OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The mission of WHO’s 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.
The Programme seeks to promote and uphold the humanitarian and public health principles by leading a coordinated and effective health sector response together with the national and international community, with specific attention to vulnerable and marginalized populations, through effectuating WHO’s commitment to work within the framework of the Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) and the cluster approach. The incumbent will be responsible for performing a dedicated coordination, health needs assessment, strategy development and resource mobilization, supporting the implementation and monitoring the joint incident management system and advocacy function.
In Ethiopia, millions are estimated to be in need of life saving humanitarian assistance affecting Somali region, Oromia and SNNP and southwest regions. To reduce excess morbidity and mortality resulting from the public health consequences of the drought-related humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, WHO will be working with the Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopian Public
Health Emergencies Institute (EPHI) and health partners to respond to this emergency while building on existing health sector development programmes, enhancing preparedness for further deterioration of the humanitarian situation, boosting capacities, and integrating risk reduction and resilience building components to foster long-term development solutions to the crisis.
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
The surveillance officer will support the investigation and response to emergency health and nutrition and events of national or international concern with the national or regional RRTs.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Supervised by the Team lead and under the overall guidance of the Incident Manager and Head of the WHO Country Office and working closely with regional counterparts, the incumbent will act as an IPC/WASH officer at the region level. S/he will manage the IPC and WASH component of the incident management system, assessment, support the revision and update of the IPC measures and practices, and provide technical guidance to RHB and partners. S/he will establish and maintain good collaboration with partners, and synergize with the WHO staff, liaise with other units/teams within the regional office, across the organization and partners for facilitating the development of a detailed work plan and budget for WHO operations.
The incumbent will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the approved activities and to ensure alignment of purpose between national and the regional office on matters related to IPC and WASH. S/he will also be responsible for reporting, performance assessment and evaluation of the planned activities, for monitoring the availability and flow of financial resources and ensure proper communication with partners and as appropriate.
Working under the oversight of the Incident Manager and the direct supervision of the Surveillance Team Lead, the surveillance officer will perform the following tasks:
- Provide leadership and guidance on technical matters related to early detection, verification, investigation and response to public health and nutrition incidents, ensuring efficiency of data collection, correlation, analysis, interpretation, and timely reporting at health facility at the district levels.
- Support the verification of data on reported public health and nutrition emergency or rumors received from multiple sources, conduct retrospective analysis of reported incidents: determine trends, distribution patterns, and efficiency of the verification mechanism.
- Support emergency health and nutrition data quality improvement, use of data for monitoring of trends, alert, and action thresholds (triggers).
- Support supervision, training, and on-job mentorship in building the core surveillance (health and nutrition), alert and response capacities.
- Support the early warning systems for public health and nutrition emergencies
- Support the preparation and dissemination of public health and nutrition emergencies news, technical documents, updates, and assessments to key decision makers
- Initiate and/or support/strengthen scientific documentation of response efforts and activities in line with WHO global best practice.
- Produce regular and written feedback to FMOH/RHB/ ZHB and other response actors, and report to the field coordinator.
- Perform any other incident-specific related duties, as required by the Surveillance Team Lead.
During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified, based upon the technical needs of the Programme.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Essential:
First university degree in medicine or public health with specialization in epidemiology
Desirable:
Experience
Essential:
At least two years of relevant experience in the areas of public health or epidemiology with national authorities.
Desirable:
Experience in epidemiological surveillance and investigation with reportable diseases in the country. Experience working with UN/WHO or other large international organizations would be an added advantage.
Functional Knowledge and Skills
- Ability to work harmoniously as a member of WHE team, experience in the areas of emergency health and nutrition investigation/assessment and response.
- Working knowledge of statistical packages used for data management and analysis
WHO Competencies
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Producing result
- Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
- Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
Use of Language Skills
Essential:
Essential: Expert knowledge of English, and the local language of the specific region.
Desirable: other UN language.
Other Skills (e.g. IT Skills)
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office software applications. Excellent presentation skills
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Interested applicants can apply before the closing date of the application. For more information please read the full article
Deadline: Sep 28, 2023
