DFID DRC are seeking a Health and Nutrition specialist Humanitarian Adviser to work from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo for 2 months, starting December 2017.
The Humanitarian Adviser will provide additional specialist nutrition and health capacity to DFID DRC in the context of the significantly increased needs, rising mortality and morbidity risk (and complex interplay of nutrition, health and WASH) L3 activation and reinforced UK programming.
Job Title: Humanitarian Adviser, Health and Nutrition (Consultant)
Location: Kinshasa, with travel within DRC
Start Date: December 2017
Duration: 2 months, with potential extension
BPSS clearance required.
Applicants without clearance will be required to complete the security clearance process.
Working-level French preferred.
Please note the successful candidate will be contracted through Palladium.
Interested applicants should send the following to rebecca-clark@dfid.gov.uk by no later than 17th November 2017. Please note applications will be reviewed upon receipt and the role may be filled before the deadline. Candidates are therefore encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible.
• updated CV
• details of proficiency in French
• a short paragraph outlining how they meet the person specification below
• availability (earliest start date and duration of availability)
Please refer to the below terms of reference for more details.
DFID Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Humanitarian Adviser (health and nutrition specialist)
The DRC is on the cusp of a Humanitarian System Wide Activation (L3). IASC Principles are due to endorse or meet to discuss the recommendation of IASC Emergency Directors to activate a L3 for six months on the 19 October. DFID DRC has recommended that the UK adopts a ‘no regrets’ approach to tackling the humanitarian crises affecting the DRC and in the Grand Kasais (and affected neighbouring Provinces), Tanganyka and South Kivu Provinces in particular. Violence in these Provinces alone has displaced over 2.5 million people. The DRC is prey to a series of acute crises including displacement, disease outbreak, refugee arrivals, massive food insecurity (7.7 million in IPC Phases 3 and 4) and alarming high levels of severe acute malnutrition. But above all, DRC is experiencing the consequences of a crisis of Protection. All this is based on a backdrop of electoral and political uncertainty that affects and contributes both directly and indirectly to massive humanitarian needs. The humanitarian system, especially in nutrition and health, has not yet scaled up sufficiently to meet these needs.
The Humanitarian Adviser will provide additional specialist nutrition and health capacity to DFID DRC in the context of the significantly increased needs, rising mortality and morbidity risk (and complex interplay of nutrition, health and WASH) L3 activation and reinforced UK programming.
Main Job Purpose
Provide specialist technical advice to guide DFID’s crisis nutrition and health programme and policy response, including:
• Lead the regular assessment of the emergency nutrition and health situation (and system-wide response), with a specific focus on preventing deaths e.g. from severe acute malnutrition and health outbreaks. Supporting the office and wider system in understanding the drivers and interplay between key nutrition and health risks
• Lead the advice on the appropriateness and effectiveness of DFID and partner programming responses on health and nutrition and work with partners to make any necessary changes to existing programmes directly or in coordination with other colleagues (including in other associated sectors – e.g.WASH).
• Lead engagement with and advice on measures to strengthen the system-wide understanding, coordination and response to the nutrition/health elements of the crises, including through relevant clusters and support engagement through other relevant coordination bodies.
• Engaging with international partners on influencing an effective nutrition and health response and provide input to lobby lines/influencing activities of other colleagues and senior officials.
• Ensuring evidence based best practices are mainstreamed into DFID’s humanitarian strategy, programmes and the international response.
• Support other DFID DRC health and other colleagues in assessing the extent to which existing developmental efforts and core health system in DRC can flex/respond to the crisis and/or be strengthened through scaled up emergency efforts
• Documenting lessons learned, from the nutrition and cholera emergency response for wider DFID dissemination.
• Contribute to wider humanitarian team objectives – covering for others as necessary
Essential Qualifications, skills and experience required
• Significant operational nutrition and emergency health expertise
• Excellent understanding of nutrition and emergency health evidence
• Significant experience of leading a response in complex emergency
• Substantial demonstrable experience of working in a senior capacity in humanitarian operational environments, in a head office and field environment
• Excellent networking and representational skills at all levels, including Government, UN, RC Movement and NGOS
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of humanitarian theory, practice and architecture, humanitarian risk assessment and planning and managing humanitarian responses.
• Exceptional organisational and prioritisation, and ability to deal with a varied, demanding, often conflicting and rapidly changing workload.
• Ideally, a Master’s level qualification or equivalent in a subject relating to the humanitarian field
• Information Management and reporting including ensuring that key meetings, decision points and actions are documented, shared and archived (VAULT) with other Humanitarian staff and wider DFID team (required)
• Resilience and preparedness to spend sustained periods of time in the field.
• Previous DFID experience
Technical competences required
• Humanitarian risks assessment and analysis
• Planning and managing humanitarian responses
• Humanitarian theory, practice and architecture.
• Disaster resilience theory, practice and architecture.
• Practical experience of running humanitarian operations
• Knowledge of the development effectiveness agenda, the international development system, and institutional and organisational knowledge
Desirable skills
• Team Player and/or Leadership
• Ability to work with both development and humanitarian actors
• Briefing at senior level
• Humanitarian advisory capability (generalist and technical)
• Training of staff
• Programme management and coordination
• Financial management and accounting
• HR and administration
• Security management
• Experience working across humanitarian and development actions in fragile contexts and in francophone Africa