Team Leader (WHO Health Emergencies)

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 150,560 USD and 188,686 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 objective of the WHO Country Office (WCO) for Nepal is to implement the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) by supporting the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), Government of Nepal (GoN) in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national health policies, strategies and plans and developing and managing WHO's technical cooperation programmes at the country level. The WCO collaborates with the GoN and relevant stakeholders in support of their efforts of achieving national health goals; of ensuring the attainment of universal health coverage and of contributing to global and regional public health action by providing need-based technical assistance in national level policy formulation, setting norms & standards, improving knowledge dissemination & management, monitoring country health situation and building sustainable institutional capacity, to play a greater leadership role in different national level policy/technical fora.

The mission of WHE is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies. WHO provides guidance and technical support in organizing the humanitarian health response following multi-hazard emergencies and in revitalizing the capacity of the health sector to rebuild and recover from multi-hazard emergencies in appropriate and sustainable ways.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Emergency Director WHO/SEARO and under the direct supervision of the WHO Representative to Nepal, and in close coordination with other members of the WHE team of WCO Nepal and WHO-SEARO and in collaboration with other teams within WCO Nepal and key external stakeholders, the Team Leader-WHE will perform the following duties:

Strengthening and testing Emergency Risk Management & Health Security Systems:

1. Coordinate all aspects of the WHE programme, at the country level, to ensure the concerted approach of WHO in the areas of Emergency Information Management, Country Preparedness and International Health Regulations (2005), Risk & Situation Assessments and Infectious Hazards Management.

2. Support national health authorities, partner with UN agencies, international, governmental and non-governmental organizations/institutions, academic/research institutions and professional associations to:

• Strengthen the national capability to prepare and respond to health emergencies from all hazards, ensure the required national procedures, skills, coordination mechanisms and health systems are strengthened to manage identified risks.
• Assess and map existing and emerging health risks in the country and prepare a national risk profile based on appropriate risk assessments in line with the national risk assessment strategy.
• Identify, enumerate and map populations vulnerable to/affected by prioritized risks and assess their coping capacities and health needs in cooperation with technical units at RO and HQ level and relevant technical partners.

• In collaboration with technical units at RO and HQ level and relevant technical partners, assess the capacity and competency development system; human and technical resources; coordination and collaboration mechanisms available to manage prioritized risks through appropriate capacity needs assessments and develop national strategies and training programmes for capacity enhancement such as for:

  • Field Epidemiology; Public Health Emergency Management including at Points of Entry; Hospital Emergency Preparedness and Response; Emergency Medical Teams (EMT); Pre and Post- Hospital Emergency Care Systems and Professionals; Epidemic Rapid Response Teams (ERRT) and Outbreak Management; Emergency Health Information Management; Post-Disaster Surveillance; Risk, Situation and Post-Disaster Needs Assessment; Risk, Crisis and Media Communications; Simulations and After Action Reviews; Process, Outcome and Impact Assessments/Evaluation and Knowledge Management, etc.
• Develop/Revise the National Action Plan on Health Security (NAPHS) based on the national risk profile, the consolidated findings of the State Party Annual Reporting (SPAR) on IHR and the recommendations of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of IHR. Take additional action, including the development of preparedness and response/contingency plans for specific high priority risks such as seasonal, zoonotic and pandemic influenza; cholera and other water/food borne diseases; dengue, zika and other vector borne diseases; Nipah and other zoonotic diseases.
• Assess capacities for emergency management, including preparedness, and the development/revision of a National Health Emergency Response Plan and take additional action, including the development of preparedness and response /contingency plans for specific high priority hazards such as earthquakes; floods, landslides and droughts; and mass casualty incidents due to road traffic accidents, etc.
• Mobilize and coordinate resources, oversee the operational and strategic planning of the health preparedness and response plans, identify resource needs and funding gaps; encourage donors to fund the overall health sector risk reduction / preparedness and response to vulnerable / affected populations.

3. Represent WHO to external stakeholders, including donors and partners, with respect to the country operations. Coordinate with other agencies and I/NGOs through the Health Cluster approach and directly as operational implementing partner.

Strengthening and testing Emergency Response Systems:

4. Lead WHO’s emergency response programme at national or subnational levels including through coordination with relevant RO and HQ colleagues for capacity building of all WCO staff to perform their assigned roles as per the WCO Business Continuity and Contingency Plans in line with the WHO Emergency Response Framework.

5. Advise and support the MoHP for the establishment/strengthening of Incident Management System/Health Emergency Operations Centre (IMS/HEOC) at national and sub-national levels for information management and coordination of multi-sectoral emergency response that includes staffing, defined roles/responsibilities and resources for key functional areas.Support the regular testing of the emergency response system through functional exercises at the national and sub-national levels.

6. Advise and support the MoHP for the establishment/strengthening of Hub and Satellite Hospitals networks across the country which are safe, resilient and ready to undertake surge health response for multi-hazard emergencies/disasters in a coordinated manner with adequately stocked and managed Emergency Medical Logistics Warehouses, trained staff with defined roles/responsibilities and resources for all functional areas of the hospital IMS as per the Hospital Emergency/Disaster Preparedness and Response Plans. Support the regular testing of the hospital emergency response system through functional exercises at the national and sub-national levels.

7. Advise and support the MoHP and other key ministries and partners for the establishment/strengthening of emergency health care systems to ensure the provision of a range of critical emergency health care services from the community/pre-hospital level to the post-hospital and rehabilitation levels integrated and harmonized with hospital-based emergency health care services.

8. Coordinate the development, dissemination, training on and use of Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for all health sector and hospital IMS functions and public health interventions to manage priority risks (including enhanced surveillance, investigation and rapid response, contact tracing, sampling, infection prevention and control, outbreak vaccination, risk communication, etc.) at the level of the MoHP/Health Cluster to effectively implement the Business Continuity and Contingency Plans.

9. Develop capacity to effectively monitor and evaluate processes, outputs, outcomes and impact of response and recovery interventions; conduct after action reviews, analyze, synthesize and share learning, challenges and smart practices from policy, strategic and field interventions using systematic knowledge management frameworks.

Antimicrobial Resistance Containment:

10. Lead and coordinate the WHO support for the effective implementation of the National Action Plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance (NAP-AMR) and priority WHO actions aimed at piloting and demonstrating one-health focused AMR Surveillance; Anti-Microbial Use; Anti-Microbial Stewardship; Infection Prevention & Control; Operations Research; Training & Capacity Building; Evidence-based Policy Advocacy, Communications and Community Engagement.

Operations and Finance:

11. Lead the planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of strategies, operational and HR plans for the WHO's overall emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities in line with the WCO Business Continuity and Contingency Plans and the National Action Plan on AMR.

12. Oversee the management, distribution and pre-positioning of WHO and national emergency medical logistics stockpiles through appropriate emergency logistics management systems integrated and harmonized with routine logistics management systems.

13. Oversee the development of a detailed task-based work plan and budget for implementation of priority activities identified in the National Health Emergency Response Plan and NAP-AMR. Ensure the country and the WCO have accessible contingency funds for immediate response to emergencies, including, outbreaks at national and other appropriate sites.

14. Determine staffing needs, ensure the mobilization of the required human resources. Provide leadership, motivation, guidance, and performance management of staff and experts. Take concrete measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all WHO responders.

Monitoring and Reporting:

15. In cooperation with other levels of response authorize the release of related information, communications, advocacy products and statements to internal and external partners including donors as well as to the public.

16. Monitor and provide guidance and briefings to senior officials of the MoHP, WHO and partners as required, on the progress and implementation of preparedness and operational readiness activities and funded projects in alignment with the national action plans and throughout the emergency management and programme management cycle, including financial and implementation tracking, and output/impact monitoring.

Other Duties:

17. Perform any additional duties and discharge any additional responsibilities assigned by the WHO Representative or the Regional Emergency Director WHO/SEARO in consultation with the WHO Representative as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education Essential:University degree in Medicine with an advanced university degree in Epidemiology/Public Health/Health Management from an accredited/recognized academic institution. Desirable:Training/proven competencies in disaster/emergency and outbreak management; Executive Management Training from a recognized institution; Leadership training in Health Cluster Coordination and Incident Management.

Experience Essential: At least 10 years of related experience, at the national and international levels, in multi-sectoral coordination, strengthening country capacities and responding to emergencies and disasters, including infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters or complex emergencies. Experience in partnering with and coordinating health policy and strategic interventions; and operational interventions in emergency preparedness, response and recovery with a range of actors especially in a developing country setting. Desirable: At least 5 years of relevant work experience with WHO and/or UN agencies, leading health cluster partners; and experience of working in relevant non-governmental or humanitarian organizations or health academia/health research.

WHO Competencies

1. Teamwork 2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences 3. Communication 4. Promoting innovation and organizational learning 5. Ensuring effective use of resources 6. Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

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 88,162 (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 2439 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's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice. - 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.