Programme Officer, Healthcare Standards and Quality at the West African Health Organization (WAHO)

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) is the health institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a mandate to ensure the attainment of the highest possible standard and protection of the health of the people in the ECOWAS region.

Within the framework of the Regional “Reproductive Health and REV Prevention Programme in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)”, WAHO and the German Financial Cooperation (Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau / KFW) have agreed to establish a Regional Financing Mechanism for Reproductive Health Commodities.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Programme Officer, Healthcare Standards and Quality

Job Code: VN94
Location: West Africa
Institution: West African Health Organisation
Grade: P3/P4
Directorate: HealthCare Services
Division: HealthCare Delivery
Line Supervisor: PPO HealthCare Delivery
Supervising: None

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Directorate’s Director, the incumbent shall be responsible for ensuring health facilities quality assurance, patient safety, risk management programmes and systems-level outcomes within the organization.
• He/she shall direct the efforts of all the performance improvement initiatives to ensure compliance with all regulatory standards.
• S/He shall focus on quality systems, patient experience and management of clinical risks.
• This role shall involve working independently and collaboratively with other Programme Officers to ensure the establishment of quality healthcare standards and effective functioning of clinical risk frameworks.

Role and Responsibilities
The incumbent will:

• Advocate and establish a culture of safety and quality standards throughout WAHO’s programmes;
• Plan and create a Regional Standards and Quality Procedure Manual;
• Review quality assurance standards in the ECOWAS region;
• Develop training material and practice guidelines and other decision-making tools in Healthcare Services;
• Coordinate the development of strategic work-plans with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks, short and long term priorities, implementation plans and tools for evaluation;
• Monitor Healthcare Service performance by gathering relevant data and produce statistical reports;
• Provide technical assistance to countries in using relevant quality tools to ensure that managers and other staff understand how to improve their work;
• Identify technical assistance on needs assessment when needed;
• Coordinate and manage relationships with partner organisations, Ministries of Health and other relevant regulatory bodies to foster solid cooperation;
• Coordinate the training of health personnel on health care standards and quality;
• Provide technical assistance to Member States in setting up and maintaining Healthcare Service controls and documentation of procedures;
• Provide technical assistance to countries to regularly update existing policies and procedures of health facilities;
• Perform other related duties as might be assigned by supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine or Pharmacy or Nursing or Medical Science or any of the Allied Health Sciences from a recognised university.

Experience:

• 5 to 7 years of progressive responsible experience in the implementation of healthcare programs;
• Knowledge of quality assurance standards in the ECOWAS region and Non Communicable Diseases strategy;
• Ability to manage relationship with partner organizations, Ministries of Health and other relevant regulatory bodies to foster solid cooperation.

ECOWAS Key Competencies
P3-02-01 Leadership:

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;
• Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources;
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and the subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance;
• Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

P3-03-01 Client Service Orientation:

• Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
• Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions;
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards
• Proven experience in the management of Health Information system
• Knowledge in database development and management. DHIS2 knowledge will be an advantage
• Advanced knowledge in health information analysis tools.
• Excellent management capacity, including networking and alliance building.
• Ability to work within a multinational environment and with a diverse range of people and organisations at the national, regional and global levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work in team setting, group facilitation and good interpersonal skills.
• Proven knowledge of new developments in own occupation/profession.
• Effective organizational skills with the ability to prioritize.

P3-04-01 Multicultural Sensitivity and Advocacy:

• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an un-biased and transparent manner.

P3-05-01 Knowledge of ECOWAS:

• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.

P3-06-01 Analytical and Critical Thinking:

• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations;
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.

P3-07-01 Communication:

• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, ;
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• Proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.

P3-08-01 Planning and Implementation:

• Ability to develop, implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals;
• Identify ,organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
• Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines;
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks;
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.

Eligibility

• Must be a citizen of an ECOWAS Member State.
• Must not be more than 50 years of age at the time of recruitment. This does not apply to internal candidates.

Application Closing Date
9th April, 2022.