Medical Officer - Referral Systems Strengthening (National position) at Save The Children

Job ID: 19000429
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employee Status: Fixed Term

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3.  The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. In the overseas context all posts are considered to be level 3.
• As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.  The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Role

• To support the strengthening of the already established referral pathways from the community to the specific service points. On a day-to-day basis, support the service providers at the Intervention locations in timely identification and referral of children with and without complication to OTP and stabilization centre respectively. 
• This will include on the job training and mentorship of service providers.
• He/ she will ensure that health workers have the capacity review children with complicated SAM for timely referral to the stabilization centre. As part of strengthening the system, he/she will ensure that caregivers are provided with support during management in the stabilization.
• This will include creating awareness in the community of services provided by targeting targeted Influential leaders in the community. He / she will ensure that health workers have adequate information of nutrition centres that they can refer the malnourished children where they do not provide the service.

Main Responsibilities
Programme Support (typically will be at field level):

• Map health facilities within the LGAs of operation and identify areas of collaboration
• Establish/ strengthen a referral system and develop any corresponding tools
• Work closely with the health workers, field assistants and Mother leaders in timely identification and referral of beneficiaries
• Support the strengthening of the referral system through the multi sectoral approach
• Working closely with the Nutrition Specialist and other senior programme staff, help in providing the relevant training
• Support and strengthen community participation in Nutrition and health system referral
• Ensure that referrals are addressed in a timely manner.
• Identify and utilize cultural and community resources while maintaining relationships
• Maintain ongoing tracking and appropriate documentation on referrals
• At field sites, liaise with other humanitarian actors, local authorities, ministries and the military as appropriate, to maximize collaboration and ensure proper coordination of activities.
• Support the M & E plan implementation within the Nutrition projects, ensuring this links to reporting requirements.

Support to Stabilization Centre:
The doctor will be called upon to cover in the stabilization centre and on such days will be relieved from the field work as follows:

• Provision of high quality curative care to complicated SAM cases.
• Ensure clinical care provided at the SC is in accordance with the National guidelines for In-patient
• Admit all patients in line with CMAM guidelines and other international standards.
• Monitor patients in Phase 1, transition phase and Phase 2 every day in line with guidelines.
• Recommend referrals for all severe cases who cannot be managed in SCI stabilization centre.
• Mentor and provide on-the-job training to nurses and other health workers deployed to the SC to ensure quality is upheld and protocols are adhered to.
• Provide leadership in Clinical Monitoring for the In-patients in Management of SAM.
• Supervise the use of medicines, medical supplies, and nutrition-related commodities and data tools in the SC.
• Participate in the development and review of programme monitoring and evaluation tools where necessary.
• Ensure timely collection, compilation and analysis of quality data as well as production of quantitative and qualitative reports regarding all SC activities
• Evaluate regularly the impact of the activities and propose changes for improvement
• Prepare weekly and monthly activities’ reports, and any other ad hoc report that may be required

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and support Interagency Coordination forums, advocating for the specific needs of children.
• Attend regular nutrition meetings and LGA meeting. Liaise with other sectors for up to date information of SCI work in the LGA

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Core Behaviours
Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:

• Ensures that programme goals and activities uphold the principles of the key national and international humanitarian frameworks, codes and commitments
• Integrates beneficiary accountability principles into the approach
• Participates in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation

Achieving results effectively:

• Ensures efficient and transparent use of resources in accordance with internal controls
• Establishes staff engagement mechanisms.
• Addresses difficult situations and makes tough decisions confidently and calmly
• Considers the wider impact of decisions to be made in the short and long-term.
• Continuously provides feedback and updates to achieve improved results
• Coordinates with stakeholders to avoid duplication and maximise resources
• Documents lessons learned and applies them to future projects

Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:

• Actively listens to different perspectives and experiences of stakeholders
• Actively participates in networks to access and contribute to good practice
• Establishes and maintains clear communication and dialogue with disaster and conflict affected people and other stakeholders
• Establishes clear objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance

Operating safely and securely:

• Identifies and communicates risk and threats and minimises these for oneself and the agency
• Takes measures to do no harm and to minimise risks for partners and the communities
• Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation
• Demonstrates an understanding of wider UN/NGO security coordination and how the organisation can benefit from, and contribute to, those mechanisms

Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:

• Helps team members to practise stress management through prioritisation of workloads and modelling of appropriate self care
• Remains effective and retains perspective in the face of difficult or demanding situations
• Demonstrates personal integrity by using one’s position responsibly and fairly
• Maintains ethical and professional behaviour in accordance with relevant codes of conduct
• Plans, prioritises and performs tasks well under pressure
• Takes responsibility for own work and for the impact of own actions

Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others:

• Builds own awareness of the bigger global picture by using a broad range of sources to gather data
• Demonstrates managerial courage by confronting difficult situations and seeking resolution, and stating willingness to champion ideas
• Demonstrates approachability and trust by listening carefully to others and valuing their contribution, and making others feel comfortable by being open and honest about their thoughts and feelings
• Demonstrates self-development and management by taking responsibility for own development, and actively seeking out feedback to better understand their own strengths and weaknesses
• Makes positive statements about work
• Effectively influences others by understanding their interests and showing how they will be met by own preferred solution
• Gives constructive feedback to enhance capabilities and responsibilities to another for the purpose of his/her development

Qualifications & Experience
Essential:

• Medical Degree MBchB or MBBS a recognized/accredited University in Nigeria
• At least 3 years post-NYSC experience
• Previous experience working in a stabilization centre
• Previous experience with other local and international NGOs
• Experience in Nutrition and in community based programmes
• Demonstrable management experience
• Experience in treatment of acute malnutrition and implementation of feeding programs, including monitoring and evaluation
• Experience in conducting nutrition assessments and an understanding of nutritional surveillance and information systems
• Proven capacity of management, leadership and teamwork
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathise with all beneficiaries and their carers
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment
• Ability and willingness to frequently travel and stay at the field
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles
• Demonstrable ability at report writing and excellent communication skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and local languages
• Fluency in Hausa language and at least working knowledge of Kanuri language
• Computer literacy

Desirable:

• Emergency programming experience
• Female candidates are encouraged to apply