Health Information Management & Risk Assessment (HIM)

.

1. Background and Justification

Purpose of the Position

In the context of the WHO Health Emergencies Incident Management System (IMS) at the country level, the incumbent will lead WHO’s information team and supervise the respective functional areas, at the country level. Provide authoritative advice to the emergency team on risk analysis, , strategic information policy, procedures and best practices, monitoring, information and data management. The incumbent will be deployed to emergency operations when required.

2. Job Description

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Strategic Objective

The mission of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.

Organizational context (Describe the individual role of incumbent within the team, focusing on work environment within and outside the organization)

Reporting to the Incident manager and under the leadership of the Head of WHO Country Office, the incumbent acts as an advisor to the WHO emergency team on data and information management activities, enabling the development, implementation, and monitoring strategies that maximize the individual and collective impact of WHO throughout the full cycle of the emergency, in the country of deployment. S/he will engage with the local authorities, UN partners and non-health actors to establish strategic partnerships in respect of multi-dimensional information management processes.

Summary of Assigned Duties (Describe what the incumbent has to do to achieve main
objectives; include main achievements expected):

During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified, based upon the technical needs of the Programme.

1. Lead the team and be responsible for overseeing the work of the Information Management unit and/or coordinate the work of Information Management assets located throughout disparate units.
2. Manage the timely and high-quality collection, analysis, production and dissemination of data/information. This includes response specific information (what, where, who, how many, how quickly, current status), internal and external situation reports (SitReps), bulletins, rapid needs assessments, health risk assessments, and the Public Health Situation Analysis; and health inputs into humanitarian needs overviews (HNO), and strategic response plans (SRP).
3. Lead the development of project documentation based on the overall strategy and plan, for use by the emergency leadership to mobilize resources.
4. Continually adapt planning and project documents based on available information and revolving emergency situation, as required; this includes planning and management of human and material resources, expenditure, status of interventions and partner activities, progress towards achieving objectives, etc.
5. Develop and improve field information management procedures at the local and regional levels to ensure that information management in the field provides the best possible functionality and usability to stakeholders
6. Ensure inter-cluster communication and information sharing.
7. Oversee and design field epidemiological surveys if/where needed, such as mortality and vaccination coverage surveys, with support from epidemiologists as needed.
8. Build the capacity of team members and partners involved in the planning and data/information management process; provide ongoing technical guidance and training on data gathering and analysis, quality assurance, performance monitoring, information dissemination and management.
9. Perform any other related duties, as required by the functional supervisor. Recruitment Profile

Competencies:
Generic
Describe the core, management or leadership competencies required. (See WHO competency model. List in order of priority, commencing with the most important ones)

1. Teamwork;
2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences;
3. Communication;
4. Ensuring the effective use of resources
5. Creating an empowering and motivating environment
6. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Functional Knowledge and Skills

Describe the essential knowledge and the skills specific to the position

• Demonstrated supervisory and leadership skills, negotiation skills.
• Advanced ability to design, manage, analyze and coordinate complex information system projects, computer-based applications and databases, web-based tools
• High level of analytical skills.
• Knowledge of programme management and functioning of WHO and the UN system is an asset.

Education Qualifications

Essential
An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in Information Management, Public Health, or Epidemiology; Business or Public Administration, complemented by training in information management from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable
Specialization in information management systems. Specific training in humanitarian response or information management in emergencies.

Experience
Essential
At least 7 years of related experience in information management, monitoring, needs assessment, project management, data management and information dissemination in the public health sector or health development sector, at national and international levels, part of which in emergency management or humanitarian context in leadership positions. Experience in developing and promoting collaborative partnerships.

Desirable
Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies; experience working in relevant nongovernmental or humanitarian organizations. Experience in developing countries.

Use of Language Skills

Excellent knowledge of French and Working knowledge of english would be an asset.

Other Skills (e.g. IT)
• Advanced use of MS Office, particularly spreadsheets, data visualization and analysis tools, and databases
• Design and management of information systems
• Familiarity with geographic information systems (GIS)
• Skill in use of one or more statistical analysis programmes (e.g., R, STATA, SAS, SPSS)