Health Advisor (Nepali National Consultant)

POSITION TITLE:  Health Advisor (Nepali National Consultant)

DUTY STATION:  IFRC/SRC Country Coordination Office (CCO), Kathmandu

DURATION: 3 months

LINE MANAGER: SRC Country Coordinator, Nepal

IFRC Swiss Red Cross

The Swiss Red Cross (SRC) as member national society of IFRC is partnering with NRCS since last 40 years to support people in crisis and is part of a global voluntary network of RCRC movement, responding to conflicts and disasters. SRC support also enables people and communities to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their communities. When the crisis is over, SRC helps them to recover and move on with their livelihoods. The SRC has been supporting the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) with programme/projects in the sector of Humanitarian Aid, Reconstruction/Rehabilitation and Cooperation and Development projects. The aim of the SRC Country Programme is to provide financial and technical support to NRCS to strengthen its institutional capacity to work as trusted organization as an auxiliary to the government in delivering humanitarian and development programs for the vulnerable, maintaining its fundamental principles. 

Purpose

The Health Program Advisor will play a key strategic role in guiding and shaping health programs to maximize impact. The Advisor will provide strategic direction, advocate for the implementation of health policies, and strategic health plans and promote collaboration between NRCS, MoHP, national stakeholders, and partners. The advisor will ensure that health initiatives align with national priorities and standards, emphasizing innovation, inclusion, and sustainable outcomes. Additionally, the advisor will promote continuous learning and improvement in project implementation. The advisor will dedicate 50% of their time to NRCS and 50% to the IFRC/SRC Country Office, ensuring shared engagement and contributions at both organizational and strategic levels.

Key Strategic Responsibilities 

• Provide strategic guidance to NRCS, ensuring health programs align with national health policies and Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement priorities while contributing to the development and review of NRCS health policies and strategies.
• Provide strategic guidance to improve community health, including initiatives on WASH, healthy ageing, and NCD prevention, in alignment with NRCS health policy.
• Facilitate collaboration and shared leadership with Movement partners, government health bodies, the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC), the Health Cluster, I/NGOs, and other stakeholders to enhance the impact of health interventions and promote joint initiatives in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Engage in policy discussions with NRCS, government agencies, and other key stakeholders to advocate for health policies that align with RCRC Movement goals and national priorities.
• Ensure effective communication and coordination between NRCS, IFRC, Partner National Societies (PNSs), and other stakeholders to support shared goals and improve health outcomes.
• Conduct regular reviews of health projects supported by IFRC/Swiss Red Cross, providing critical feedback to ensure they meet quality standards and achieve intended outcomes.
• Support NRCS in effectively reaching disadvantaged populations with a focus on behavior change approaches, ensuring that these changes are tracked and reported systematically, and advocate for climate-resilient health interventions, including non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention.
• Actively contribute to the development of programs/projects including anticipatory action (AA) plans in health, including simplified Early Action Protocols (sEAP), promoting a shared leadership approach in these processes. 
• Coordinate and provide technical support during emergencies, guiding health assessments and overseeing the strategic planning and implementation of health interventions during response and recovery phases, ensuring alignment with long-term health goals and resilience building.

Capacity building and mentoring

• Guide NRCS in long-term capacity building to ensure that health programmes are sustainably managed and effectively implemented at provincial and district levels.
• Promote learning and innovation by helping NRCS become a leader in sharing experience and knowledge with partners at higher levels.
• Promote innovative solutions to health challenges by integrating new technologies and methods into the planning and implementation of health programmes.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning

• Oversee health projects at a strategic level, ensuring that they meet donor requirements, are aligned with organisational goals, and are consistent with national health policies.
• Facilitate and promote health research, including design, implementation and data analysis, and use results to influence national health policies and decisions.
• Promote the exchange of good practice and lessons learned to shape future health strategies.
• Act as a strategic advisor, playing a key role in policy discussions and decision-making to support the objectives of the Public Health Programme.
• Carry out other strategic and operational duties as assigned by the line manager.

Position Requirements

Application procedures

The interested individual consultant should submit their expression of interest to the following email: aliza.baidya@ifrc.org, by October 31, 2024. Applicant must submit the following documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV), including at least three referee’s detail
2. Cover letter summarizing your experience as mentioned above. 
3. Cost for per month assignment and total 3 months assignment (the cost proposal should include all applicable taxes)

Payment mode

Payment will be made every month based on the filled timesheet after the submission of the invoice.

Key dates of the assignment

It is expected that the consultant will start the task from November 25 for 3 months until February 24, 2025, to the IFRC Swiss Red Cross Nepal Country Office.