Save the Children Reproductive Health Programme Officer Job in Wajir County, Kenya

Save the Children

Vacancy: Programme Officer for Reproductive Health – Kenya Country Office

Team / Programme: ESHE / DFID FP Partnership

Location: Wajir County
 

Grade: 4

Post Type: National 

Child Safeguarding: Level 3 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
 

 

Role Purpose: SCI Kenya is in the process of implementing the second phase of ESHE, an innovative Family Planning programme that seeks to tackle deep rooted barriers to family planning demand, access and uptake by creating an enabling environment for FP practices in northeast Kenya. 

Utilizing social change, empowerment, behaviour change and institutional strengthening approaches, the programme is expected to significantly contribute to sustained universal access to FP as part of a DFID supported consortium of partners present across 24 Counties in Kenya. 

The programmatic model will work through community health systems and other tiers of healthcare to gain the support of communities, community opinion leaders and County Health Managers to promote FP services, particularly for poor rural woman. 

This programming across Save the Children’s Theory of Change will ensure healthy mothers and healthy baby outcomes by the end of 2017.
 

Scope of Role: This job will play a critical role in ensuring effective community mobilisation and participation strategies in the Family Planning (ESHE) programme in Wajir. 

The aim of this job is to ensure effective day to day planning, implementation and monitoring of reproductive health activities including family planning mobilization at community level. 

The role ensures that planned activities are implemented in a collaborative, effective, efficient and inclusive way, working closely with the Ministry of Health and Religious leaders at all levels across the County. 

The holder works under the guidance and direction of the Health Specialist (Reproductive Maternal, Newborn Health Programme Manager) or RH/MNH Coordinator.

Dimension: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. 

Current programming focuses on Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health, HIV/AIDS, Livelihoods, Nutrition and WASH. 

In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya. 

In Feb 2013, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merged their Health and Nutrition programmes with our own. 

Save the Children has an operational presence in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Meru, Bungoma and Turkana. We work through partners in many other parts of the country. We will have a staff complement of around 400 staff and an operating annual budget of approximately US$25 million.

Staff directly reporting to this post:  none

Key Areas of Accountability:

Support to Programme Delivery

• Planning and implementation of ESHE program activities including community engagement and mobilization and social dialogue for increased demand for Family Planning


• Organizing and coordinating training and capacity building initiatives for community resource persons including community health volunteers, social analysis and dialogue facilitators, Muslim religious leaders, mother to mother support groups and facility health workers


• Ensure adequate management of delegated budget authority, and work across sections to ensure adequate support to programme implementation from Finance, HR, Logistics etc

Partnerships for Social Change

• Develop partnerships with religious leaders, politicians, women’s groups, and close-to-community health providers, health care workers, community health committees  and other organised groups to orient and involve them in programme implementation


• Develop close collaboration with various professional groups and non-governmental organisations active in community health strategy and FP to facilitate learning and model best practice.


• Provide on-going support to county government counterparts and other partners in community engagement and communication for social change

Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL)

• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of programme activities including preparation of monitoring reports and mainstreaming accountability mechanisms.


• Drafting and sharing periodic project reports including trip reports, distribution reports, activity reports, weekly reports and monthly donor reports


• Initiate and ensure documentation and sharing of case studies, success stories or human interest stories

Key Competencies (our Values in Practice)

• Delivering results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others to account to deliver our ambitious Goals for children, continually improving own performance or that of the team/ organization.


• Problem solving and decision making: Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organization and making appropriate  judgements.


• Applying technical and professional expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practice within and outside the organization.


• Communicating with impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.


• Working effectively with others: Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives. Knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working

SCI Values: Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity, Accountability and Integrity

Qualifications and Experience

• A University degree in Public Health or Social science related field with emphasis on Health Communication, Health Promotion, Community and Social mobilization.


• Minimum two (2) years post-training relevant mix of professional work experience in community health, community development, and family planning programmes.


• Experience in mobilizing communities for health and development in Northern Kenya an added advantage.


• Experience working with the Kenya Community Health Strategy


• Demonstrable commitment to tackling social determinants of health and health inequalities, with a strong focus on equity in health and development, ensuring right of access to health for the poorest and marginalized


• Background driving health advocacy and social change processes and outcomes


• Deeper understanding of Family planning in Islamic context. The Post holder should have a good Islamic background as he will at all times engage with Muslim Religious leaders and scholars.


• The post holder should possess a good understanding Wajir’s operational context.


• Experience putting together high quality reports and verification of the same.


• Experience developing, delivering and assessing training packages especially FP.


• Experience working with communities and able to communicate culturally sensitive matters in an acceptable way.


• Strong team works skills and ability to adapt to changing roles as directed by line manager.


• Experience with MEAL systems and data management at a basic level.

Important: Must be willing to abide fully by Save the Children Child Safeguarding Policy.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are hereby required to drop their applications to wajir.jobapplications@savethechildren.org before 18th November 2015.

Due to the urgency of having these positions filled, all applications will be reviewed as they come in.