WHE Emergency Consultant

Purpose of the Consultancy

The Emergency Officer works under the direct supervision of the WHE Coordinator and with technical guidance from the technical officers in WHE. The consultant will be deployed to a WHO sub-offices or presences in one of the 18 states of Sudan affected by emergencies. S/he is expected to support the scale up of WHO public health response to acute emergencies and to support WHO preparedness for upcoming emergencies in the state he/she is assigned to. He/she is expected to perform his/her duties and responsibilities with highest degree of efficiency and sound judgment.

Background:

Over the last years, Sudan went through a severe socio-economic and political crisis, which results in an increase of vulnerable populations throughout the country.

The fragile health system struggles to respond to multiple parallel emergencies such as Covid 19, outbreaks of dengue fever, Hepatitis E, Measles, the influx of refugees and population displacements due to intercommunal tensions.

Since the military takeover in October 2021, increasing violence the big cities and in the Darfur states increases the humanitarian needs. It is furthermore expected that the deterioration of the conflict in Tigray will lead to an influx of refugees and might destabilise the East of Sudan.

The proposed consultancy aims to support WHO CO Sudan health emergency preparedness and response in Sudan through technical expertise and to support scale up in response to the quickly changing contexts.

In collaboration with WHO teams in the state and in line with the existing strategy for preparedness and response, the consultant is expected to implement emergency projects based on needs assessments and to work on the preparedness for upcoming emergencies. Furthermore, the incumbent delivers capacity building training activities to various target audiences.

Planned timeline

Start date: 1 Jan. 2022 End date: 31 August 2022

Work to be performed

• Conduct regular field visits in the respective state of assignment to monitor the situation of vulnerable populations especially refugees/displaced populations in terms of access to and quality of health services and timely and regular dissemination of WHO updated information (e.g. reports)..
• Provides Needs assessments and public health situation analysis in support to the emergency team in the states to ensure that emergency preparedness and response is based on reliable and up-to-date information and corresponds to WHO standards and guidelines
• Support the development of project proposals for emergency preparedness and response in direct implementation or through health partners and identification of suitable health partners with adequate capacities.
• Follow up on the implementation though DI and through NGO partners and collection and analysis of project data, timely reporting and proposition of corrective measures when applicable
• Working closely with MoH and other health partners to strengthen the routine information related to status of health facilities, medical needs , quality of health care and gaps in services for vulnerable populations.
• Participation in health sector coordination meetings and liaison with relevant health partners on state level when requested (MOH, health partners, UN agencies)
• Follow-up of the star-tool based multi-hazard planning exercise and of the operationalisation and implementation of the multi-hazard preparedness and response plan on state level
• Coordination with local health teams, vertical programmes, emergency and other partners to assign proper preparedness activities, including monitoring supplies distribution according to set standards and proper utilisation of items by partners.
• Identification of training needs for respective target audiences, development of comprehensive plans for capacity building and implementation of capacity building activities based on WHO trainings including assessment of impact.

Deliverables:

• Contribution to weekly reports and data analysis to inform the overall analysis of the public health situation and the planning of the response according to respective setting
• Submit needs assessments, proposals and activity reports according to changes in context and emergency situation
• Conduct Weekly activity data in WHE through data collection system (centralised tables)
• Provide an end of mission report

Specific requirements

- Qualifications :

Required: University degree in Medicine.

Desirable: Master in public health/ epidemiology or disaster management

Work experience:

At least 2 years of experience required in public health emergency preparedness and response

Demonstrated knowledge of health sector activities in the context of emergency preparedness and response/relief

Excellent skills in the assessment, surveillance in the context of emergency situations.

Desirable: Experience in capacity building , experiences in trauma care, experience in outbreak response management

Knowledge of WHO mandate and goals or experience in UN Organizations, international institutions or NGOs is considered an asset.

Skills/Knowledge

- Communicating in a credible and effective manner: Expresses oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others; listens actively. Produces effective written communications. Ensures that information is shared.

-Producing Results: Produces and delivers quality results. Is action oriented and committed to achieving outcomes.

-Knowing and managing yourself: Manages ambiguity and pressure in a self-reflective way. Uses criticism as a development opportunity. Seeks opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth.

Knowledge of Microsoft Office software applications.

Languages Essential: Fluent knowledge of Arabic and English.

Place of assignment

Different states in Sudan

Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

Travel

In-country travel.

Additional Information section

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice - https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• 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.