Clinical Officer, PHIZER at CARE International

CARE International is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to saving lives and ending poverty. We work in over 94 countries around the world to provide over 1000 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Clinical Officer, PHIZER

Location: Yobe

Job Summary

• CARE Nigeria is seeking the engagement of Clinical Officer for the implementation of the Lafiyayyen Yara (Healthy Children): Reducing Infectious Disease among Children Under Five project. The Clinical officer will be responsible for collaboration with health workers in assigned Facilities and Outreach Service Areas (FOSAs) - primary health centres and clinics in Bade LGA of Yobe State.
• S/He shall mentor the nurses & laboratory staff and assess gaps in patient care/management especially for pregnant and lactating mother, and children under 5 years.
• S/He shall supervise Health Promotion Officers and conduct routine health outreach activities at designated service delivery points in the LGA mentioned above.
• S/He will provide quality clinical lifesaving Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) to participants in communities within Bade LGA.
• S/He will also work in active collaboration with primary health facility staff, health promotion officers, community-based surveillance focal points, and community engagement facilitators to create demand for the uptake of services and facilitate timely referral of complicated conditions to secondary health care facilities.

Responsibilities and Tasks
Technical and Program Support to Health Facilities /Outreach Services Areas (25%):

• Provide technical and program support to ensure quality implementation of comprehensive Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health activities with focus on:
  • Immunization - supporting the broader community health system to increase demand for and delivery of immunizations
  • Quality integrated community case management and integrated management of childhood illness care in facilities
  • Quality maternal health services (antenatal care/prenatal care, respectful delivery with timely referral of complications, nutrition counselling and breastfeeding support, newborn care)
  • Infection, Prevention and Control to reduce disease transmission in facilities and communities
  • Community engagement to address social norms impacting child health, improve health practices and health service delivery
  • Community-based surveillance to enhance detection of infectious diseases and to strengthen referrals to health facilities
• Develop a weekly work plan and movement plan for activities in the FOSAs
• Capacity building for service providers through training and retraining and continuously identifying other training needs for quality program implementation
• Develop Training TOR, Budget, and Contract and Advance request guided by work plan, budget and liquidate expenses after training with support from the PM
• Provide on the job coaching and mentoring for service provider
• Strengthen local coordination meeting and attend state coordination meeting on request by supervisor to advocate for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Rights Services in the State

Support the establishment and effective delivery of RMNCAH outreach services in target communities:

• Support community engagement to promote behaviour change, citizen-driven accountability, and risk communication through CARE’s SAA approach to address social norms that negatively impact health and undermine uptake of immunization,
• Provide on job mentorship to the nurses
• Perform quick evaluation for patients for Referral to Secondary/Tertiary level of care
• Maintain a good record keeping system and undertake continuous monitoring and regular evaluation of the project activities.
• Undertake CARE’s Community Score Card approach to improve health service delivery; and
• initiate and ensure active referral system is available in FOSAs with referral protocol place on the wall in all FOSAs
• Support in development of project work plan, budget, expenditure plan  
• Participate in patient consultations as applicable

Job Responsibility 2:  Quality Control and Assurance (25%):

• Conduct regular Skills Assessments and provide data-driven supportive supervision of healthcare providers/CHEWs, CBS focal points and community engagement facilitators.
• Ensure that the FOSA have the right commodity, consumables, medical supplies to make sure there is no stocks out at any point in time of last-mile supply chain management to support immunizations, oral rehydration therapy (ORT), zinc, antibiotics for pneumonia, and family planning commodities.
• Request for relevant and up to date IEC/BCC materials and job Aids for all FOSAs
• Ensure all aspects of patient/client record are properly documented using appropriate and relevant tools and well stored in a private and confidential key and lock cabinet
• Ensure that weekly reports and returns are submitted to the PM and relevant government authorities as stipulated in the regulations and policies
• Identify training needs for CARE staff and suggest ways of meeting those needs
• Undertake competency-based skills development and mentoring for health care providers and CBS focal points covering diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, maternal health, community-based surveillance (in line with the nationally adopted Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response strategy) and strengthening of referrals.
• Maintain high level of infection prevention control through, provision of IP SOP, sharps box, decontamination buckets and SOP place on the wall

Responsibility 3:  Monitoring and Learning (25%):

• Ensure the regular data collection using appropriate tools from the supported FOSAs, and entry into the DISC in the database for analysis of the data collected to make recommendations to the supported health structures and the Project Manager
• Identify problems with the DISC and flag it to the M& E officer/PM, also suggest ways of improving data collection, storage and use for decision making
• Participate in monthly tripartite meetings bringing together FOSA providers, community facilitators, CARE staff and the Health District to analyze the data, identify the difficulties encountered and help them find solutions
• Periodically review performance metrics with the Monitoring & Evaluation officer and employ use of data for decision making that promotes high quality clinical care services
• Identify and document and dissemination of appropriate success stories, experiences, best practice and lessons, at least one every 3 months
• Encourage sharing of learning and experience with the team, across the organization and with like-minded/peer organizations
• Conduct monthly supportive Supervisions to all the FOSAs in collaboration with the Yobe State Primary Healthcare Board (YPHCB), LGA focal persons /SMOH officials
• Supports monitoring and evaluation initiatives at selected facilities/communities including analysis of supply chain system in the state to strengthen existing system and suggest best practices
• Establish and use responsive complaint and feedback systems to track and report complaint and feedback to support effective service delivery

Responsibility 4: Relationship with Staff / Management (20%):

• Develop a good communication and interpersonal relationship with other project staff and CARE staff to avoid creating a tense environment in the workplace
• Manage and resolve problems amicably following appropriate communication channels and procedures  
• Listens and accept constructive criticism
• Foster teamwork among supervised staff and with staff from other units/departments
• Represent CARE at coordination meetings in their location
• Organizes community sensitization health talk through the community linkage structures (CBS focal points, Model Mothers)
• Understand CARE’s vision, mission, and practice the core values of CARE
• Cultivate good working relationships with service providers, community, MOH staff, local CSOs, INGOs, UN agencies etc.

Responsibility 5: Perform any other duties assigned (5%):
Not only limited to:

• Ability to willingly accept and take up additional responsibilities
• Ability to share knowledge and skills for the purpose of knowledge and skill transfer to other staff
• Carry out any other duties and responsibilities, which may be assigned by the management from time to time

Communication/Reporting:

• Provide regular feedback to the Project Manager on the clinic activities.
• Participate in the development of mobile health clinic work plans and reviewing them on a monthly basis with the project Manager

Budget/Grants:

• Participate in proposal writing and budget development

Supervision:

• Supervise nurses/mobile team staff activities.
• Ensure monthly reports are compiled and of good quality.

Work Conditions

• The position is in Gashua with on-need-basis travels to Damaturu to receive support, plan activities and update the PM on progress of activities in the field (100% of project locations).
• It involves liaising with and coordinating activities with providers, community health workers, Local Government Authorities, local implementing partners, other humanitarian actors and stakeholders within the areas of operation.
• It is essential that the Clinical Officer maintain active presence in the field to ensure proper technical support, implementation, and supervision of clinical service delivery by both health providers and health promotion teams.
• However, S/He will be required to travel to Damaturu at periodic intervals, for meetings, planning, training events and reporting purposes

Job Experience
The Clinical Officer (CO) shall have a suitable combination academic qualification, experience, and relevant trainings in the following technical and programmatic requirements for the post:

• Registered Nurse, Nurse/Midwife, CHEW (female preferred), with practical clinical experience in RMNCAH services
• Postgraduate qualification in Public Health will be an asset
• Expert level knowledge and at least five years of practical clinical RMNCAH services, SRH in Emergency programming, preferably essential lifesaving RH/MISP package implementation with refugees and / or internally displaced populations
• Training in project management, planning, monitoring, and evaluation is an asset
• At least 3 years’ field experience in working with health facility providers, community health workers and coaching and mentoring on the job preferred
• Ability to plan training sessions, provide formative supervision, monitoring and evaluation of medical activities
• Must be a good team player that is able to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Exemplary customer service and people skills
• Leadership abilities that have been proven in small- and large-scale arenas
• Problem solving skills that lead to feasible resolutions for the future
• Disciplined, organized, respecting deadlines, adapting to a multicultural work environment, tolerance, respect CARE's Core values.
• Ability to enhance good interpersonal relationship.
• Good knowledge and application of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to ensure quality data collection, compile and analyse data to formulate relevant recommendations
• Ability to write quality reports in English and submit them on time
• Disciplined, organized, respect for deadlines, adaptation in a multicultural working environment, tolerance, respect for CARE's core values and gender
• Strong relationship building skills and ability to work in complex environment.  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize activities.

Required Competencies:

• Application of technical skills and program support  
• Good reporting skills
• Maintenance of relationships.
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Quality and timeliness of support provided.
• Observance of policies and procedures.

Key Working Relationships

• Direct supervisor: Project Manager Pfizer
• Technical support: SRHR Program Manager

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Note: This position is 100% BASE location

Application Deadline  20th August, 2021.