Non-Communicable Disease Adviser – Advocacy and Civil Societies Engagement

The Pacific Community (SPC) invites applications for the position of Non-Communicable Disease Adviser – Advocacy and Civil Societies Engagement located at its regional office in Suva, Fiji.

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 26 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 20 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Public Health Division (PHD) supports members in developing healthier Pacific Island communities by providing assistance in public health surveillance, and in the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The primary focus of the division is to provide scientific and technical assistance and to support the implementation of plans and programmes in member countries and territories. The primary goals for all PHD activities is to promote population health and well-being, help communities prevent disease and restore and/or maintain health, and reduce inequalities in health. PHD is primarily concerned with improving and protecting public (population) health, rather than providing individual treatment services. PHD is comprised of three programmes: Surveillance Preparedness and Response; Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Prevention and Control; and Clinical Services.

The role – Non-Communicable Disease Adviser – Advocacy and Civil Societies Engagement will strengthen advocacy and engagement of civil societies and stakeholders to effectively address NCD at regional and national level.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Lead in strengthening advocacy and engagement of civil societies and stakeholders to effectively address NCD at regional and national level
• Lead in providing technical support to civil societies and stakeholders for the implementation of national NCD strategies in collaboration with their respective government ministries.
• Build in-countries’ capacity to implement national NCD and childhood obesity priorities.
• Contribute to multi-sectoral collaboration, information sharing and networking.
• Contribute as an active member of the NCD team with regard to programme planning, reporting, communication and publication.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the job description provided.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as public health, health promotion or health advocacy

Knowledge and experience

• At least 7 years of experience in public health, health promotion or health advocacy addressing NCD as a priority
• Significant experience in health advocacy, civil society engagement, mobilisation of stakeholders, planning and implementation of NCD and childhood obesity strategies
• Experience in the provision of capacity building or on the job training for NCD and their associated risk factors

Essential skills

• Ability to advise, supervise and implement a sector-wide response to public health issues particularly in the areas of NCD
• Highly developed oral and interpersonal communication skills
• Willingness to travel frequently (up to 30% of the time) in the Pacific region and internationally

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment

Salary, terms and conditions

Approximate Start Date – 1 August 2020

Contract Duration – 3 years

Remuneration – The Non-Communicable Disease Adviser – Advocacy and Civil Societies Engagement is a Band 11 position in SPC’s 2020 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 3,015‒3,769 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 8,986–11,233 (USD 4,161–5,202; EUR 3,709–4,636). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax.

Benefits for international employees based in Fiji – SPC provides a housing allowance of FJD 1,353–3,025 per month. Establishment and relocation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, medical and life insurance and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their recognised dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave and 30 days of sick leave per annum, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Equal opportunity – SPC is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment is based entirely on merit; in cases where two short-listed candidates are judged to be of equal rank by the selection committee, preference will be given to Pacific Island nationals.

Child protection – SPC is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. SPC’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Police clearance – Successful candidates will be required to provide a police clearance certificate.

Application procedure

Closing Date – 19 June 2020 – 11:45pm Fiji time

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume
• contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. These documents may be requested at a later stage.

For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. The Pacific Community does not support dual spouse employment.

Please ensure that you respond to all the screening questions.  If you do not respond to the screening questions, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at the shortlisting stage.

Screening Questions:

1. Describe your experience in engaging civil societies to address NCDs. What was your role, and what achievement was obtained as a result of your engagement?
2. Describe your experience developing a multi-sectoral NCD plan and/or involvement in a NCD taskforce to oversee the implementation of NCD strategies. What were the key challenges, and how did you address them?
3. Outline your experience in providing NCD related capacity building initiatives at a regional or country level.