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Unit Chief, Emergency Operations (EMO)

Washington D.C.

  • Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
  • Location: Washington D.C.
  • Grade: Senior level - P-5, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Medical Practitioners
    • Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
    • Emergency Aid and Response
    • PAHO Health Emergencies
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT
This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)
 
The objective of the Health Emergencies Department (PHE) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is to increase health sector resilience to emergencies and disasters. PHE assists Member States to strengthen the health sector’s capacities in prevention, risk reduction, preparedness, surveillance, response, and early recovery for emergencies and disasters related to any hazards (natural, man-made, biological, chemical, radiological and others) and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain disasters, including outbreaks, and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. PHE is responsible for ensuring the implementation and updating of the PAHO/WHO Institutional Emergency and Disaster Response policy.
 
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the general supervision of the Director, PAHO and the direct supervision of the Director, PHE, in coordination with the Deputy Director, PHE the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties\:
  1. Lead and direct all aspects  of  the  work of the Emergency Operations (EMO) Unit, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders;  provide operational guidance for PAHO’s response to emergencies; lead the establishment and application of policies, standards  and strategies to maximize the Organization’s impact in all aspects of health emergency operations;  ensure cohesive actions at all levels to effectively manage emergency operations in acute and protracted situations; 
  2. Lead the formulation, revision and updating of all technical aspects of guidelines for emergency response, based on sound Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and ensure their application across all levels of the Organization;
  3. Ensure operational and technical support in emergency operations in response to epidemic events, outbreaks and other public health emergencies with focus on confirming and grading decisions on emergencies in line with the Organization’s protocols and guidelines;
  4. Provide strategic advice and expertise on Emergency Operations to the Director, PHE on relations and partnerships with the UN, UN Agencies, Member States, NGOs and other key partners and stakeholders toward enabling and promoting collaborative working agreements and collaborative arrangements to establish a common understanding of health priorities in ongoing emergencies and to ensure the provision of comprehensive technical support, including the convening of time-limited task forces to address specific issues, as necessary;
  5. Harness and coordinate technical expertise from all areas in PHE, as well as departments and programs across the three levels of PAHO as appropriate, to strengthen the implementation of all-hazards emergency work through the provision of networks of experts and technical expertise mechanisms;
  6. Guide and support the Organization’s emergency and disaster response operations, and serve as a leader or member of the Regional Disaster Response Team, as necessary;
  7. Identify, promote, establish, maintain, and coordinate liaison across the Organization, within WHO, with other United Nations organizations or with other partners, in order to maximize programmatic integration, efficiency and effectiveness;
  8. Develop, define and establish the objectives, strategy, plan and budget of the  EMO Team; ensure an Organization-wide approach and strategies and objectives that are aligned with the Organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, strategies, business needs and priorities, in order to ensure continuing operations and maximize results. Ensure that the results are aligned with the Entity’s biennial and multi-year plans, including monitoring of activities, adjustments to any deviations, such as redefined objectives or strategies;
  9. Formulate and recommend policies, plans, strategies, and budgets, in support of the Governing Bodies’ mandates related to the work of the Team; develop and establish guidelines, norms, practices and procedures to improve the Team’s effectiveness and efficiency; report to Governing Bodies, through executive presentations and reports, on the status or results of the Team's activities;
  10. Administer, allocate and monitor the Team’s financial, logistical and staff resources; prepare, and justify the Team’s program and budget proposals; plan and organize the formulation, development, implementation and control of systems to monitor performance in accordance with the results based management approach;
  11. Provide leadership, guidance and monitoring of supervised staff by setting clear work objectives, ensuring timely and effective use of performance reviews and feedback mechanisms, engaging in regular communications, and solving interpersonal or technical conflicts; establish and support a learning environment, to include staff development in the Organization’s fundamentals, managerial competencies and technical expertise; participate in the process of selecting and placing professional staff of the Program at regional and country levels;
  12. Provide authoritative technical, managerial and policy advice to staff assigned to the Team, Sub-regional and Regional Advisors located in the countries; review reports submitted by staff and provide constructive feedback;
  13. Promote a culture of ethical behavior and integrity in accordance with the Organization’s Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct in order to ensure a culture of respect, responsibility, accountability, and compliance;
  14. Perform other related duties, as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
 
Education\:
Essential\: A university degree in a health science, social science, natural science, engineering, or related field and a master’s degree in public health or a health related field and specialized training in emergency management from a recognized institution.
 
Desirable\: Specialized training in epidemiology, emergency and/or humanitarian response; training or studies in leadership or management would be an asset. 
 
In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.  WHO, only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The list can be accessed through the link\:  http\://www.whed.net/.  PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http\://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https\://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.
 
Experience\:
Essential\: Thirteen years of combined national and international experience in public health in the field of emergency operations in response to epidemic events, outbreaks and other public health emergencies combined with leadership and managerial experience. Of these, at least five years’ involvement in coordination of large scale public health projects in developing countries, with knowledge of inter-agency mechanisms in the area of international preparedness for and response to health emergencies.
 
Desirable\: Experience in WHO and/or the UN System in the areas of outbreak response and/or humanitarian interventions; field experience in public health programs or emergency response programs in developing countries, and/or experience in the Implementation of the Incident Command System would be an asset.
 
SKILLS\:
PAHO Competencies\:
  • Intrainstitutional Action\:  Displays, through leadership and decisions, understanding of the political systems and underlying drivers. Plans and evaluates both unit and individual results to achieve the PAHO's mission. Requires that projects be grounded in scientific evidence and that they be consistent with PAHO's vision, mission and values, and appropriate for the setting in which they will be carried out.  Demonstrates a full commitment to the mission and values of the Organization by aligning the area of work with the strategic direction of the Organization. Behaves consistently in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Organization.
  • Analysis, Synthesis and Forecasting\: Leads one’s area toward a culture of decision-making that is based upon objective analysis of situational evidence and application of previously acquired knowledge. Provides oversight in the verification process that targets how area of work takes action in situations that will require future intervention, based on ongoing analysis. Presents solutions evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Is capable of anticipating the implications of an analyzed situation for two years or more.
  • Leadership\: Displays, through leadership and decisions, understanding of the political systems and underlying drivers. Plans and evaluates both unit and individual results to achieve the PAHO's mission. Requires that projects be grounded in scientific evidence and that they be consistent with PAHO's vision, mission and values, and appropriate for the setting in which they will be carried out.  Demonstrates a full commitment to the mission and values of the Organization by aligning the area of work with the strategic direction of the Organization. Behaves consistently in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Organization.
  • Teamwork)\: Develops a high performing team in one’s operational area and also encourages teamwork across the Organization.    Establishes and models the standard for teams and teamwork.  Provides significant contributions when participating in internal and external work teams.  Initiates and leads mutually beneficial productive interpersonal relationships based on trust, both inside and outside the Organization.
  • Devising the budget for interventions and cost optimization\:  Achieves valuable results from the organizational strategies. Makes optimal use of the available resources.  Advocates ethical behavior and follows organizational guidelines when managing resources, helping to prevent and eventually resolving conflicts of interest.
  • Thinking, planning and the strategic management of technical cooperation interventions\: Evaluates the ideas for interventions in terms of their potential for change and transformation before deciding to execute them. Follows the Organization’s strategy in executing technical cooperation interventions in order to generate expected results.
  • Evaluation of technical cooperation interventions\:  Bases area, program, and organizational decisions on the results of the evaluations of current and future interventions.
  • Communication\: Instills a culture that encourages effective communication in multicultural environments. Models effective dialogue that seeks all opportunities of conversation with key players by displaying or underlying drivers. Seeks to align the area of work with a strategic direction of the organization by displaying underlying values.
  • Resource Mobilization\:  Establishment of an internal Culture that supports the Organization's strategic direction program of work and the organizational results to enable effective resource mobilization. Supports and makes all efforts to increase the level of resources that are considered necessary for operations. Is capable of negotiating with different types of organizations.  Uses the financial and non-financial resources with objectivity. Is able to achieve the goals and results with the resources they have.
Technical Expertise\:
  • Technical\: Extensive progressive expertise at a senior decision-making level in health emergency operations, in particular in managing complex activities related to health humanitarian assistance and disaster relief at both national and international levels.  Wide and varied knowledge of public health problems and health management processes, including monitoring and performance assessment in the health or social sector, and disciplines related to human resources management, strategic planning and reengineering processes. Theoretical knowledge and technical expertise at the highest level in the area of humanitarian aid, emergency preparedness and disaster relief. Practical knowledge of results based management concepts and tools and their applications; especially related to outcome formulation and indicator development.
  • Managerial\: Extensive expertise in senior, progressively responsible positions in the management of a large public or private administration of administrative and technical matters requiring sensitive negotiation and high level intervention and in organizational development.  Demonstrated ability, to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational, managerial and analytic work in health; resourcefulness, initiative, highly developed judgment and interpersonal skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas.
  • Administrative\: Skills or experience with creation and integration of administrative procedures for the delivery of the highest quality results for the Team. Courtesy, tact, sensitivity to manage confidential information, and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different professional levels, discipline, nationalities, and cultural background. 
Languages\:
Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with working knowledge of the other language.  Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.
 
IT Skills\:
Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook. Other IT skills and knowledge of other software programs such as Visio and Project would be an asset.
 
REMUNERATION
Annual Salary\: (Net of taxes)
US $ 85,543.00
 
Post Adjustment\: 44.3% of the above figure(s).  This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THIS VACANCY NOTICE MAY BE USED TO FILL OTHER SIMILAR POSITIONS AT THE SAME GRADE LEVEL.
 
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
 
A written test may be used as a form of screening.
 
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.
 
For information on PAHO please visit\: http\://www.paho.org
 
PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
 
PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
 
PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).  Other benefits include\:  30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme.  Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.
 
Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
 
All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post. 
 
Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post.  The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.
This vacancy is now closed.
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