The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) was founded in 1998 as a professional society to provide networking and educational opportunities to medical professionals of Syrian descent across the United States. The charitable arm of SAMS, SAMS Foundation, was first established in the US in 2007, while its daughter organization, SAMS Hellas, was established in Greece in 2017. With the eruption of the conflict in Syria, thanks to its vast team of regional-based medical and non-medical staff and US-based Arabic-speaking volunteer specialist physicians, SAMS has become one of the most active medical relief organizations working on the frontlines of crises in Syria, neighboring countries, and beyond.In 2022, SAMS provided some 2.9 million medical services to 1.46 million beneficiaries, through a network of 53 health facilities and over 2,400 health workers in northern Syria, southern Turkey, the Attica region of Greece, and camp and non-camp setting within Jordan and Lebanon, and Iraq.

Types of programming include support for health facilities (static primary health clinics, mobile medical teams, general hospitals, specialized hospitals for pediatrics and reproductive health, specialized COVID-19 treatment facilities, cardiac catheterization, dialysis, and oncology units); community health outreach; operation of mental health and psychosocial support facilities, physical therapy centers, safe spaces for women and girls; and delivery of specialized health care through local and international medical missions. Aside from direct service provision, SAMS also builds capacity of service providers in Syria and neighboring countries, through provision of remote and in-person technical assistance in health, mental health, and psychosocial support, as well as delivery of medical education programs for medical residents, midwives, and nurses.

Purpose of Assignment

SAMS seeks a consultant to lead the design and development of cost-effective, evidence-based programs related to health and mental health in Syria. Aligned with the approach of USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures , among other donors with interest in humanitarian innovation, the assignment will focus on helping SAMS to develop and obtain funding to pilot, test, and/or scale up innovative and inspired solutions to address critical challenges, and support in the positive transformation of the lives of people living in poverty.

Scope of Work

Design

Conduct desk review of ongoing and closed grants, as well as relevant submitted proposals to familiarize with SAMS’ programs in northern Syria.
Lead discussions with business development and technical leads within SAMS to identify critical unmet challenges related to health and mental health service provision and means to address them.
Lead analysis of evidence base, cost efficiency, and potential for scale and financial sustainability of a concept or concepts developed.
Support design of any needs assessment or small-scale feasibility study that is required to validate the concept.
Support mapping and identification of key stakeholders that may contribute to the innovation’s success.
Contribute to the review and the development of a theory of change, results framework, and scale-up plan.

Proposal Development

Review call for proposals/annual program statement related to humanitarian innovation and transition to scale, providing advice on how to meet key application evaluation criteria
Identify required tasks related to proposal development and coordinate with the SAMS team to develop a detailed workplan, including assignment of roles and responsibilities
Participate in virtual or physical program meetings with SAMS staff related to proposal development and coordination
Lead review of all elements of the proposal submission (narrative, budget, etc.); once required draft inputs are received from the SAMS, synthesize information to develop a high quality application that is aligned with donor requirements

Expected Results

Develop robust theory of change and results framework for innovation, which may be informed by a small-scale feasibility study or assessment (Months 1-3)
Develop a high quality proposal related to the innovation (Months 4-6)
Maintain close communication with program team and business development focal points within SAMS
Efficiently and actively contribute to the review of the budget and ensure its cost efficiency, coherence with the proposed activities, and compliance with donor requirements.

Required Qualifications and Experience

At least a master’s in international development, public health or related degree in social services, with specializations and/or experience covering areas such as health systems strengthening, health service delivery, health policy and management, protection.
At least 5 years’ experience developing multi-year, innovation projects within the health and/or protection sectors, specifically related to development programs in the Middle East.
At least 5 years’ experience of designing humanitarian projects with major institutional donors; experience with USAID required.
Demonstrated experience in humanitarian sector programming; experience of working in the Syria response is highly desired.
Demonstrated experience in senior Business Development role on other program development efforts of similar thematic areas of focus, scope and scale.
Proven track record in writing and submitting quality proposals.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent organization skills, with the ability to work quickly and manage competing priorities
Experience in remote management
Strong attention to detail and critical thinking
Capacity to work with multiple offices, across time zones.
English as a mother tongue language. Knowledge of Arabic is an added value.

To apply, please submit a CV, a 1-2 page proposal that describes an approach to preparing SAMS to submit a competitive application for the USAID Development Innovations Annual Program Statement, and a cost proposal to deliver the consultancy, Including any costs associated with travel to Erbil/Gaziantep. While the vast majority of activities may be conducted remotely, some travel for in-person participation in at least one design workshop is desirable.

Please submit the above to careers@sams-usa.net

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Program Innovation Consultant