Health Technical Advisor

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: (select only one)

Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g.

once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Health Technical Advisor is responsible for providing strategic and technical leadership with a primary focus on Child Health, Sexual Reproductive health (SRH/ASRH), Maternal Newborn Health (MNH), and Health Systems Strengthening (HSS). Under the general direction and guidance of the Director of Program Development and Quality, provides thematic leadership and ensures that all health programming in both development and humanitarian contexts is well monitored and is of excellent technical quality, attracts significant donor funding and contributes to national/global learning, advocacy, and programme development. S/he is expected to lead on developing a health sector strategy and thematic plan, aligned with the country strategic plan; sectoral assessment; program design, proposal writing and master budgeting support; and provide strategic and technical guidance and oversight to project managers and field teams implementing health programming and related initiatives; and, represent Save the Children (SC) in inter-agency fora.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: PDQI Director

Staff reporting to this post: Technical program staff (dotted line)

Budget Responsibilities: No

Field Travel: The TA is expected to spend at least 50% of his/ her time in the field in governorates of greater Cairo, Aswan, Alexandria, Minia and Assiut.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Developing Strategy and Thematic Plan

• Lead the development, periodic review, and implementation of the country health strategy, thematic plans, and emergency preparedness plans, ensuring alignment with the Country Strategic Plan and evolving contextual needs.
• Provide strategic leadership on the health component of the Country Strategic Plan, ensuring coherence across child health, maternal and newborn health, adolescent health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and systems‑strengthening priorities.
• Apply systems‑for‑health thinking to inform strategic priorities, programme adaptation, and advocacy, particularly in fragile and emergency‑affected contexts.
• Monitor changes in national and humanitarian contexts and guide timely strategic adjustments that maintain quality, relevance, and impact for children and adolescents.

Program Planning, Support and Quality

• Provide technical leadership and advisory support to ensure the quality, integration, and effectiveness of health programming across development and humanitarian responses, with a focus on child health, MNRH, ASRH, MHPSS, and health systems strengthening.
• Lead or support health and multi‑sectoral assessments, ensuring robust analysis of children’s and adolescents’ needs and effective use of findings in programme design and adaptation.
• Guide the design and integration of evidence‑based interventions, including high‑impact, low‑cost child and maternal health interventions and safe, quality MHPSS approaches.
• Provide technical review and quality assurance of programme designs, proposals, monitoring reports, evaluations, and learning products prior to submission.
• Ensure integration across the continuum of care and across sectors.
• Ensure health programmes adhere to international, national, and organisational standards, including Sphere and safeguarding requirements.
Lead learning, innovation, and lesson‑learning processes, working with MEAL teams to ensure evidence is systematically captured, disseminated, and applied to improve programme quality and outcomes.

Providing Strategic and Technical Guidance and Oversight

• Provide technical oversight to PMs and field teams to ensure timely, high quality program implementation, including monitoring against log frames, analysing performance, and advising corrective actions.
• Coordinate closely with HR and procurement to ensure adequate staffing and timely availability of the health supplies to support effective program delivery.
• In collaboration with the MEAL team, put in place a health sector MEAL plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity building of technical field staff in conducting the work.
• Working closely with the accountability lead to put in place sector accountability mechanisms, ensuring that the feedback is incorporated into programme design and learning disseminated to the wider health sector.
Conduct regular field visits to monitor programme quality and compliance with sphere and other minimum standards, provide technical support, strengthen staff, and partner capacity through mentoring and training, while identifying emerging needs to inform program needs and adaptation.

Monitoring, Assessment, Program Design and Fundraising

• Lead on health or multi-sectoral technical assessments, ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs.
• Provide technical quality assurance of health strategies, assessments, and programs as necessary, and proactively promote high quality health technical approaches within country programs.
• Play a leadership role in shaping health communications, advocacy, and external representation in line with thematic priorities.
• Lead on program design and proposal development and fundraising, including writing high quality concept notes and position paper, engagement with donors and technical advisors.
Drive the health innovation, learning and evidence agenda including documentation and application of lesson learned with MEAL support.

Human Resources and Performance Management

• Identify health sector staffing needs in collaboration with Human Resources and contribute to workforce planning that supports programme quality and sustainability.
• Coach, mentor, and provide technical supervision to Project Managers, technical staff, and partners, strengthening their capacity to deliver integrated, high‑quality health programming.
• Lead learning needs assessments and develop capacity strengthening plans for Save the Children and partner staff, including training on child health, MNRH, ASRH, MHPSS, and systems‑oriented approaches.
• Oversee the development and delivery of technical guidance and training materials that improve programme quality and technical consistency.
• Coach and mentor PMs and field staff and link into wider organizational talent development mechanisms.
• Oversee development and delivery of technical training material that will improve aspects of health work within Save the Children.
Develop learning needs assessment and capacity building plans for both SC and partner staff, linking capacity building initiatives to wider opportunities identified via coordination and networks.

Networking, Coordination and External Communication

• Represent Save the Children in inter‑agency coordination mechanisms, technical working groups, and sector forums, contributing to harmonisation of approaches and standards.
• Provide technical leadership within coordination platforms to promote integrated health programming, including child health, MNRH, ASRH, MHPSS, and systems strengthening.
• Ensure Save the Children’s programme results, learning, and evidence are effectively shared to inform sector practice and collective decision‑making.
• Support the development of external communications and media products related to health programming, acting as a technical spokesperson when appropriate.
• Actively participate in inter-agency meeting and forums, harmonize approaches or tools, ensure that SC’s program achievements and learnings are represented, and seek assistance in case of challenges.
• Help shape broader sector strategies through influence of and leadership within inter-agency coordination forums, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. This may involve taking on a co-chairing role where needs demand.
• Take the initiative in documenting lessons learnt, best practice and case studies to shape in-country strategies and programme approaches and contribute to broader sector learning.
Pro-actively identify advocacy opportunities, case studies and research opportunities which link with wider organisational strategic objectives and turn these into action.

Advocacy and Fundraising

• Identify health sector priorities and funding gaps and support fundraising and proposal development, collaborating closely with members and donors.
• Ensure advocacy initiatives are informed by programme evidence, learning, and assessments, with a focus on improving equitable access, quality of care, and health system resilience.
Proactively identify advocacy opportunities, case studies, and research themes aligned with organisational objectives, including child health, adolescent health, and rights, MHPSS, and systems strengthening.

General Roles

• Contribute to country office risk management, including identification, mitigation, and communication of programme and safeguarding risks.
• Ensure safeguarding, accountability, inclusion, and meaningful participation principles are embedded across all health programming, including MHPSS and adolescent‑focused interventions.
• Collaborate with programme operations teams to ensure programmes are safe, inclusive, and compliant with safeguarding, health and safety, equal opportunities, and anti‑harassment policies.
• Comply with all Save the Children policies, values, and standards, and contribute to a culture of learning, accountability, and technical excellence.
• Contribute to the CO risk management process and matrix development, communicate mitigation measures with the team, and ensure that they are in place.
• Contribute to the development of communications products, in collaboration with the Country Office Communications Manager
Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, safety and security, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Safeguarding Policy:

• Support in the mainstreaming of Save the Children’s safeguarding policy within livelihoods and social protection programs design and implementation; including identifying and addressing risks to children that are caused/exacerbated by programme design and intervention.
Collaborate with the Program Operations teams to ensure that activities are safe for children and adults, and that all steps are taken to ensure their meaningful and safe participation.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice) Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved. Ambition:
• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• • honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
  

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of (MBBCH) specialized in medicine, public health or a related subject.
MA in Public Health is a strong asset.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Minimum 10 years’ experience of working in health programmes in a development and /or Humanitarian context.
• At least 3-5 years providing technical support to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition programs.
• Previous experience of managing a large health team in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Proven capacity for mentoring, coaching, and training on health-related topics.
• Experience in senior level representation
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level.
Proficient level of written and spoken English.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to perform the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to perform the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to perform the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.