Deputy Director ARC (Alert and Response Coordination)

Contract

This is a D-1 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 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 237,851 USD and 300,143 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.

OBJECTIVES 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 WHE Response division (WRE) is responsible for rapidly detecting and responding to health emergencies while leveraging relevant national and international partnerships, ensuring that emergency-affected populations in acute and protracted emergencies have access to essential health services and that systems are maintained and strengthened in fragile, conflict and vulnerable settings while implementing at scale, proven prevention strategies for priority pandemic/epidemic-prone diseases. The Alert and Response Coordination Department (ARC) is responsible to provide end-to-end capacity for the detection, management, coordination and monitoring of acute public health emergencies, as well as the generation and dissemination of public health information around such events. It identifies potential acute events through early warning, provides risk assessment of such events, and delivers on the management, coordination and ongoing monitoring of acute events that require activation of an incident management structure at HQ. These include epidemics and acute humanitarian emergencies.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

- Ensures effective direction, management, and accountability of the ARC Department by the incumbent in delivering its objectives through managing and inspiring a diverse workforce and peer communities to optimize the department's financial resources, deliverables and mandate.

- Leads the Department in developing evidence-based policies and strategies for dissemination and implementation in Regional and Country Office programmes.

- Provides highest level technical advice and expertise to Management in the respective area of work in order to position the Department and Organization as a leader in the respective area of work.

- Leads the establishment and development of the Department's evidence-based policies and strategies for roll out and delivery for Regional and Country Office implementation.

- Ensures the management of the monitoring and evaluation as well as reporting of the Department's area of work of key performance indicators and global reporting requirements and mechanisms to optimize performance of Department deliverables.

- Serves as the scientific/technical reference among UN Agencies and other key players in the respective area.

- Builds new or strengthens existing partnerships with External Partners, Member States, UN Agencies, Donor, research institutions and other stakeholders to position the technical area of work and implementation into National and/or Global policies.

- Represents the Department area of work in global for a to position the area of work in the global health community.

- Performs all other related duties as assigned.

The Deputy Director will coordinate the various units and lead the operational implementation of the ARC department functions including:

- A public health intelligence function, through the detection and verification of signals pertaining to potential public health events and the risk assessment of such events. This includes the daily event-based surveillance activities (including media-monitoring), verification of signals with technical teams, monitoring of the WHO Event Management System (EMS), write up and coordination of assessments with relevant teams and regions, and their rapid dissemination to Member States and the wider scientific and public health communities.

- An acute events management function, providing technical steer and coordination for all acute public health events that require an incident management structure at HQ. This includes setting up, and where necessary leading, Incident Management support teams, ensuring support from specific technical units, ROs and country offices, and providing technical and operational guidance to drive forward evidence-based preparedness, readiness, and response activities across the three levels.

- An acute events epidemiology function, providing the necessary day-to-day monitoring of acute events managed by the department, including the monitoring of epidemiological trends, public health situation analyses and response monitoring. This also includes event-based surveillance and field epidemiology support to specific acute events.

- An analytics function, providing the data management and analytical backbone to support epidemiology and managementof acute events, through timely analytical outputs, and visualization of information. This includes setting up data pipelines, data management, and statistical analyses (including GIS outputs).

- A partner coordination function, in collaboration with GOARN, leveraging expertise and experience from technical and operational partners supporting alert and response, and providing technical coordination on a range of response and capacity building activities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced level university degree in medicine and/or public health. Desirable: Training in infectious disease epidemiology.

Experience

Essential: A minimum of 15 years of professional experience in the management of communicable disease outbreaks or disease elimination/eradication programme including experience providing senior level advice and guidance to Senior Management/Decision makers, managing human and financial resources, as well as experience in the area of developing and establishing policies and strategies. Demonstrated experience at the international level. Desirable: Experience in leading global or regional response to health emergencies.

Skills

- Strong skills in the area of developing and establishing polices and strategies.

- Excellent skills and ability in managing diverse teams and financial resources.

- Strong understanding and skills in mobilizing resources.

- Ability to engage, build consensus and communicate effectively and diplomatically with Member States, partners and media.

- Commitment to collaborate effectively with other key partners in the Health Subject area.

- Globally-respected level of technical expertise and knowledge in epidemics, health emergencies preparedness and response.

- Strong skills in pandemic response or infectious disease elimination programme at global or regional level.

- Proven leadership skills in the planning and coordination of multidisciplinary public health programmes, which may include the implementation of a public health/disease control programmes.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond Producing results Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of another WHO Language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 103,660 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 7040 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test may be used as a form of screening.

• 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), 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.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.