Health Emergency Specialist

Job Title: Health Emergency Specialist

Organization: UNICEF

Job no: 566149
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Port-au-Prince
Level: P-3
Location: Haiti
Categories: Health, Emergency, Health and Nutrition

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Health and Results

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance of the Chief of Health, the Health Specialist's role is intended to support and coordinate additional emergency response programs of health, ensuring the immediate and effective design of interventions, establishing, and monitoring evolving needs for UNICEF inputs for corrective action.

For better efficiency and good coordination and collaboration with government staff and other partners in the field, the health emergency will be based in the UNICEF Office in Port au Prince, he could be called upon to join the UNICEF health team based in two sub offices and support the UNGUS (Unité Nationale de Coordination des Urgences Sanitaires) of Ministry of Health.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

The key services and tasks to be provided/undertaken during this temporary appointment is as follow:

• Lead UNICEF’s emergency health analysis to define overall needs, map partner efforts and critically, identify gaps to guide UNICEF response efforts and fulfilment of the Core Commitment for Children (CCC).
• Support and monitor surveillance and disease prevention and control efforts for other epidemic-prone diseases (Measles, Cholera, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, and others) within the population in collaboration with other partners. Share information for internal communication and external coordination as needed.
• In coordination with partners and other sectors, oversight and periodically update the UNICEF vaccination response plan, including main response activities as well as contingency plans for additional hazards including disease outbreaks. In doing so, ensure effective cross-sectoral response planning.
• In line with the above, provide technical guidance to office efforts in public health emergencies to identify, (contingency) plan, and respond to specific public health, and disease threats by providing office briefings, technical clarification, and messages on the nature of the event. 
• As required, provide technical support to UNICEF and partners to develop, adapt and share relevant standards, protocols, guidelines, and training materials for effective health response and the improvement the regular UNICEF’s health response
• Support training and coaching of the new health officer in PAP and in the field offices.
• Strengthen national coordination for health emergency response and health activities.
• Plan and participate in field monitoring missions, systematically track, and resolve action points for improved health, and cross-sectoral program response.
• Oversee emergency health supply including pre-positioning of stocks in coordination with UNICEF Supply/Logistics and partners staff to provide essential kits, drugs, and commodities. Ensure a responsive and accountable release strategy.
• Provide timely inputs to UNICEF information products related to the response including situation reports.
• Contribute to the development of funding appeals, donor reports, and project proposals related to the health program.
• Conduct need-based visits to affected departments on a rotational basis to provide support to field offices on health emergency preparedness and response.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Public Health, Epidemiology and/or related field.
• Bachelor's degree in health discipline (Medical Doctor, Nursing, or other relevant health discipline) is an asset.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in public health, with field experience in responding to health emergencies. This includes coordination and partnerships, risk assessments, planning, programming, implementation monitoring, and evaluation of health programs.
• Experience in providing context-appropriate technical support both in person and remotely is a requirement.
• Strong experience in disease control with expertise mainly in vaccine-preventable diseases; epidemiology & surveillance.
• Experience in coordination and ability to work in a complex environment are considered assets.
• Demonstrated ability to work in difficult and complex environments and effective management of diverse stakeholders is considered an asset.
• Experience with UNICEF and other UN agencies, and/or INGOs in emergency settings essential.
• Work experience in a district/field health system is a strong advantage.
• Fluency in French and English (verbal and written) is required. 
• Knowledge of another UN language or local language an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

Advertised: 25 Sep 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Deadline: 03 Oct 2023 Eastern Daylight Time

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