External Emergency Roster- Emergency Officer P4

Purpose of the External Emergency Roster

The purpose of the roster is to provide short-term support during acute events for a period of up to six (6) months which may be extended up to one year depending on operational needs. Placement on the roster entails a general commitment from the external candidate to deploy within 2 to 4 weeks from the time a request for availability is made.

Purpose of the Position

The incumbent provides technical and operational expertise in support of the Incident Management System (IMS), either at HQ, regional or country level, playing a key role in all related aspects of country support activities.

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Strategic Objective

The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, 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.

Organizational context

Based on priorities set by the Incident Manager at HQ, Regional or Country Office, the incumbent works in an independent manner in accordance to WHO Rules and Regulations, and WHE specific procedures, using mature judgment and previous experience. Duties require extensive contacts Organization-wide to advise and brief on public health issues in emergencies, risk and needs assessments, strategies and actions plans. Successful results involve extensive contacts with the broad range of officials from the UN Global Cluster, external partners to advise on and brief on public health issues in emergencies;
This WHE position may be relocated to another duty station based upon the technical needs of the Programme.

Summary of Assigned Duties

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to the needs and agenda:

• Coordinate technical and operational support provided by the IMST and other sources, in support of the response. For designated emergencies, this work is carried out in line with technical standards (e.g. Sphere), best practices, protocols and guidelines (e.g. Inter- Agency Standing Committee - IASC).
• Facilitate and stimulate WHO and partners` contributions in support of response operations with particular attention to partnership, planning, human resources, logistics, resource mobilization, monitoring and information-sharing.
• Promote the overall strategic, operational and technical coherence and consistency of WHO emergency operations, including through strengthened support to the design of programmes, strategic response plans, and development of Humanitarian Response Plans.
• Support and contribute to capacity-building, training activities and exercises to strengthen operational capacities of WHO and partners;
• maintain and update policies, technical standards, guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring the adherence to interagency policies and internal emergency response framework.
• Monitor progress and effectiveness of WHO operations at global level in close collaboration with the Department of Strategic Planning and Partnerships (SPP);
• Advise senior management of related priorities and issues; and capture lessons learned and promote their integration into broader WHO policy and practice.
• Provide regular updates to senior management of key developments, challenges and operational implications for all Grade 3 and Grade 2 emergencies for which the staff member is the focal point; alert senior management of relevant operational and security issues at country level in a timely manner; contribute to the development of briefings for senior staff and to the development of communications products.
• Represent WHO to external stakeholders, including donors and partners, with respect to specific country operations.;
• Deploy to emergencies, as requested. As assigned, advise senior management on the development and review of information products and briefings, such as talking points for press briefings, donor-related briefs and reports and other communication materials, to enhance WHO and WHE visibility at time of emergencies.
• Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others as required.

Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Moving forward in a changing environment
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Functional Knowledge and Skills

• Proven expertise in emergency response management and strategies in acute and protracted emergencies, including early recovery/transition, combined with knowledge of UN, WHO and humanitarian emergency systems and processes.
• Excellent communication skills to negotiate/enlist cooperation from a broad range of actors from multi-disciplinary backgrounds.
• Strong organizational skills complemented with ability to work in a proactive and independent manner, multi-task and produce results under pressure.
• Diplomacy, tact and discretion.

Education Qualifications

Essential
Advanced degree in medicine, public health or health related discipline.

Desirable
Specialization or specific training on health emergency and/or management.

Experience

Essential

Seven years' experience in implementing and managing public health emergency response, including three years' field experience (health response to crises, health response support, health response program management, public health needs assessments, risk analysis, early recovery program monitoring, quality control).

Desirable

Experience with WHO, UN or UN agency or a health cluster member organization including the development of global strategies, guidelines and tools for emergency actions.

Use of Language Skills

Essential

Excellent knowledge of English or French (depending on the country of assignment).

Desirable
Intermediate level Spanish/Arabic (Read, Write, Speak)

Other Skills

Computer literacy

Additional Information:

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.
The purpose of this vacancy is to develop a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in this advertised roster. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection to a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.