Staff Health Officer 1 (800233)

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Purpose

Staff Health Officer 1 is the focal point for all matters relating to the health of ICRC staff in the sub-delegation. In line with ICRC staff health strategy and in collaboration with medical personnel on the spot, s/he promotes and maintains the physical and mental health of ICRC staff. S/He implements the staff health strategy in seven identified domains: 1. Staff health policy; 2. Prevention; 3. Health care and medical emergencies; 4. Stress management and crisis situations; 5. Health insurances; 6. Management of medical information; 7. Monitoring, assessment and feedback.

Relationships

• Internally, interacts within the sub-delegation with the staff, managers and management. Technically s/he interacts with Staff health responsible managers/officers in the Delegation, regional Staff Health Manager and GVA PAC CARE COE at headquarters.
• Externally, maintains working relations with clinics/hospitals regarding staff health, insurance companies (if applicable), other NGOs/INGOs and health authorities.

Accountabilities & functional responsibilities

• Carries out health briefings for all new ICRC staff.
• Assesses and supervises living conditions in the delegation and all sub-sites, promotes general hygiene standards (e.g., housing, use of mosquito nets, water filters, hygiene standards of cooks and cleaners, nutritional advice).
• Evaluates the medical structures available and quality of services provided; identifies and monitors services for the referral and treatment of ICRC staff.
• Build and maintain good relationship with the designated health facilities and coordinate with them in terms of medical files and services.
• Provides advice and support to ICRC staff with health problems.
• Provides advice on the medical needs of ICRC staff during transportation and coordinates medical evacuations from the field to the capital. Liaises with the Staff Health Centre of Expertise (GVA PAC CARE COE) at ICRC headquarters and coordinates at local level in case of the repatriation of personnel out of the country. 
• Compiles guidelines and procedures to be followed during the medical evacuation of personnel from the field or out of the country.
• Implements and supervises staff health policies and the ICRC HIV/AIDS program (where applicable) at all sites under responsibility (delegation/sub-delegations).
• Implements and follows up on ICRC stress policy.
• Collects accurate and reliable data on illnesses, accidents and absenteeism, with a view to providing statistics on illnesses and the medical risks taken by all staff.
• Reports to line managers and to delegation management periodically and provides feedback and recommendations on issues related to the staff's health.
• Carries out defusing and creates peer support groups following critical incidents in the field; follows up if further intervention is required.

Accountabilities & functional responsibilities 2

• Follow closely logistic supplies and plan inventories. This includes planning periodic orders, prepare analyses of the staff health consumption, as well rationalize the amounts of items ordered based of monitoring and evaluating.
• Travels to different ICRC structures and AoRs to make sure that the staff are supported for their health concerns in our offices and in the field destinations.
• Adapt to changes implemented on staff health files, this includes being assigned to new tasks.

Health care and medical emergencies

• Advise staff on concerns related to their health including responding to urgent inquiries and hotline service.  
• Contribute to responses to emergencies involving ICRC staff including daily workers. This includes accompanying a staff to clinic/hospital visits and facilitating that the staff receives the needed medical support.
• Contribute to the medical hotline service and being ready to respond to emergencies when needed and where needed
• Work closely with the staff health team in the country on preparedness, prevention, and response to outbreak, endemic or epidemic situations and any emerging health risks that influence the staff.
• Contribute as focal point to the emergency preparedness plan (contingency plan) and keep it updated for ICRC structures.

Health Promotion & Prevention

• Organize and coordinate evaluation of fitness to work at recruitment as well as periodic medical evaluation of fitness to work for certain professions in full respect of local legislation and ICRC.
• Support to organize First-aid training for staff.
• Follow up and maintain different levels of first aid bags and medical kits in the workplace, ICRC residences, vehicles and for field trips.

Accountabilities & functional responsibilities 3

• Organize, when possible, a range of activities of promotion of physical and mental health for programs tailored to local risks and needs (Family Day, World AIDS Day, recreative activities for staff wellbeing etc.).
• With the support of Addis/Regional staff MHPSS, work on referral mapping, awareness creation and referral of cases.

• Facilitate and contribute to raising health awareness amongst the staff on relevant topics and using different methods of communication including MHPSS and other health concerns.

Health insurance, reimbursements, and settlements of medical expenses

• Implement the policies for resident employees' ICRC default non-occupational health insurance, accident and occupational health insurance, medical expenses covered, cover limits, and management of special cases.
• Receive and analyze all medical bills of resident staff and their dependents; checks that medical bills are genuine while checking consistency between the prescription and the bill, and ensure the beneficiaries are duly registered with the ICRC.
• Summarize and submit medical bills and invoices to the finance department for reimbursement in coordination with the other team members.
• Submit medical invoices and other supporting documents to concerned departments following updated guidelines.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

• Promoting Mental health awareness via different tools in coordination with ADD SHM and/or regional staff PSS.
• Keep MHPSS reference mapping up to date with enough details.
• Identify and refer cases that require specialist support.
• Once trained, can do basic psychological first aid.
• With the support of ADD SHM/Regional PSS, facilitates PSS response to security incidents (internal and/or external)

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Medical doctor (Degree in medicine) or registered nurse.
• Excellent command of English, Amharic and Afan Oromo (spoken and written) is required
• Computer proficiency.
• Three years' clinical experience.
• Experience in mental health and stress management.
• Experience in medical evacuation and transportation.
• Knowledge of tropical health and public health.
• ICRC experience an asset.

Additional information

• Type of role: National / Resident (Opened to Ethiopian Nationals ONLY)
• Working rate: 100%
• Location: Nekemte
• Hardship : H3
• Job level: B2
• Length of assignment: 1 year Fixed term contract with posssibility of extension  
• Application deadline: November 27, 2025

Our values

• At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this