Technical Officer (Disaster Risk Reduction)

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 137,911 USD and 177,807 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 the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) is to build the capacity of WHO Member States to manage health emergency risks, 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.

WHE brings together and enhances WHO's operational, technical and normative capacities in outbreaks, emergencies and risk analysis to address all health hazards across the risk management cycle in a predictable, capable, dependable, adaptable and accountable manner. WHE is designed to operate within the broader humanitarian and emergency management architecture in support of people at risk of, or affected by, outbreaks and emergencies, consistent with ways that strengthen local and national capabilities.

The objectives of the programme area, Country Health Emergency Preparedness & IHR (CPI), includes the following: to monitor and evaluate country preparedness for health and humanitarian emergencies, to develop country capacity-building plan for countries with critical capacities and to act as the Secretariat of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The CPI prioritizes support to the most vulnerable and low-capacity countries.

The intersectoral nature of emergency preparedness entails for CPI a large partnership with other international organizations and the consideration of several global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals related to health, emergencies and disasters, IHR (2005), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the WHO Thirteenth Global Programme of Work, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework, the Performance of Veterinary Services, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and For the Future: Towards the Healthiest and Safest Region, the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (APSED III), the European Health Policy and the regional strategies for disaster risk management. CPI coordinates its activities with international and national initiatives such as the Global Health Security Agenda and Universal Health Coverage 2030.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:

1. Serve as the disaster risk reduction programme focal point within the Division with responsibility for the overall planning, development, implementation and assessment of a comprehensive and effective programme using a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach;

2. Undertake the implementation of regional priorities for promoting and strengthening risk reduction, prevention, emergency preparedness and humanitarian action in emergencies;

3. Advise, plan, develop, coordinate and support the implementation of activities to strengthen capacities at subnational, national and regional level for risk reduction, emergency preparedness and response taking an all hazards, multisectoral, whole-of-society approach;

4. Plan, develop and deliver training programmes to strengthen human resource capacity of the WHO Member States based on IHR core capacities, APSED, ERF and other appropriate strategic frameworks;

5. Provide technical guidance and support to countries to facilitate developing plans, managerial systems and coordination mechanism for emergencies; including improved gender-responsive policy and governance frameworks;

6. Assist in the mobilization of resources through liaising with donors, participating in technical dialogues with the technical teams of different donor agencies, UN agencies, international cooperation agencies and others responsible for managing complex emergencies;

7. Collaborate with other technical and administrative areas of the Organization to support planning, monitoring, budgeting and reporting on activities, ensuring timely submission of reports;

8. Collaborate with key partners within and outside the Region to improve approaches and methods on disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness and response and translate best practice into actionable plans;

9. Lead the revision, development and implementation of an updated five-year regional DRR strategic framework;

10. Support and participate in efforts to advance resiliency of healthcare facilities, including promotion and implementation of safe, green and smart hospitals in the Region;

11. Participate in the implementation of the Organization's response activities during disasters and public health emergencies being available for immediate deployment when required;

12. Identify and support catalytic areas where disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation measures can be integrated and can add value to ongoing or planned interventions;

13. Liaise with technical departments across the Organization and support country offices on issues related to resilience and the response to emergencies;

14. Upon request, provide technical and managerial support, backstopping and gap-filling for emergency activities at any level of the Organization or scale of emergency;

15. Participate in the IHR on-call duty roster; and

16. Perform other related duties, as requested by the supervisor, including provision of support to other areas of work and teams or programme areas within the WHE, as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Master's degree in health or natural science, public health, disaster risk management or related disciplines. Desirable: Specialized training in disaster risk management, logistics, emergency or outbreak management. Graduate of field epidemiology training programme.

Experience

Essential: Minimum seven years of relevant national and international professional and practical (field) experience in disaster risk management or humanitarian programmes. Experience in capacity-building, monitoring and evaluation, and policy formulation in disaster risk management.

Desirable: Knowledge and experience in programmes or projects in disaster risk reduction. Knowledge of interagency mechanisms in the area of national and international preparednesss and response. Experience in disaster monitoring, risk identification, readiness and preparedness. Experience in Asia. Experience in the UN system.

Skills

- Theoretical and practical knowledge in establishing and managing emergency operations, including formulation of strategies, plans of action, project proposals, budgets and reports, experience in Emergency Operation Centres and working within Incident Management Support Teams. - Familiarity with the international actors in emergency preparedness and humanitarian assistance. - Knowledge and experience of disaster risk reduction strategies. - Knowledge and understanding of the global and regional climate policy landscape. - Ability to identify priorities and develop strategies and activities to bring together all stakeholders to promote disaster preparedness, response and resilience. - Knowledge of the UN system and demonstrated knowledge and ability to navigate humanitarian coordination system. - Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse cultural and educational backgrounds and maintain a high standard of personal conduct. - Strong strategic, analytic, problem solving and systems thinking skills. - Ability to integrate political, technical and managerial inputs into recommendations for decision-making. - Ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment and reprioritize actions on short notice. - Strong professional communication skills, both verbal and written with ability to write reports and facilitate workshops.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Producing results Ensuring the effective use of resources Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Excellent level of written and spoken English Desirable: Working knowledge of other UN language is an advantage

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 75,602 (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 3037 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.