Public Health Officer (Emergency Response)

Contract

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

Purpose

In the context of the WHO Emergencies Preparedness and Response Programme, the incumbent will manage the Emergency Response activities at the national level, will support the prevention and control of high threat diseases of pandemic & epidemic potential through coordinating the forecasting, characterization of diseases and/or infectious risks and the implementation of evidence-based strategies to manage infectious hazards.

2. Objectives of the Programme

The objective of this programme is to support the South African government in Emergencies Preparedness and Response, to help to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.

Technical Supervision

The incumbent will report directly to the WHO Emergencies Preparedness and Response (EPR) Lead and under the leadership of the WHO Country Office Representative. He/she will support and act as an advisor to the WHO emergency team on Emergency Response activities, enabling the development of strategies and plans that maximize the individual and collective impact of WHO throughout the full cycle of the emergency nationally.

4. Expected Assigned Duties/Work to be Performed

The incumbent will perform several Emergency management functions indicated below:

Coordination Functions

1. Support the development of strategies, contingency and or response plans for an effective response to public health emergencies

2. Support implementation of the emergency response strategies and plans and ensure that all deliverables are achieved

3. In Consultation with the EPR Lead plan and schedule IMT meetings and or Teleconferences with relevant parties

4. Coordinate and plan the regular WHO country office IMT meetings during a response.

5. Consolidate information from a broad range of health sectors, analyzing and recommending actions and guidelines for the elaboration of plans and strategies, including consolidating health data in trends and trends assessment, with particular attention to surveillance, monitoring, and early warning.

6. Coordinate the planning and facilitation of Intra-action reviews (IAR), development of timebound action plans and tracking implementation of the recommendations

1. Support day-to-day operations of the WHO country office IMT and PHEOC and ensure effective information sharing during emergencies

2. Contribute to the efficient running of the IMT and EOC (if established) by ensuring all Response plans/ Incident Action plans are periodically reviewed as the event evolves

3. Ensure documentation of all WHO IMT processes and track implementation of all decisions/actions

1. Support activation and operationalization of the Incident Management systems (IMS) at national and provincial level.

2. Under the guidance of the EPR lead and Incident Manager support activation of the Response plan and track key indicators of the response.

3. Support the development, improvement, and dissemination of procedures, guidelines, policies, and other standard operating procedures (SOPs) on response

4. Design and conduct monitoring, evaluation, and quality assurance tools needed to ensure that emergency response deliverables are on track and adhere to ERF performance standards, donor, and key stakeholder requirements

5. Support synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in the response as well as generation of end of outbreak report.

6. Perform any other related duties, as required by the functional supervisor.

5 Competencies

1. Teamwork

2. Technical Competence

3. Building and Promoting Partnerships Across the Organization and Beyond

4. Producing Results

5. Communication

6. Functional Skills and Knowledge

• Demonstration of good written communication skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of infectious diseases, particularly in those areas critical for promoting a public health perspective and approach, such as infectious disease epidemiology, prevention or control, clinical management,
• Proven ability to coordinate and manage projects, build partnerships with multiple partners in the context of health emergencies.
• Sound tactical thinking with ability to formulate clear comprehensive strategies and plans.
• Demonstrated organizational skills with ability to multi-task and produce results under pressure.

7. Education (Qualifications):

Essential: Medical degree OR Advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in public health, or health related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable: Specialized training in epidemiology. Specialized training in emergency/humanitarian response.

Experience:

Essential:

• At least 5 years General Public Health experience which includes 2 years of experience in working with emergencies OR 5 years professional experience in public health the control and prevention of public health event or health emergencies.

Desirable: Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies, SA Department of Health, , non-governmental organisations .

Languages:

Excellent knowledge of English.

10. IT Skills

Excellent computer skills and knowledge of most commonly used software..

Place of assignment

Incumbent will be based in Pretoria, South Africa at the WHO Country Office with travel to the provinces and districts of the country as required