Health Associate

Medical & Health Crisis & Emergency Response

Since 2011 the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a middle-income region, where UNICEF was implementing mostly upstream work, has now become the region with the greatest concentration of humanitarian needs in the world with emergencies and many countries that are facing protracted conflicts as well as civil unrest and/or political transition. The role of MENA regional office (MENARO) is to support all countries in the region in a more deliberate, consistent, and value-added way, explicitly allocating the vast majority of programme and cross-cutting staff time and resources to country office technical assistance and quality assurance.

The Health Section at UNICEF MENARO is seeking a UN Volunteer that will provide critical support to key agenda that are vital for strengthening primary health care (PHC) to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), this includes addressing inequalities and impacts of increasing issues such as climate change on child well-being.

The UN Volunteer will acquire knowledge and experience through participation in the various roles and responsibilities assigned to him/her under the guidance of the supervisor and relevant health section team members. Recognizing that volunteering can be a powerful means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), time will be dedicated to especially assist and support the volunteer to understand and highlight the valuable role that the UN Volunteer would play in the implementation of the UNICEF Middle East and North Regional Office Regional Health Work Plan which aligns with the UNICEF Global Strategic Plan for 2022 – 2025 and the achievement of the SDGs.

The UN Volunteer will contribute to the finalization and production of the regional knowledge products. To build and expand his/her knowledge/capacity and learning, the he/she will be exposed to various meetings and webinars organized within the MENARO health team and country offices on key areas related to Primary Health Care and other areas of interest. Further, will have the opportunity to engage actively and contribute to the regional events that are co-organized by MENARO health team with other partners. Opportunities will be provided for relevant leadership and training in line with UNICEF’s learning programmes to enhance his/her specific skills and experience.

Under the direct supervision of Health Specialist, the UN Volunteer will work with a team of experts to addresses challenges in improving the health of women, newborns, children and adolescents through three main components:

1. Support evidence-generation so good science can inform sound policy and leverage country commitment and resources for action, including around key aspects of PHC such as community health that will play an increasing role in addressing challenges such as climate change • Contribute to the preparation/update of situation analysis for the health and related sector (e.g., climate, poverty, etc.) for development, design and management of health-related programs/projects. Research and report on development trends and (climate, inequities, economic, social, health etc.) data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results • Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral program goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of health and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting • Contribute to identifying, capturing, synthesizing and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of key stakeholders

2. Advocacy and engagement to strengthen national policies to ensure follow-up to local levels • Draft communication and information materials for the UNICEF regional office programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support resource mobilization for relevant programmes such as impacts of climate change on maternal, newborn and child health • Contribute to building and sustaining effective close working partnerships with country office counterparts and stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation • Build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on health pro-grams • Participate as resource person in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of key stakeholders at national and subnational levels

3. Contribute to the efforts of the regional office in identifying and addressing new and emerging health challenges such as climate change impacts on child health in MENA countries • In partnership with key stakeholders and knowledge institutions, develop evidence-based analysis for effective programme planning and management, particularly aimed at understanding and addressing the challenges posed by emerging threats on child health and well-being • Contribute to applying innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable program results at the country level • Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems

The UN Volunteer will acquire knowledge and experience through participation in evidence generation, advocacy and engagement and identifying and addressing new and emerging health challenges under the guidance of the supervisor and relevant health section team members. To expand his/her knowledge, the UN Volunteer will be exposed to various meetings and webinars organized within the MENARO health team and country offices on key areas of the health section and other areas of interest. The UN Volunteer will also have the opportunity to participate and contribute to the regional events that co-organized by MENARO health team with other partners.

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Self-Management ☒ Working in Teams

(or demonstrated interest) public health, international development or related field. • Good writing and communication skills, including research, public speaking and presentations is preferred. • Relevant experience working in an international context is considered as an asset.

Location: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west.

Weather: Jordan’s climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan's location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5°C to 10°C, and August is the hottest month at 20°C to 35°C. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40°C or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms. About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months.

Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly. Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents. Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1.

Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location.

Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad.

Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken – especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent.

Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourism’s website: https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En

Apply now

Added 9 days ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unv.org