Technical Officer (Readiness)

Grade

P4

Contractual Arrangement

Fixed-Term Appointment

Contract duration

12 months

Job Posting

Aug 20, 2017, 11:36:18 AM

Closing Date

Sep 3, 2017, 11:59:00 PM

Primary Location

Egypt-Cairo

Organization

EM/WHE WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)

Schedule

Full-time

Purpose Of The Post

S/he will support emergency preparedness actions for countries and WHO including implementation of the readiness checklists, organizing capacity-building activities related to preparedness and institutional readiness and developing/promoting a fully functional surge mechanism and support readiness capacity development of WHO Country Offices.

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate unit or field activity (Overview of the programme):

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations.

The objectives of the Country Health Emergency Preparedness & the International Health Regulations (2005) Unit (CPI) include the monitoring and evaluation of countries’ preparedness to health and humanitarian emergencies, the planning and country capacity building for critical capacities and the Secretariat of the International Health Regulations (2005) involving an all-hazards approach at all three levels of the Organization. The CPI Department prioritizes support to the most vulnerable and low capacity countries.

The Preparedness, Readiness and Core capacity (PCB) Sub-Unit is WHO EMRO’s main hub for technical support to WHO’s country offices in their effort to strengthen intersectoral national capacity for the early detection, timely and effective response, to public health emergencies as required under the International Health Regulations (2005). Working closely with the other WHE staff, the PCB Sub-Unit ensures that needs listed in national action plans are translated into targeted capacity building in the priority/vulnerable countries.

; Available Guidelines And Degree Of Independence In Decision Making; And Nature And Purpose Of Contact Within And Outside The Organization)

Organizational Context (Describe the work environment; the role of the individual within the team – team member, specialist, adviser, facilitator, coordinator/manager, representative, expert, authority in the field, etc.

Under the guidance of the Team Lead, PCB, the incumbent will serve as a technical expert and provide support to the PCB team in implementing the operational activities at the regional and country levels. S/he will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the emergency preparedness and response frameworks, WHO readiness checklists both in countries and WHO country and regional office. As a part of the PCB team, the incumbent is expected to implement the activities related to all hazard emergency preparedness and response actions aiming to develop/improve readiness of the organization to respond to any types of health emergency in the region.

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

The Incumbent Will Perform The Following Duties

Assess and monitor the all hazard emergency preparedness and readiness core capacities of countries, and identify gaps Assess, monitor and support the readiness of country and regional office in line of the ERF readiness checklists and facilitate the development of WHO / EMRO surge capacity (including surge team identification and training). Work with other technical units/departments and with HQ to establish a repository of technical guidelines, lessons learnt and best practices for humanitarian settings. Provide technical support to the countries in developing and adapting necessary protocols, manuals and SOPs for emergency preparedness, readiness and response. Develop, organize and conduct training and simulation for countries and WHO to enhance the capacity for emergency preparedness and readiness Develop project proposals to support regional framework of emergency risk management Support the generation, compilation and sharing of best practices and lesson learned to update the strategies and practices of institutional readiness for response

Competencies

Communicating in a credible and effective way Producing results Fostering integration and teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Moving forward to a changing environment

Functional Skills and Knowledge (Describe skills and knowledge specific to the post):

In-depth knowledge of emergency preparedness and response and relief policies and practices within the UN, other UN Specialized Agencies, donor agencies, national and international NGOs Ability to support developing knowledge development material for use in countries and WHO support for emergency preparedness and readiness in the health system context Sound knowledge of WHO mandate and goals in emergencies. Ability to organize and conduct training and simulation Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure. Tact, discretion and ability to promote consensus.

Education (Qualifications)

Essential: Master’s university degree in any area of medicine, health emergency preparedness, health operational management, public health

Desirable: Postgraduate training in disaster management and / or public health. Specialized training in the organization of emergency preparedness and response

Experience

Essential: At least 7 years’ experience combined at the national and international levels in humanitarian emergency or disaster preparedness, readiness and response or in implementation of health programs for emergency preparedness and response and in results-based management with focus on developing and promoting capacity development,. Experience in designing and delivering training in relation to defined strategies as well as in readiness capacity development.

Desirable: Experience in business continuity planning, contingency planning or institutional readiness capacity-building an asset. Experience in analyzing health policies, standards, guidelines and priorities for WCOs and staff. Experience in UN organizations/agencies, international institutions or NGOs.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of English. Working knowledge of French and/or Arabic would be an asset

Other Skills (e.g. IT): Proficiency in MS Office