Advisor, Health Emergencies

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 129,723 USD and 167,251 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The objective of the Health Emergencies Department (PHE) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is to increase health sector resilience to emergencies and disasters. PHE assists Member States to strengthen the health sector’s capacities in prevention, risk reduction, preparedness, surveillance, response, and early recovery for emergencies and disasters related to any hazards (natural, man-made, biological, chemical, radiological and others), and when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain disasters, including outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. PHE is responsible for ensuring the implementation and updating of the PAHO/WHO Institutional Emergency and Disaster Response policy.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the Director, Health Emergencies (PHE) and the general supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to the following assigned duties:

1. Manage PAHO’s health emergencies program at national level; advise, guide, and support national authorities to develop, implement, and evaluate policies and programs to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, and respond to national emergencies and disasters caused by all types of hazards, including natural, technological, biological, chemical, radiological, or those resulting from social conflicts;
2. Provide technical advice and guidance on the establishment and/or strengthening of national disaster/emergency programs in the health sector, including the development, implementation and evaluation of country strategies and work plans pertaining to health emergencies, ensuring compliance with PAHO's organization-wide Health Emergencies strategies;
3. Oversee, in the context of the International Health Regulations (IHR), the prevention, early detection, verification, risk assessment and investigation of epidemic prone infectious hazards and the analysis and dissemination of data related to the occurrence of outbreaks in close collaboration with relevant teams at country and regional levels;
4. Advise national authorities on policies, norms, standards and guidelines to support the development of critical core capacities for global health security; provide training and support to national authorities to develop critical core capacities;
5. Identify catalytic areas where disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures can be integrated and add value to ongoing or planned technical cooperation support interventions;
6. Provide technical advice and guidance for the implementation of health emergencies policies, concepts, tools, and strategies at the country level, for the prevention and, where feasible, elimination of diseases/epidemic risks. Work with partners, to improve approaches and methods of controlling epidemics in different epidemiological situations;
7. Promote multi-disciplinary and cross-cutting approaches and activities with key national and international partners, at the country level, to ensure the successful implementation, monitoring and evaluation of capacities in line with IHR (2005) requirements, as well as the identification of financing for country plans;
8. Ensure that risk communication messages are technically sound and socio-culturally appropriate to induce, engage and empower stakeholders in the prevention, mitigation and control of infectious hazards and health emergencies;
9. Make recommendations and give guidance on relevant courses of actions to be taken in affected as well as non-affected areas in order to prevent and/or control cause of excess morbidity and mortality related to emergencies and disasters;
10. Manage the timely and high-quality collection, analysis, production and dissemination of data/information. This includes response specific information (what, where, who, when, 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);
11. Support national authorities to 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;
12. Maintain relations and facilitate coordination among all health emergency related actors (Ministry of Health, national and international NGOs, UN organizations, etc.) on all matters related to emergencies and disaster management (prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery), including the mobilization of resources for the Organization's technical cooperation in health emergencies, including humanitarian response;
13. Act as first-line emergency responder in case of a country emergency in line with the PAHO Policy and procedures for Institutional Response to Emergencies and Disasters and serve as/or support the Incident Manager in the country in case of a graded emergency. Support UN emergency teams, where relevant and in close collaboration with the Regional Office; Serve as a member of Regional Health Disaster Response Team;
14. Support the provision of data and information required for any PHE-related documents to be presented to PAHO and WHO Governing bodies; coordinate the implementation of the various Regional Plans of Action under the responsibility of the health emergencies program, including the plans for disaster risk reduction, coordination of health humanitarian assistance, as well as, plans related to high threats epidemic prone diseases (influenza, plague, yellow fever, cholera and other emerging and reemerging bacterial and viral diseases);
15. Coordinate and collaborate with the Country Office in the planning, development, and implementation of binational plans of action for health emergencies, as required;
16. Contribute to the preparation of biennial work plan (BWP) and budgets, semiannual work plans and periodic evaluations for assigned projects; participate in the performance evaluation of the Unit;
17. Assist the Country Office team to ensure the PAHO Country Office fully complies with WHO readiness checklist including updating of the country office emergency preparedness and disaster response including the updating of the Country Office Emergency Response Plan and Business Continuity Plan (BCP);
18. When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities;
19. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A university degree in a health, social, or environmental science and a master’s degree in a health science, public health, or in a discipline related to emergency and disaster management from a recognized institution.

Desirable: A degree in medicine or specialized training in emergency and outbreak management or specific training in humanitarian response, disaster preparedness, or risk reduction would be an asset.

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). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/.

Experience****:

Essential: Nine years of combined national and international experience in a managerial position in public health, social services, or disaster management (prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery).

Desirable: Experience in the UN System with knowledge of inter-agency mechanisms in the area of national and international preparedness for and response to health emergencies would be an asset. Field experience in public health programs or emergency management programs in developing countries, including coordination of large-scale public health projects, would be an asset.

SKILLS****:

PAHO Competencies:

• Overall attitude at work****: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences****: Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes on such diversity. Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.
• Teamwork****: Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.
• Communication****: Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment****: Manages individual and group projects and ensures that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clearly defined, understood and accepted; delegates work appropriately to achieve best results.
• Producing Results****: Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.
• Ensuring effective use of resources****: Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.
• Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond****: Builds and negotiates strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure Organizational results and success. Creates innovative opportunities for promoting synergies inside and outside the Organization to improve Organizational success.

Technical Expertise:

• Theoretical and practical expertise at the highest level in all aspects related to disaster management, emergency preparedness and response.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge in establishing and managing emergency operations, including formulation of strategies, plans of action, project proposals, budgets and reports; familiarity with the international actors in emergency preparedness and humanitarian assistance.
• Ability to identify priorities and develop strategies and activities to bring together all stakeholders to promote disaster response and preparedness.
• Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.
• Knowledge and skills in project planning, management and evaluation, including resource mobilization and grant management.
• Strong public health and strategic thinking background showing resourcefulness, initiative, leadership qualities and skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas; demonstrated ability to identify, assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendation on key political and technical issues.
• Ability to integrate political, technical and managerial inputs into recommendations for decision-making.
• Ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment to re-prioritize actions on short notice.
• Strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of any other official language of the Organization would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary****: (Net of taxes)

USD $75,602.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 37.1% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level****.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities. PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

To protect the people we serve, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post. The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.