UNICEF/Haiti is seeking for a passionate and committed person to work in the role of Health Officer and invites applications from highly motivated and committed persons who want to contribute to results for children. If you are that person, we encourage you to apply and become part of a highly motivated and committed team.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Health

The situation in Port-au-Prince and the country at large continues to worsen. Neighborhood gangs have gained power over time, and non-governmental organizations, agencies, and programs have had to accept this situation and seek alternative ways of working. Despite the challenges, UNICEF in Haiti has decided to continue its operations in conflict zones and areas at risk. It is unclear how long the country can sustain such a dire situation, as improvements have yet to be seen.
The health system in Haiti is facing numerous challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the sector vulnerable and weakened. So, the health system in Haiti is facing severe problems related to health and nutrition commodities supply and the availability of quality human resources in the health facilities. There is an insufficient number of qualified/trained staff for the provision of health and nutrition services, particularly in rural areas, high staff turnover due to poor employee retention policies, lack of motivation because of low wages, migration of staff outside of the country, and the search for better well-being.
Since the end of September 2022, cholera has resurged in the West department and has now spread to all 10 departments of the country. As of July 08, 2023, there have been 53,210 suspected cases, 3,450 confirmed cases, and 779 deaths in all communes. We have a downward trend in the number of cases over two months but with the arrival of the rainy season, an increase in the number of cases has been noted in most departments. Faced with this increase in cholera cases, the country has also to be prepared to deal with the possible consequences of hurricanes.
In addition, the precarious security and socio-political context with its corollary of internally displaced persons, including many children deprived of vaccination services and increases the cohort of children at risk of catching diseases preventable by vaccination.
With a health system on the verge of collapse, the country is experiencing difficulties in implementing and monitoring health interventions related to different grants in the field.in the field, particularly for immunization. Despite this weakness, the CO/UNICEF is working tirelessly to strengthen coordination among various actors to enhance the effectiveness of health maternal, infantile, and newborn programs.
This is in addition to the fact that during the completion of the 2017 EMMUS VI survey, information was collected on the three main diseases that most commonly affect children under five in Haiti, causing their deaths before their 5th birthday, namely: acute respiratory infections (ARI), fever and diarrhea. Respiratory infections are one of the leading causes of infant mortality in Haiti. 
The prevalence of fever varies irregularly with age, but it is among children aged 12-23 months that it is highest: 43.4%. The prevalence of diarrhea is particularly high in this same age group (12-23 months), which amounts to 39%. Among vaccinated children aged 12-23 months, the proportion of children who received all vaccines decreased from 45% in 2012 to 41% in 2017. This same survey indicated that the maternal mortality rate (529/100000) and neonatal mortality rate (32/1000) are still highest in the Caribbean region.
To address this situation, UNICEF has requested and secured funding covering the period 2023-2024 (eighteen months) to strengthen the health system through maternal, infantile, and newborns health in the Department of North with the project called “Strengthen Health System for Every Child’’

How can you make a difference?

The Health Officer will provide technical support to the Health Department of North and partners in the planning, implementation, supervision, and monitoring of health activities such as prevention, and management of, maternal, child, and newborn health including immunization, community health, as well as HIV / AIDS, in the departments of North.
Based in Cap-Haitien, the incumbent may have to cover other departments and communes of the country according to the specific needs in an emergency situation.
Summary of Key Functions/Accountabilities:
The key services and tasks to be provided/undertaken during this temporary appointment is as follows:
(a) Planning and implementation of UNICEF's response
  • Ensure the implementation of child survival activities and manage public health care promotion and support good practices of maternal neonatal and child Health. 
  • work in collaboration with UNICEF partners to strengthen the health system in the north department
  • Work in close collaboration with partners, organizations OSC (Organization de la Société Civile) and monitor the progress of planned activities.
  • Participate in capacity building of OSCs and providers in health institutions in the North region.
  • Plan and facilitate the training of health personnel on all aspects of CMAM i.e., screening and referral, and outpatient care including reporting.
  • Plan and facilitate the training of health personnel on all aspects of IMCI, screening, management, and referral of cases of childhood diseases in the context of Haiti.
  • Plan and facilitate the training of polyvalent community agents (ASCP), on all aspects of the iCCM ie promotion on key family practices, and prevention, detection, and referral of cases of children's diseases including cholera, in the context of Haiti.
  • Support UNICEF's response to maternal and child health including immunization and HIV as part of the overall health sector coordination mechanism and represent UNICEF at the coordination meetings in the North’s Departmental Directions.
  • Work in close collaboration with the focal points of the other UN agencies to coordinate the implementation of the Strengthen Health System for Every Child project in the health department of North.
  • Support the management of the supplies in the different health facilities in collaboration with the direction of North’s health department.
  • Contribute to the UNICEF and health sector response strategy, work planning and emergency planning processes with other sectors to ensure inter-sectoral intervention programming for the Ministry.
  • Technically support the North health departments in the implementation of their integrated operational plan in CSD and other sectors (Wash, Protection, Education and SBC)
  • Participate in follow-ups for the justification of the funds made available to the health departments
(b) Commodities and supply management
  • Plan program needs for CSD commodities based on monthly consumption and track orders to avoid stockouts.
  • Ensure the supply, commodities, and equipment for CSD to the Sanitary Director North and UNICEF partners.
(c) Information Management
  • Update the IMCI database by following up with departments and health facilities for monthly reporting.
  • Work in collaboration with departmental M&E, data clerks and M&E officers based in health facilities to consolidate data from the maternal, child, neonatal, and adolescent reproductive health and other health interventions implemented.
  • Prepare a monthly summary of program performance with geographic disaggregation of indicators and comparison of results with program objectives.
d) Supervision and Monitoring.
  • Assist departmental health and health reproductive focal points in the supervision of preventive and curative activities at the health center and at the community level.
  • Analyze, interpret, and use observations of supervision visits in conjunction with performance indicators to propose corrective measures to improve program performance.
  • Participate in rapid or in-depth health surveys as needed.
  • Conduct joint field visits and assessments with partners in the CSD sector.
  • Monitor coverage of key CSD interventions with a focus on maternal and neonatal health among the beneficiary population and share information for internal communication and external coordination.
e) Communication and Coordination
  • Develop and maintain good relations with the department health and CSD partners at the departmental and the municipalities level.
  • Support departmental health and reproductive health focal points to put in place a functional CSD coordination system as part of the emergency response.
  • Prepare status reports (SitRep) for the CSD program in the region.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education :

  • A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, health research,
    global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health
    education, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.

Experience:

  • A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition, planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health/emergency humanitarian preparedness.
  • Proven experience in managing emergency response.
  • Experience in training acute malnutrition management and IMCI Clinic and community (iCCM).
  • Ability to coordinate and collaborate with various partners including government, non-governmental organizations, and UN agencies.
  • Ability to manage IMC and reproductive health database.
  • Experience with UNICEF or UN Agencies is an asset
  • Fluency in French is required. Good working knowledge of English is an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2)Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3)Drive to achieve results for impact (4)Innovates and embraces change (5)Manages ambiguity and complexity (6)Thinks and acts strategically (7)Works collaboratively with others.

Functional Competencies :Formulating Strategies and Concepts (I) Analyzing (I) Training and research (I) Planning and Organizing (II)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.