Public health specialist

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) welcomes applications from suitably qualified Senior Public Health professionals to serve as the Public health in Emergencies Specialist in the ADPC project for disaster response capacity building of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) staff in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The successful candidate will lead the Public Health in Emergencies related training (development of curriculums, modules and relevant materials, course/practical session facilitation, course quality control, and reporting) activities of the project.

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), established in 1986, is a regional non-profit foundation with headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand supporting the advancement of safer communities and sustainable development, through implementing programs that reduce the impact of disasters upon countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. The primary geographical focus of ADPC’s activities is Asia with the South, South East and East Asia being the primary sub-regions. In 2005, nine countries, namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Sri Lanka signed a Charter establishing ADPC as an inter-governmental organization.

ADPC has vast experience of 26 years of working in Asia Pacific region along with the national and local Government of its charter member countries as well as countries of the Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management (RCC); a regional mechanism established by ADPC in 2000 and comprising of head of national disaster management offices of 26 countries in Asia Pacific. ADPC also shares a close partnership with sub-regional inter-government agencies, such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Secretariat for Pacific Community (previously known as SOPAC) on various DRR related themes including capacity building, strengthening institutions and systems, knowledge management and mainstreaming DRR into development. It works closely with a range of UN Agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCAP, WHO, WMO, UNISDR, UNOCHA, UN-Habitat, etc. on DRR related projects and consulting services. ADPC works with international and local NGOs, national technical and training institutions, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Further details on ADPC and Programs can be found at www.adpc.net

The primary focus of ADPC is to assist national and sub-national Governments to build capacity to respond to, prepare for and mitigate the natural disaster risk and adaptation to climate change. Accordingly ADPC is comprised of several thematically organized operational departments such as Department on Safer Development Planning and Implementation, Department on Climate Change and Climate Change Adaptation, Department on Resilient Cities and Urban Risk Management, Department on Disaster Risk Management Systems, Department of Public Health in Emergencies, Department of Disaster Risk Assessment and Monitoring, Training Services Unit. With around 100 staff from 19 countries and with professionals with expertise in development planning, engineering, architecture, agriculture, social sciences, health science climate sciences and disaster risk reduction.

ADPC has developed expertise in the management of public health emergencies in disasters through the implementation of projects, and developing and delivering training courses and workshops. The Public Health in Emergencies (PHE) Team has implemented projects and developed specific training activities to cover the whole spectrum of the potential hazards that can be anticipated in Asia and the Pacific: natural hazards, complex emergencies, technological disasters. The ADPC Team has begun to expand its activities outside Asia to now cover also Middle-East region. Risk management is the reference conceptual framework for developing projects of management of health in crisis situations. ADPC has signed a contract with Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) to enhance the capacity of their emergency response staff to be ready to provide emergency response to disasters both within the Kingdom and assisting in international disaster humanitarian response.

Responsibilities in relation to PHE related training and capacity building of SRCA staff

• Responsible for coordinating PHE training and capacity building for SRCA staff as per the agreed set of strategic objectives and plans.
• Develop training modules and materials to conduct PHE related training identified for the SRCA team including participants handbooks, reference reading, case studies, scenarios, group exercises and games.
• Research on new training tools, methodologies, skills and emerging fields in DM/DRR and incorporate innovative ways of training into DM training courses.
• Conduct Pre-training assessments on qualifications, background and expectation of participants, and customize training content and methodology as appropriate.
• Finalize training agenda, prepare and compile training documents and training aids. Deliver training program /modules based on training plan.
• Contribute to the process of conducting periodic reviews of training courses to improve curriculum and training materials.
• Provide support in identification of participants and competent session facilitators.
• Report to program leadership on implementation of Public Health training and capacity building activities.

Institutional responsibilities

• Provide technical resource inputs under key specialized technical areas to all other teams.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Director (ADPC) or Director in charge of the Department

Required qualifications / selection criteria:

• Post graduate qualifications in a health discipline, knowledge and experience in public health practices in emergency.
• A minimum of ten years experience in project portfolio/program management; with at least five years in public health in emergencies disciplines. Preference will be given to candidate having experience in emergency response in public health.
• Practical experience of developing and managing capacity building and training programs and courses, preferably courses related to Public Health in emergencies.
• Proven experience in managing and developing a multi-cultural team multi-skills team, in terms of its personnel and work program.
• Proven ability to strategize, plan and organize work, monitor and evaluate activities.
• Ability to make public presentations in a teaching environment, and to facilitate courses and meetings.
• Good communications skills, written and spoken, in the English language. Ability to communicate in Arabic will be treated as additional advantage.

Personal qualities

• Self-motivated, pro-active and takes initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and organize work and time independently.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, team-oriented work style, and experience in working in a multi-cultural environment.
• Strong desire to learn, undertake new challenges, must be a creative problem-solver, must have self confidence, willingness to work hard, good sense of humor but with seriousness about the quality and excellence of work.