Save the Children RH Programme Coordinator

Save the Children RH Programme Coordinator
April 17, 2015 Job Description

Save the Children
Vacancy: Programme Coordinator – Reproductive Health

Reference Code: RH/MDR/COR/SCI

Team / Programme: Programmes (ESHE/DFID FP Partnership)
Location: Mandera County

Grade: 3
Post Type: National (1year contract with possibility of extension)

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 Mandera.
• The Coordinator is accountable for providing technical support and assistance to the programme in the planning, execution, and monitoring of community mobilisation for behaviour and social change for improved community RH practices in addition to supporting the County Department of Health’s actions (including CHMT and SCHMT) to improve health facility-based FP services.
• H/She may line-manage programme officers, will be expected to exercise proper budget management and is available to lead-manage the RMNCH portfolio in the field office in the absence of the Programme Manager.
• The job holder may be called upon to represent Save the Children at consortium planning meetings and other forums.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 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own.
• Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana and Wajir and we work through partners in many other parts of the country.
• We employ nearly 300 staff and will have an operating annual budget in 2015 of approximately US$20-25 million.

Staff directly reporting to this post: noneKey Areas of Accountability:

• Support to Programme Delivery
• Provide technical support for the implementation of the community engagement and social change aspect of the ESHE FP Programme, including training, materials adaptation and monitoring of outcomes.
• Work with the RMNCH manager, Community Liaisons and the Health Technical Advisor in the management and roll out of the programme’s community engagement strategy, plan of action and activities for strategic communication and promotion for social and behavioural change.
• Provide effective coordination and technical support to County government counterparts and other partners in community health strategy, reproductive health and community mobilization for social change
• Explore and leverage media reach to strategically communicate messages on FP with effective monitoring to reach target audiences/population segments.
• Support the field officers in identification and training of community mobilisation and participation core teams and facilitators from the community.
• Provide support and assistance in the development, pre-testing and production of culturally relevant communication materials to ensure effective and efficient programme delivery including facilitating behavioural change where necessary.
• Ensure adequate management of delegated budget authority, and work across sections to ensure adequate support to programme implementation from Finance, HR, Logisitics 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 them on the programme approach, and to secure their involvement in programme implementation
• Develop close collaboration with various professional groups and non-governmental organisations active in community health strategy and FP to facilitate cross organisational learning and build FP alliances.
• Ensure effective integration with other programmes implemented in the area office
• Provide effective coordination and technical support to county government counterparts and other partners in community engagement and communication for social change
• Represent Save the Children in county and national fora to share good practice and ensure the achievement of advocacy, programme and policy objectives.
• 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 documentation of lessons learned.
• Supports the development and implementation of an accountability mechanism for ESHE in Mandera
• Carry out regular field monitoring of programme interventions and action points
• Provides technical advice to programme staff, consortium staff, government officials and partners to coordinate and manage the evaluative elements of social change and community engagement TWG milestone meetings, such as mid-term reviews, strategy meetings, previews and reviews and annual reviews.

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.
• Networking: Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the Children.
• 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 four (4) years 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
• Important: Must be willing to abide fully by Save the Children Child Safeguarding Policy.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are required to submit a CV and mandatory Cover letter to Kenya.jobapplications@savethechildren.org indicating the Reference Code on the subject line by 4th May 2015.
Applications will be reviewed as and when they are received.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.