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May 31, 2016
HelpAge International
Job Title: Health Adviser
Salary grade: E
Salary range: £34,031 - £43,312 depending on skills and experience
Location: HelpAge International Office, London with regular overseas travel. Alternatively it is possible to be based in the HelpAge regional office in Nairobi or Amman.
Department: Humanitarian Team, Programmes Department
Responsible to: Head of the Humanitarian Team
Key relationships:
Externally, regular relationships with key NGOs, Clusters, UN agencies, donors and HelpAge affiliates.
Internally, close working relationships with other members of the Humanitarian Team and other London departments; HelpAge International regional and country offices.
Contract: Full time, permanent
Background: Older people are amongst the most vulnerable people in humanitarian crises. As population ageing transforms low- and middle-income countries as well as richer countries, ever more older people are affected by conflict and disasters.
HelpAge International is the only international NGO dedicated to ensuring older people receive humanitarian assistance and protection.
HelpAge International’s goal is global change.
The world we want is one where everyone, whatever their age, can say:
- I have the income I need
- I enjoy the best possible health and quality of life
- I am safe and secure, free from discrimination and abuse
- My voice is heard.
We want older people enduring humanitarian crises to be able to say this too.
We work to achieve this by providing humanitarian assistance and protection in situations of conflict and disaster; by building technical expertise and evidence in key areas for older people in humanitarian crises; and by using our expertise and experience to inform and influence global and local humanitarian response.
HelpAge programmes and policy work are managed by a Secretariat Office in London and Regional Offices in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
We work in close collaboration with over 100 national and international organisations that together form the HelpAge Global Network.
HelpAge’s humanitarian work is led and supported by the Humanitarian Team based in London.
The team comprises programme and policy specialists who each have a specific technical sector expertise.
They provide guidance and leadership in their technical sectors, technical assistance to ensure the quality of our humanitarian work and support HelpAge country and regional teams and our network partners to respond to emergencies.
Older people’s health in humanitarian settings
Older people have specific health vulnerabilities and needs in humanitarian crises related to their age including non-communicable and communicable diseases, access to health services and nutrition support, vision and hearing challenges.
They may face specific challenges accessing relief and services because of reduced mobility, strength and psychological or financial factors.
They may face barriers linked to limited knowledge, skills and the attitudes of health staff. They are often not given the assistance they need by humanitarian actors with other priorities.
In order to meet older people’s humanitarian needs and develop effective strategies and expertise, HelpAge and its partners implement health and nutrition programmes in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and Eurasia in humanitarian contexts including conflict and displacement settings and in the aftermath of natural disasters.
There is a special strategic focus on developing our health programme in the Middle East and Eurasia region and our nutrition programme in the East Africa region.
In order to achieve the quality and scale of support that is required to meet the humanitarian needs of older people in an ageing world, we engage in research and analyse learning from programmes.
This shapes and informs our advocacy work with other humanitarian actors including NGOs, UN agencies, clusters, governments and donors.
Purpose of the Job: To further HelpAge’s organisational goal of ensuring that older people receive the healthcare and nutrition support they need in humanitarian crises by providing strategic direction, leadership and coordination to HelpAge’s programming and policy work on health and nutrition in humanitarian crises.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership and guidance to build on HelpAge’s existing health and nutrition work and develop a strategy for the organisation to achieve its strategic goal on health and nutrition in humanitarian contexts
- Actively engage with relevant HelpAge country and regional teams to develop health and nutrition strategies, programmes and partnerships to meet older people’s humanitarian needs
- Collaborate with country and regional teams and partners to initiate and implement timely, relevant emergency responses, providing practical guidance and support for needs assessments, programme and proposal design, implementation and monitoring
- With other members of the Humanitarian Team, initiate and manage responses to major emergencies when they occur in countries with no existing HelpAge presence or capacity
- Provide functional management and support to the Regional Health Programme Manager in the Eurasia and Middle East region and the Regional Nutrition Programme Manager in the East Africa region
- Build capacity in HelpAge country and regional teams and partners to assess needs and design and implement health and nutrition programmes in humanitarian contexts
- Proactive engagement with relevant organisations and institutions including academia to develop strategic and operational partnerships for humanitarian programmes, policy and advocacy
- Lead and support learning and evidence gathering in HelpAge’s health and nutrition programmes in humanitarian contexts and, with the Humanitarian Policy Manager, ensure it is documented and shared
- Building on existing HelpAge health and nutrition guidance, develop policy, guidance, programming tools and training material to support health and nutrition for older people
- Coordinate and collaborate with the Health and Care Policy Team in HelpAge’s Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Department and participate in relevant thematic working groups to ensure relevant policies and strategies include humanitarian contexts
- Represent HelpAge and promote support for older people in the Global Health and Nutrition Clusters and within relevant NGOs, UN agencies and donors
- Contribute to the development of the Humanitarian Team’s strategic and annual plans and reporting.
Person Specification
Essential:
- Higher degree or postgraduate qualification in health
- Knowledge of life-course vulnerabilities and determinants of health in different age groups
- Commitment to humanitarian values, principles and standards including the Sphere standards
- Experienced in developing and implementing health and nutrition programmes in low-middle income and fragile settings
- Experienced in providing technical advice and support to teams, including needs assessments, programme design and monitoring and advocacy
- Experienced in building team and partner capacity and providing training
- Able to create and maintain networks and working relationships with other organisations and institutions at global, regional and national level
- Experience of working with the humanitarian cluster system and influencing health actors and agendas at a senior level, in particular the global health and nutrition clusters
- Able to write clear reports, concept notes and guidance documents
- Able and willing to travel approximately 100 days a year, sometimes at short notice, and to work in difficult environments if necessary
- Fluent spoken and written English.
Desirable
- Knowledge of vulnerabilities and health determinants of older age
- Understanding of the essentials of epidemiology
- Data analysis skills
- Working knowledge of French and/or Arabic.
How to Apply
To apply for a job at HelpAge, please submit the following documents:
- A covering letter (which should refer the person specification for the job).
- Your current curriculum vitae (3 pages maximum).
- Three referees, including your most recent employer.
- Equal opportunities form.
In your covering letter, please:
- state which location you would be based in
- confirm that you already have the right to work in that country
- state whether your right to work is dependent on your current employment.
Please note, if the above is not explicitly indicated, your application cannot be considered.
Please help us monitor the effectiveness of advertising sources by clearly stating where you first learned about this vacancy.
Please email your application to HelpAge-HR@helpage.org before the closing date to be considered for the shortlist.
Alternatively, post your application to:
Human Resources
PO Box 70156
London
WC1A 9GB
With a view to minimising our administration costs we are unfortunately only able to contact again those candidates that have been shortlisted for interview.
Closing date: 12 June 2016
Start date: ASAP
HelpAge International is an equal opportunities employer.
If you have any queries regarding any vacancies, please contact email Human Resources
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