Head of Mission for Jordan (Medical Evacuation)

Job Title

Head of Mission, Jordan – Medical Evacuation Programme

Contract

Full Time

Reports to

Founders, Global Programme Manager

Key Relationships

Founders, Global Programme Manager, Directors, Out of Country Medical Evacuation Co-ordinator, Jordan clinical and administrative teams (2 clinical and 2 admin - 4 staff in total), Finance Manager, partner hospitals, Ministry of Health, WHO, and other partner agencies

Location

Amman, Jordan, with travel within Jordan as required

Summary

Children Not Numbers is a grassroots medico-legal organisation working to protect and treat children affected by the war in Gaza and has supported the medical evacuation of more than 400 children from Gaza for specialist treatment that is no longer available locally. Every case reviewed and prioritised by a multidisciplinary medical team and then followed through admission, treatment, follow up and right of return to Gaza. The Head of Mission (HOM) will lead the organisation’s operations in Jordan and hold overall responsibility for the in-country delivery of the medical evacuation programme, from a child’s arrival through treatment, follow up and safe return to Gaza. The postholder will build and manage a small mission (5 in total, including HOM) in Amman made up of clinical and administrative staff, hold the relationships with partner hospitals, government bodies and humanitarian agencies, and lead the process of registering Children Not Numbers as an international NGO in Jordan. The role combines operational leadership, logistics and financial management, external representation and direct accountability for the welfare and safeguarding of the children and families in our care.

Principal Duties

Mission Leadership and Team Management

• Lead Children Not Numbers’ operations in Jordan and hold overall responsibility for the delivery, quality and integrity of the medical evacuation programme in country.
• Line manage the Jordan team, which consists of a clinical team of two clinicians and an administrative team of two staff, establishing suitable reporting pathways as the Head of Mission.
• Establish and run a small country team in Amman. Set objectives, hold regular performance conversations and identify recruitment, induction and training needs as the mission grows.
• Uphold duty of care within the team, including managing workload, exposure to distressing casework and access to staff wellbeing support.

Medical Evacuation and Repatriation Coordination

• Coordinate the in-country stages of the evacuation pathway, from arrival in Jordan through treatment, follow up and return to Gaza.
• Coordinate arrival logistics, including reception at the border or airport, transport, admission and accommodation allocation.
• Coordinate departure logistics, upholding the right of return for every child and their companions. This will include being aware of the logistics and timing of the child’s transport to the border, and coordinating/receiving authorisation with the relevant authorities and agencies. Coordinate with the Out of Country Medevac Coordinator regarding priority cases from the critical case list and their confirmed hospital placements keeping in mind that the most urgent cases are prioritised.
• Oversee the tracking of each child’s case from referral to discharge, maintaining accurate records of clinical milestones, educational opportunities, appointments, discharge plans and outstanding needs for follow-up.
• Support arrangements for onward evacuation to third countries where possible and where treatment is not available in Jordan, including documentation, passports and travel.
• Coordinate repatriation logistics, upholding the right of return for every child and their companions. Overseeing all the processes for a smooth return to Gaza will be a critically important role. This includes ensuring all paperwork has been completed, all medical opinions have been sought in writing and experts agree the child is fit to return; any medications needed have been procured; all official processes have been followed; any supports available and needed in Gaza have been flagged and the repatriation check list has been reviewed and signed off as completed; all relevant local and international agencies, official partners and hospital teams are kept informed of the repatriation process.

Hospital and Partner Relationships

• Manage relationships with partner hospitals in conjecture with the out of country medical evacuation coordinator, currently Jordan University Hospital and the Specialty Hospital, covering case referral, treatment confirmation and costing.
• Negotiate treatment costs and payment terms with hospitals and ensure transparent communication to SLT, Finance and the Global Programme Manager on forecasting for planned cases.
• In conjecture with the out-of-country lead, develop new partnerships, including with the eye hospital, Royal Medical Services, The King Hussain Cancer Centre etc and establish additional evacuation pathways once funding is established for case categories that are not currently covered.
• Represent Children Not Numbers with the external stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, WHO, the Jordanian authorities, embassies, UN agencies and international NGOs in Amman, and liaise with the out of country med-evac coordinator regarding outcomes of meetings.
• Maintain and develop partner relationships, supporting joint funding applications, in kind support and asset transfer arrangements where applicable.
• Identify opportunities for partners to provide services Children Not Numbers does not deliver directly, such as psychological support for families and training for staff.
• Identify and manage accommodation solutions that provide children and their families with safe, secure, clean, and dignified housing, while ensuring value for money and the long-term sustainability of the programme.

Patient and Family Support

• Ensure families receive clear and timely information about their child’s treatment, their stay in Jordan and the plan for return.
• Oversee the stipend and cash assistance process so that payments to families are accurate and made on time.
• Oversee a feedback and complaints mechanism that families can use safely, and act on what it raises.
• Set and communicate clear boundaries on what Children Not Numbers can and cannot support, including requests that fall outside the programme, and maintain referral information for those needs.
• Arrange access to education, recreation and psychosocial activities for children during extended stays, working through partners where Children Not Numbers does not/cannot deliver directly.

Accommodation, Welfare and Safeguarding

• Oversee accommodation arrangements for patients and companions, including contracting, standards, occupancy rules and payment schedules.
• From the moment a family is scheduled to evacuate to Jordan it is essential that the process of finding appropriate accommodation is prioritised.
• Carry out and record regular checks of accommodation, covering physical safety, overcrowding, infection control and access to safe space for children to play.
• Act as the in-country safeguarding focal point, ensuring concerns are recognised, reported and escalated in line with organisational safeguarding and child protection policies.
• Ensure imagery, case studies and communications involving children meet consent and child protection standards.
• Maintain a constructive relationship with accommodation management and the surrounding community that protects families from friction or unwanted attention.

Logistics, Finance and Administration

• Assist with NGO / Charity Registration in Amman
• Hold responsibility for in-country logistics, including procurement, transport, storage, asset management and supplier contracts, in line with organisational policy and donor rules.
• Manage the Jordan budget, forecast cash needs and work with CNN central finance colleagues so that hospitals, accommodation providers and families are paid on schedule, including any agreed advance payment cycles.
• Maintain complete and auditable records for all in-country expenditure and asset transfers.

Compliance and Risk

• Ensure the mission operates within Jordanian regulatory requirements, including employment, taxation, data protection and permissions to operate.
• Hold responsibility for the safety and security of staff, including context monitoring, security procedures and incident reporting.
• Maintain the in-country risk register and escalate significant risks to the Global Programme Manager in the monthly programme calls.
• Work sensitively within the Jordanian operating context, including relationships with national authorities.

Reporting, Monitoring and Information Management

• Provide regular reporting to the SLT, MDT and Global Programme Manager on cases, expenditure, risks and progress.
• Maintain accurate patient and beneficiary records in line with data protection requirements and medical confidentiality.
• Contribute programme data and case information to donor reports, funding proposals and organisational communications.
• Support monitoring of programme quality, including the experience of children and families and the outcomes of treatment pathways.

General

• This description represents a broad outline of the role and is not intended to be exhaustive.
• From time to time you may be asked to perform other duties commensurate with the role as required.

All staff are required to:

• Adhere strictly to safeguarding and child protection policies
• Follow security and emergency procedures
• Uphold conflict-sensitive and humanitarian principles
• Promote dignity, inclusion and non-discrimination
• Maintain professional boundaries at all times

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in global health, public health, international development, humanitarian studies, medicine or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Right to work in Jordan, or eligibility to obtain it.

Experience

• Minimum seven years’ experience in humanitarian, logistical or global health programmes, including at least three years in a senior management or country leadership role.
• Demonstrable experience of leading a country mission or field office with accountability for programme delivery, budget, logistics and staff.
• Experience of health programming, patient pathways or medical referral systems. Direct experience of medical evacuation or cross-border patient transfer is highly desirable.
• Experience of managing multidisciplinary teams that include clinical staff.
• Experience of external representation with governments, hospitals, UN agencies, international NGOs and donors.
• Experience of NGO registration and regulatory compliance, ideally in Jordan.
• Experience of working with displaced or conflict-affected populations. Experience working with Palestinian communities is desirable.
• Experience of budget holding, procurement and logistics in a humanitarian setting.
• Experience of establishing a new office or scaling up an operation is desirable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of the Jordanian operating environment, including the health system, regulatory requirements and the sensitivities involved in hosting Palestinian patients.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and child protection in humanitarian settings, with the confidence to act as an in-country focal point.
• Sound judgement under pressure and the ability to make decisions on urgent cases with incomplete information.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to hold a complex caseload alongside multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Fluent written and spoken Arabic and English.
• Financial literacy, including budget management, forecasting and donor compliance.
• Ability to work with dignity and discretion alongside children and families who have experienced severe trauma and loss.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evening and weekend work where a case requires it.

Children Not Numbers strongly value diversity of experience in our team and for this reason encourage you to apply should you not meet 100% of the above criteria.

Version Created: August 2026