Consultant - Health Emergency and Disaster Management

Contract

This is a No grade contract. More about No grade contracts.

1. Purpose of the Consultancy

To assess and evaluate the structure and capacities of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for health emergency and disaster risk management and build their capacities accordingly.

2. Background

The Eastern Mediterranean Region is affected by multiple emergencies from all hazards. This includes COVID-19 pandemic, complex emergencies, natural disasters, technological disasters, food security crisis and other disease outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic, and other large-scale emergencies have revealed that the existing level of health emergency and disaster management systems are not adequate and sometimes fragmented to effectively manage health emergencies of such severity and extent. The need for embedding health and disaster emergency management in broader whole-of-government national disaster management systems has been evidently highlighted. It is, therefore, essential to invest on capacitating health emergency and disaster management systems in countries.

The WHE programme aims to help countries to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies quickly, in a more predictable, dependable and accountable way, whether these are caused by disease outbreaks, disasters or conflict. The programme supports countries to develop and maintain capacities for health emergency management system, developing policies and procedures and establishing tailored public heath interventions and programs. Nevertheless, to identify the existing capacities, gaps and learn from best practices specially during COVID-19 pandemic, it’s vital to assess the health emergency and disaster management systems in countries of the Region to ensure that it is well-prepared to respond and that it is continually improving to meet the changing needs of the country based on evolving health risks. The assessment will inform building resilient health emergency and disaster management structures with sustained investment.

3. Planned timeline (6 months ) (subject to confirmation)

• Start date: 01 June 2023
• End date: 30 Nov 2023

4. Description of duties

Work to be performed:

• Output: Enhance health emergency and disaster management system and capacities in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region

  Deliverables

• Lead the pilot testing of the recently developed tool to assess and review health emergency management in 1-2 countries in the region and prepare a comprehensive report elucidating the outcomes of the pilot testing of the tool
• Refine and finalize the tool and approach based on the findings of pilot testing and develop a plan of action for each of two countries to strengthen health emergency management based on the outcomes of the assessment
• Rollout the assessment of the health emergency management across the remaining countries in the region, online using the finalized tool and conduct in-depth interview with selected key informants and develop a comprehensive report on the emergency management structure in countries of the region
• Develop a policy brief on strengthening health emergency management based on the assessment outcomes.
• Conduct regional policy dialogue with key stakeholders in the region based on a pre-circulated policy brief to elicit key insight on health emergency management in the region and identify substantive next steps.

5. Technical Supervision

   Responsible Officer:

   Dr Dalia Samhouri, Manager, CPI/WHE

   Email:

   samhourid@who.int

   Manager:

   Dr Dalia Samhouri, Manager, CPI/WHE

   Email:

   samhourid@who.int

   Specific requirements

- Education:

Essential

• Master’s degree in public health, health policy and management, health emergency/disaster management, or related field

Desirable

• Post-graduate (post-master) studies in public health, health policy and management, health emergency/disaster management, or related field

- Work experience:

Essential

• Over 10 years of professional experience in the management of health emergencies at the policy and operational level

Desirable

• Experience working with WHO,
• Demonstrated international experience, in particular working at country-level.

- Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

Essential:

• Strong skills in the area of developing and establishing policies and strategies
• Demonstrated capacity to work within different cultures,
• Demonstrated ability to interact in complex situations involving technical, cultural and political elements,
• Skills in applying science methods in conducting the literature review and developing tools

Desirable

• Demonstrated understanding of the IHR (2005)

- Language requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of English language.

7. Place of assignment

Remote with occasional travel to country offices (to be determined later)

8. Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

9. Travel

The Consultant is expected to travel to 1-2 countries. Destination and duration of travel will be identified through the progress of work identified in-countries.

All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO. While on mission under the terms of this consultancy, the Consultant will receive subsistence allowance.

Visas requirements: it is the consultant’s responsibility to fullfil visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

Additional information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice - https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.