Head Of Mission - Nigeria - M/F

Country: Nigeria

Organization: ALIMA

Closing date: 20 Mar 2020

THE ALIMA ASSOCIATION

ALIMA’S SPIRIT

ALIMA’s purpose is to save lives and provide care for the most vulnerable populations, without any discrimination based on identity, religion or politics, through actions based on proximity, innovation, and the alliance of organizations and individuals. We act with humanity and impartiality in accordance with universal medical ethics. To gain access to patients, we undertake to act in a neutral and independent manner.**

Our CHARTER defines the VALUES and PRINCIPLES of our action:

1. Putting the Patient First


2. Revolutionizing humanitarian medicine


3. Responsibility and freedom


4. Improve the quality of our actions


5. Placing trust


6. Collective intelligence

CARING – INNOVATING – TOGETHER:

Since its creation in 2009, ALIMA has treated more than 3 million patients and today deploys its operations in 11 African countries . In 2018 we developed 41 humanitarian medical response projects to meet the needs of populations affected by conflicts, epidemics and extreme poverty. All of these projects are carried out in support to national authorities through nearly 330 health facilities (including 28 hospitals and 300 health facilities). Whenever possible We work in partnership with local NGOs to ensure that our patients benefit from the best and most relevant expertise wherever it is, whether within their own country or in the rest of the world. In addition, to improve the humanitarian response, We are carrying out operational and clinical research projects particularly in the field of the fight against malnutrition and hemorrhagic viral fevers.

ALIMA’STEAM

More than 1800 people are currently working for ALIMA. The field teams, closest to the patients, receive their support from coordination teams generally based in the countries’ capitals. These receive support from the 3 desk teams and the emergency and opening team based at the operational headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. The Paris and New York teams are actively working to raise funds and represent ALIMA. The rest of the ALIMA Galaxy includes individuals and partner teams working on behalf of other organizations such as medical NGOs BEFEN, ALERT Health, SOS Doctors / KEEOGO, AMCP, research organizations PACCI and INSERM, Bordeaux or Copenhagen Universities, the INGO Solidarités International and many others.

COUNTRIES WHERE WE WORK IN 2020: Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Guinea, South Sudan, Mauritania.

THE WORK WE DO covers: Primary and Secondary Health Care, with a main focus on children and women – including treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition, maternal health, mental health, response to epidemics (Ebola, Cholera, Measles, Dengue, Lassa Fever), surgery, displaced populations, and gender based violence.

GOVERNANCE ALIMA is governed by a Board of Directors of 10 elected positions and 4 co-opted positions from representatives of West African partner NGOs.

ALIMA IN BORNO STATE

Despite difficulties accessing the area due to unsafe roads, ALIMA staff were among the first international aid workers to set foot in the town of Monguno (140km from Maiduguri) in June 2016. ALIMA has since helped encourage other international NGOs to intervene in the area and is now working together to provide the best possible care to the people in need. Actually, ALIMA is providing medical and nutritional care at seven IDP clinics in Monguno, as well as at the Maternal Child Health Centre where ALIMA offers hospitalization for children for health and nutrition and a Basic Emergency Maternal and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and at the General Hospital Monguno where Comprehensive Emergency Maternal and Newborn Care (CEmONC) and an Emergency Room for adults are available.

In September 2016, ALIMA opened a clinic near the numerous IDP camps in Muna (in the outskirts of Maiduguri) to meet the medical needs of children under the age of five and pregnant and lactating women.

Since May 2017, ALIMA is partnering with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (ITFC-UMTH) and UNICEF to implement an Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program Training Centre within the UMTH. The purpose of this centre of excellence is to manage complicated cases of severe acute malnutrition as well as to train professional health workers from the Ministry of Health on the management of children with severe acute malnutrition with complications. All the participants benefit from a ten days training, consisting of both theoretical and practical.

In Baga and Doro (Kukawa LGA) ALIMA has been providing primary and secondary healthcare to children under 5 in addition to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for pregnant and lactating women including antenatal. The degradation of the security situation in Kukawa LGA prompted ALIMA to suspend its activities in Baga and Doro in December 2018. ALIMA is closely monitoring the security situation, and in coordination with the Borno State government and MoH, will scale-up humanitarian activities based on needs, proximity/access and in line with the international humanitarian principles.

In the South Borno, in Akira/Uba and Hawul LGAs, ALIMA is implementing since January 2018 a three years Early Recovery Project aiming at strengthening the health system in both LGAs. ALIMA is supporting one general hospital and ten primary health centres.

Mission Location: Nigeria, Bosno State, Maiduguri

FUNCTIONAL AND MANAGERIAL LINES

· The Head of Mission reports to the Desk Programs Manager based in Abuja

· He/she supervises all the project coordinators and the coordinators of the support departments

· He/she works closely with the authorities and NGO partners.

· He/she creates links with other national and international NGOs, United Nations agencies and state and non-state organizations.

MISSION AND MAIN ACTIVITIES

The Head of Mission is the representative of ALIMA in Nigeria at Federal Level as well as at local level in Borno State. He/She is here to manage the Nigeria mission, by ensuring that the functioning of all projects is matching ALIMA’s main objective in Borno State.

Within the following frame, the HoM is independent and responsible to define and achieve the following operational objectives:

We want to provide and ensure an appropriate medical response in emergency and if conditions permit, in early recovery situation

• Ensure permanent monitoring of the political, humanitarian and health situation of the state (+ surrounding states in Nigeria + surrounding countries)


• Analyze the consequences of ALIMA interventions (risks, constraints, priorities)


• A rational use of means and resources to carry out emergency projects – Projects implementation supervision

We want to be known and accepted by the population as well as concerned authorities in Nigeria

• Negotiating and renewing the terms of collaboration (MOU) between ALIMA and the Government or any other institution involved, and keeping national partners informed about ALIMA’s activities on a regular basis.


• Monitor permanent follow up of potential emergencies in the Northeastern part of Nigeria


• Create and maintain up a solid network in Nigeria (key persons/institutions)

We want to protect our beneficiaries and our team from the high and volatile insecurity

• Bearing the final responsibility for security in the Mission.


• Evaluating the risks and threats linked to the implementation of ALIMA’s activities throughout the Mission.


• Defining and updating the mission’s security policy (in consultation with the teams) and submitting it to the Desk PM for approval.


• Checking compliance with security rules (by holding regular meetings) as set out in the security guidelines, which S/he updates on a regular basis. Checking that international and delocalized personnel receive any necessary security briefings, and stays informed of any risk in all the projects.


• Maintaining up a network of information allowing the monitoring of developments in risks and threats.


• Keeping Headquarters informed of any new risks taken and developments in the security context.


• Alerting the Desk PM immediately of all security incidents or threats that could have an impact on the Mission, the personnel’s security and/or ALIMA’s affairs.


• Writing up reports on each incident linked to security and carefully follow up those affecting ALIMA personnel and monitoring its aftermath, and developing scenarios and contingencies, adopting our programmes and staff setup to minimise risks and exposures


• In collaboration with the PM, setting up a Crisis Cell in the event of a serious incident if deemed necessary.

Our 4 years of presence has shown us how worrying the medical situation of Nigerian populations in Borno State is: we want to deploy the necessary means to stay beneficiaries/patients-oriented action.

· Supervising the project proposals according to the needs on field. Ensures that the distress of the populations affected is documented, described and appropriate responses are proposed.

• Writing and sharing periodic operational reports


• Evaluating the need of opening new projects


• Ensuring an effective internal and external communication policy for the projects

We need a solid and cohesive team on the field, to provide the best and in time care

• Leading, briefing/debriefing, coaching, etc. of team members


• Definition of job profiles, monitoring, goal setting, support and evaluation of ALIMA employees in the CAR;


• Organization and facilitation of coordination team meetings.


• Drafting of individual action plans for the Project Coordinators and other coordinators in collaboration with their technical referents at headquarters.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• University degree in medicine, public health or paramedical, international relations or any other relevant education


• Previous experience working with ALIMA in a similar role is an asset. Project management experiences with ALIMA or international medical NGO, at least three years, is required


• Experience in Security Management; conflict or post conflict, access constrained and resource poor context.


• Strategic vision, large portfolio and multi-donor budget management. Knowledge of and experiences with key institutional and development donors eg OFDA, ECHO, EU, UNICEF


• People management


• Strong negotiation skills with key government, donors and partner organizations.


• Ability to delegate, and at the same time, to follow up several projects in several areas.


• Strong leadership and ability to inspire and bring together various profiles, team management as well as management/ training capacity


• Strong organizational capacities;


• Ability to work rapidly under short deadlines


• Proven writing and spoken English are required; knowledge of the local language is an asset

Language: English is mandatory (written, read, and spoken), French is an asset.

CONDITIONS

Contract term: contract under French law, contract length: 12 months (renewable, based on funding availability and performance)

Position to be filled: between 15^th of April and 1^st of May, 2020

Salary: depending on experience + per diem ALIMA pays for:

• travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location


• accommodation costs


• medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee


• evacuation of the employee

How to apply:

To apply, please send your CV (in PDF) and covering letter on our job page before March 20, 2020.

Applications are processed in the order of arrival and we reserve the right to close the offer before the term initially indicated if a good application is successful.

Only full applications (CV pdf + answer to questions) will be taken into account. Only accepted applications will be contacted.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

source: https://jobcenternigeria.com/head-of-mission-nigeria-m-f/