Public Health Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objectives of WHO's emergency programme are to design and implement programmes that prepare the health sector to deal with emergencies and that improve health during and after crises. Within the emergency programme, the objectives of WHO's emergency response team are to support Member States by\: 1) promptly assessing health needs of populations affected by crisis, identifying priority causes of ill-health and death; preparing damage estimates and emergency response and rehabilitation plans; providing prompt, credible health information and ensuring the continuity of essential health services; 2) coordinating and monitoring emergency health relief efforts under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Health Cluster, of which WHO is the lead agency; 3) ensuring that critical gaps in the health response are rapidly identified and filled; 4) revitalizing and building the capacity of national health systems to deal with preparedness, mitigation and response

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The incumbent will perform the following duties\:1) Assess threats to human life and heath, damage to health infrastructure for primary and secondary care, the state of health referral and support systems, including cold chain, laboratory, essential drugs and health information systems, and the vital needs for the affected populations.2) Support health partners in the elaboration and implementation of surveillance strategies and policies to strengthen preparedness for epidemic-prone diseases, producing and analyzing information on health threats, activities and outcomes, and ensuring dissemination to partners and local authorities.3) Secure information from a broad range of health sectors, analyzing such and recommending actions and guidelines for the elaboration of medium- and long-term plans of work and strategies, including consolidating health data in trends and trends assessment, with particular attention to surveillance, monitoring and early warning.4) Identify gaps in the delivery of health services or emergency interventions, recommending appropriate actions and innovative approaches to improve the situation; and to analyze existing coordination mechanisms, designing and recommending improvements.5) Convey and lead weekly coordination meetings with all relevant partners and project staff, producing and circulating minutes, related decisions and tracking the latter, and developing detailed “lessons learnt” reports documenting achievements and obstacles to implementation, recommending coordination mechanisms and improvement to current and future field operations in the area of work, constantly assessing situations and needs, and redirecting efforts. 6) Proactively participate in the development of project proposals to mobilize resources.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential\: Master's degree in public health and/or health related fields, complemented by degree or studies in epidemiology, surveillance and monitoring.
Desirable\: Degree or sound understanding of emergency response or disaster management in the context of public health, or in communicable/infectious diseases or university degree in medicine.

Experience

Essential\: At least 7 years of relevant experience in health sector coordination in developing countries, at national level, with emphasis on emergency response relief and/or the management of epidemic-prone diseases, and Disease Early Warning System, outbreak field investigation. Experience in capacity building, developing and promoting collaborative partnerships.
Desirable\: Experience or sound knowledge of WHO mandate and goals in humanitarian health crisis, or experience in UN organizations/agencies, international institutions or NGOs.

Skills

1) Demonstrated knowledge of health sector activities in developing countries and/or in the context of emergency response relief, or preparedness for epidemic-prone diseases. 2) Excellent skills in the assessment, surveillance and monitoring in the context of emergency situations, with the ability to conceptualize and implement innovative strategies and promote their implementation. 3) Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure. 4) Proven ability to communicate effectively. 5) Tact, discretion and ability to promote consensus.

WHO Competencies

Producing results
Creating an empowering and motivating environment
Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Use of Language Skills

Essential\: Expert knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of Arabic language .
Desirable\:

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 57,609 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

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.

• 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/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit\: http\://www.who.int.

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.