditions (climate, cultural context, promiscuity, isolation)
• Reactivity, anticipation, adaptability, capacity to take initiatives
• Organizational skills
• Good writing and communication skills
• Ability to manage priorities

Salary
The net salary for this position is N595,0000 per month.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV to: recruitment.nigeria@medecinsdumonde.net using the position as the subject of the email.

Application Deadline 1st December, 2023.