Career Opportunities: Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Technical Adviser-RBC (40207)

Requisition ID 40207 – Posted 08/04/2021 – Country (1) – SRHR

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

ROLE PROFILE

ROLE PURPOSE

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for a better life for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and the goals on gender equality.

Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking, and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 100 million girls.

The position holder will provide technical and programmatic assistance in the area of ASRH and act as an integral part of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC)/ Maternal Child and Community Health (MCCH) Division team. She/he will technically contribute in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation as well as coordination of ASRH interventions at central and decentralized levels.

management scope, reporting lines, key relationships

Reports to: The MCCH Division Manager with a dotted line reporting to SRHR advisor at Plan International Rwanda

Direct reports: N/A

Key relationships

Internal:  

• SRHR advisor and the management team at Plan International Rwanda

External:

•  MCCH Reproductive Health team members/RBC
• ASRH partners
• Plan International Rwanda implementing partners

Level of contact with children

• Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children

Physical Environment

• The position is the typical office environment

Accountabilities and MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES

Planning and integration of ASRH

• Work closely with RBC/MCCH team to plan, implement, and scale-up strategies for high-impact interventions related to ASRH at the facility level.
• Plan and implement capacity-building activities among health care providers, schools, and at the community level in adolescent (youth) friendly service provision in collaboration with districts and partner organizations.
• Monitor progress of implementation of work plan activities related to ASRH and ensure that activities are executed according to plan and any issues are discussed with supervisor in a timely manner.
• Work collaboratively with Plan International team members and other MOH/ RBC staff to ensure good coordination and efficient programming and management of the ASRH program.

Coordination and leadership

• Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of ASRH program activities;
• Lead strategies to effectively engage adolescent boys and girls as well as local government, health care providers, civil society, religious leaders, to foster community-wide commitments and actions to foster young people healthy behaviours;
• Build capacity in adolescent-focused analyses (e.g. government and partners) and conduct field-based analyses to ensure local specificities are considered in all adolescent health interventions;
• Identify appropriate facility and community-based strategies to address ASRH service delivery gaps;
• Develop service delivery strategies in coordination with local social behaviour change (SBC) partner for accessing hard-to-reach populations with ASRH services, including the use of SBC and community outreach activities to increase awareness and demand for services;
• Coordinate assessments, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-strengthening, and M&E related interventions.
• Coordinate the formulation of approaches for scale-up of ASRH services to the Rwandan population by working with a wide range of technical experts to provide holistic needs, or segments of youth (in school or out-of-school), etc. In accordance with Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) policy and FP/ASRH Strategic plan;
• Work with health care providers, local authorities, community members, and program team members to identify and address service delivery gaps that impede access to ASRH services.
• Coordinate the development of ASRH tools and contribute to the development of technical reports and publications related to ASRH.

 Management

• Maintain excellent relationships with MOH, RBC team, and other Ministry of Health partners.
• Provide technical support during program monitoring and development of annual work plans;
• Provide reports to supervisors and update all technical staff on successes, challenges, and lessons learned in the implementation of ASRH activities
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Leadership and BUSINESS management COMPETENCIES

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Set high standards for self-behavior, inside and outside work. Championing our values and commitment to rights, gender equality, and safeguarding. Supporting the health, well-being, and both physical and psychological safety of our staff, including their safety to speak out.
• Hold self to account for what we have agreed, dealing with a poor performance quickly, firmly, and constructively.
• Create a positive team spirit, helping people work well together, to reflect and continuously improve the efficiency and quality of what we do.
• Collaborate with team members, colleagues, and partners in finding creative solutions to problems by sharing information, experience, and ideas and actively seeking their input.
• Accept change and support others in adjusting to it, helping them understand.
• Motivating and developing others by taking an interest, giving constructive feedback and praise, ensuring they are properly trained, and helping them develop their potential.
• Positive about change and supporting others in adjusting to it, helping them understand.

TECHINICAL COMPETENCIES

• Understands key programme and influence principles: Understands the rationale for and practical implications of being rights-based, gender transformative, participatory, working in partnership; evidence-based, and working to strengthen civil society.
• Understands fundamental issues and root causes: Understands the development and needs of our Primary Impact Groups from birth to adulthood, the root causes of the issues affecting them, and the key actors most relevant to their interests and therefore to our work
• Understands a range of strategies and approaches: Understands approaches to programme/project logic, trends in own and related fields of work, and a range of effective strategies, approaches, and practices.
• Analyses issues and evidence in context – Builds the evidence base by analysing issues in their context, using appropriate methods and relevant data sources.
• Shapes strategy, policy, standards, and plans clearly aligned with relevant priorities and stakeholder interests and based on rigorous internal and external evidence
• Designs effective programmes and projects with clear and measurable objectives contributing to overall outcomes, appropriately resourced, mainstreaming gender and inclusion and participatory approaches, and engaging with and influencing relevant actors and stakeholders.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

• Understand relevant sectoral context including how the sector operates in terms of funding and governance and awareness of Plan’s purpose, values, and global strategy
• Manage legal and reputational risk including risk assessment, communication, risk management, and reporting in full compliance with risk-related standards, including in areas such as Child and Youth Safeguarding and Protection, Gender equality and inclusion, Counter Fraud, Safety, and Security
• Manage activities and resources including skills in strategic thinking, planning and organising, financial planning and monitoring, negotiation and programme, and project management.

Technical expertise, skills, and knowledge

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications/ experience essential:

• A Bachelor’s degree in nursing, midwifery, public health, or other clinical or related disciplines with nursing or social sciences background is required.
• At least 3 – 5 years experience implementing and/or supporting reproductive health programs
• Proven experience working with and for adolescents and young people, and track record of successful implementation of similar programs in Rwanda.
• Experience to mentor health providers using competency-based approaches; experience of training health workers on clinical aspects related to ASRH, peer education, etc.
• Ability to work with senior MOH officials, executives of NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, the for-profit business community, and senior members of the donor community on ASRH/FP matters.
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of the Rwandan healthcare system
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop technical capacity in national programs and technical staff in ASRH

Qualifications/ experience desirable:

• Ability to work independently and under pressure
• Willingness to work overtime as required

Languages required

• Strong oral and written communication and presentations skills in English and Kinyarwanda.  The knowledge of French language is an added value.
• Strong skills in word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint Presentation.
• Ability to travel nationally (frequently)

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organization by being open, honest, and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.

We strive for a lasting impact

We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused, and innovative.

We work well together

We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organization, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities, and our partners.

We are inclusive and empowering

We respect all people, appreciate differences, and challenge inequality in our programs and our workplace. We support children, girls, and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.

Location: RBC Office-Kigali, Rwanda

Reports to: The Maternal Child and Community Health Division Manager and SRHR Advisor at Plan International

Grade: TBD 

Closing Date:  17th April 2021

The position is on the local contract and only people who live and permitted to work in Rwanda are allowed to apply.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organizational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights, and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme, we will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.