Technical officer

Objectives of the programme :

The mission of Health Action in Crises (HAC) is the design and implementation of programmes that prepare the health sector to deal with emergencies and that improve health during and after crises. Within HAC, the Emergency Preparedness and Capacity Building group (EPC) focuses on strengthening the capacity in emergency preparedness and readiness at global level and on supporting Regional and Country efforts in promoting and implementing emergency mitigation and preparedness programmes. The group is therefore responsible for providing technical and programmatic support and advice to Member States as well as on the organization institutional capacity building in the area of emergency preparedness and response.

Description of duties:

Incumbent will work within the Group of Emergency Preparedness and Capacity Building (EPC) and the team of Risk Reduction and Emergency preparedness as a Technical Officer. The incumbent will be expected, through his/her technical expertise in public health and his/her experience in risk reduction and emergency preparedness to support the implementation of relevant programmes and projects in this area.

Under the overall supervision of Director EPC and the direct guidance of the Coordinator, Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness, the incumbent will be responsible for:
Developing technical guidance and training resources, and providing support to regional/country offices for the implementation of programmes for the management of mass casualty incidents.

This will include health emergency response planning, mass casualty management, emergency medical services systems and hospital emergency preparedness and risk management; Taking an active role in developing and strengthening community based approaches to health risk reduction and emergency preparedness , including review, analysis and revision of existing materials on country and community-based risk reduction and emergency preparedness ensuring that they are appropriate, practical and relevant to the all-hazard and whole-health approaches adopted by WHO and its health partners.

This includes documentation of best practices, developing guidance to address existing gaps and curriculum development for training programs;Providing technical input to the development of global and regional risk reduction and emergency preparedness partnerships, programmes and joint-ventures with international partners such as International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Specific focus will be given to the planning and implementation of the international campaign on 'Hospitals Safe From Disasters' led by WHO and ISDR;Participating in the development and dissemination of promotion, advocacy and awareness raising events and materials on health sector emergency preparedness and risk reduction; Develop and maintain databases on information crucial for the planning and implementation of country emergency risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery programmes;Take an active role in the development of project proposals and the elaboration of workplans following consultation with emergency preparedness and risk reduction specialists and stakeholders; Any other duties as requested by the supervisors.

Required qualifications

Education (essential):
Advanced University degree and post-graduate training in medicine, public health, risk and
emergency management or related areas.
(desirable)
Training in emergency management including planning, project development and coordination,
strategic thinking, team building.

Skills:

WHO Competencies: http:// www.who.int/employment/competencies/en
- Communicating in a credible and effective way
- Producing results
- Ensuring the effective use of resources
- Excellent technical knowledge of health emergency preparedness and health emergency management systems.
- Excellent project management, coordination and communication skills, including ability to convene and work with all relevant national and international stakeholders;
- Writing skills with the ability to analyse, summarize and package complex information for management, technical and general audiences.
- Ability to develop training resource packages from technical guidance and apply adult learning methodologies.
- Emotional intelligence, gender sensitivity and understanding of cultural diversity issues;
- Capacity to work under pressure and with a high degree of independence.
- Computer literacy: word processing, spreadsheet, document layout, publication and presentation software.

Experience:
(essential)
At least 7 years' experience in the development and implementation of multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary health risk reduction,emergency preparedness and response programmes at national and community levels. At least 5 years experience in the development and implementation of health emergency preparedness programmes at the international level. Proven experience in the health emergency response planning, including development of mass casualty management and emergency medical services systems, and hospital emergency preparedness and risk management.
(desirable)
Proven experience in emergencies with focus on country preparedness and capacity building skills.

Languages:
Excellent knowledge of English and French required.
Additional Information:
A written test may form part of the screening process.

Other similar positions at the same level may be filled from this vacancy notice.