Jobs at World Health Organization (WHO)

Objectives of the Programme

• The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.

Description of Duties

• Under the supervision and guidance of the WR, the incumbent will be required to perform all or part of the following duties: Lead WHO's emergency response program at national or subnational level; 
• Advise the Ministry of Health (MoH) on the establishment/strengthening of an Emergency Management System/Emergency Operation Centre (IMS/EOC) for multi-sectoral emergency response that includes staffing, defined roles/responsibilities and resources for key functional areas. 
• Support the regular testing of the emergency response system through functional exercises at the national and local levels. 
• Coordinate the development, distribution and use of Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for IMS functions and field activities to manage priority risks (including enhanced surveillance, investigation and rapid response, contact tracing, sampling, infection prevention and control, outbreak vaccination, etc.). 
• Oversee the management and distribution of national medical stockpiles through stockpile management systems. 
• Strengthening and testing Emergency Management Systems: Coordinate all aspects of the emergency programme, at the country level, to ensure the concerted approach of WHO in the areas of emergency information management, Country preparedness and International Health Regulations (2005), risk assessments and Infectious hazard management. 
• Support national and local health authorities, partner with UN agencies, international, governmental and nongovernmental organizations/institutions, to: 
  • Strengthen the national capability to prepare and respond to health emergencies from all hazards, ensure the required national procedures, skills, coordination mechanisms and health systems are strengthened to manage identified risks. 
  • Assess and map existing and emerging health risks in the country and prepare a national risk profile based on a risk assessment. 
  • Assess health needs of affected populations in cooperation with technical units at RO and HQ level
  • Assess capacities for emergency management, including preparedness, and develop a national Health Emergency Response Plan.
  • Review the National Health Plan /National Health Emergency Response Plan as needed, take additional action, including the development of contingency plans for specific high priority risks.
  • Mobilize and coordinate resources, oversee the operational and strategic planning of the health response plans, identify resource needs and funding gaps; encourage donors to fund the overall health sector response to affected populations. 
• Represent WHO to external stakeholders, including donors and partners, with respect to the country operations. 
• Coordinate with other agencies and I/NGOs through the Health Cluster approach and directly as operational implementing partner. 
• Operations and Finance Lead the planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of strategies, operational and HR plans for the WHO's overall emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities. 
• Manage sensitive issues arising from the emergency. 
• Oversee the development a detailed task-based work plan and budget for implementation of priority activities identified in the National Health Emergency Response Plan. 
• Ensure the country has accessible contingency funds for immediate response to emergencies, including, outbreaks at national and other appropriate sites. 
• Determine staffing needs, ensure the mobilization of the required human resources. 
• Provide leadership, motivation, guidance, and performance management of staff and experts. 
• Take concrete measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all WHO responders. Monitoring and reporting: In cooperation with other levels of response authorize the release of related information, communications, advocacy products and statements to internal and external partners as well as to the public. 
• Monitor and provide guidance and briefings to senior and elected officials as required, on the progress and implementation of preparedness and operational readiness activities in alignment with the national action plan and throughout the full cycle of the emergency, including financial and implementation tracking, and output/impact monitoring. Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications
Education:

• Essential: Advanced University Degree in a Health-related field, Management, Emergency, Humanitarian, Disaster Management or related field from an accredited/recognized institute.
• Desirable: Specialized training in emergency and outbreak management; specific training in humanitarian response. Medical degree.
• Experience
• Essential: At least 10 years of related experience, at the national and international levels, in multi-sectoral coordination, strengthening country capacities and responding to emergencies and disasters, including infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters or complex emergencies. Experience in coordinating operational activities in preparedness and response with a range of actors.
• Desirable: Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies; experience working in relevant non-governmental or humanitarian organizations.

Skills:

• Demonstrated knowledge of the rapid response operations and their implementation in emergencies as related to public health, complemented by demonstrated ability to identify and manage difficult situations, to lead and direct multidisciplinary and multinational staff. 
• Excellent skills in the assessment, monitoring, analysis and evaluation of emergency situations, with the ability to conceptualize and implement innovative strategies and advocate their implementation.
• Authoritative and comprehensive knowledge of the theory, principles, methods and techniques in international emergency incident management system. 
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to quickly comprehend strategic and tactical objectives and to formulate comprehensive plans to address challenges/risks. 
• Strong operational competencies in managing and coordinating humanitarian program cycle, including efficient human and financial resource management.

WHO Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Promoting innovation and organizational learning
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills:

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Remuneration
WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 90,664 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 3831 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

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Objectives of the Programme

• The objective of the programme is to strengthen the deconcentration of the WHO country office in Nigeria at the field level (States and Zones). This deconcentration allows WHO to strengthen its effectiveness through the coordination of partners, the capacity of provincial health systems to cope with preparedness, mitigation and response to public health emergencies.
• In addition, this deconcentration will enable the WHO country office to contribute to the strengthening of the health system at both the zonal and state level in general.

Description of Duties

• Provide technical support to the team leaders of the Zones and States t or other health-focused public health entities in Nigeria for the formulation of health policies and programmes aimed at strengthening health Systems. 
• Undertake research on improving the prevention and management of health problems in the assigned field of work and disseminate the research results.
• Draft, review and further develop public health guidelines and national strategies and make recommendations on a plan of action to improve existing health systems for the prevention and treatment of diseases covered by the assigned area of work.
• Analyse and evaluate best practices from various databases on public health and health-related issues and develop recommendations for the development of a plan of action to improve existing health systems for the prevention and treatment of diseases covered by the assigned area of work.
• Information related to the outbreak of the disease; identify sources of disease and make recommendations on the appropriate response to identified risks and the implementation of preventive measures and prepare reports.
• Serve as a technical resource at the partner level on communicable diseases in the region and respond to requests and provide detailed and technical information on related principles, practices, issues, measures, techniques and procedures.
• Participate as a resource person in training and orientation programmes in related areas for capacity building.Build a competent team by obtaining the best resources, providing learning opportunities, ensuring continuous monitoring. 
• Establish clear performance expectations, delegate effectively, monitor and measure progress against objectives;Orient, coach, motivate and manage all sub-office staff under his/her responsibility by explaining the vision and objectives of the team, ensuring coordination, monitoring and approval of work plans and mission requests, resolving problems while promoting effective teamwork and results, within the framework of WHO Staff Regulations and Rules and AFRO accepted procedures. 
• Managing the corresponding budgets within the framework of the WHO Staff Rules and Regulations, Financial Regulations and procedures accepted by AFRO.Perform all other related duties as assigned by the direct supervisors and the WHO Deputy Representative.

Required Qualifications
Education:

• Essential: An advanced University Degree (Master's level or above) in Medicine, Public Health, Management, Social Sciences or related field.
• Desirable: PhD in Public Health Management, Social Science or related field, specialize dtraining in epidemiology, health management, or public administration.

Experience:
Essential: 

• A minimum of 10 years' professional experience managing and developing technical public health programmes of which 5 years atthe international level in multilateral, bilateral or other institutions. 
• Demonstrated experience managing diverse teams and financial resources at international level.

Desirable: 

• Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies, health cluster partners,recognized humanitarian organizations or relevant nongovernmental or humanitarian organizations. Experience in capacity building programme planning/development, project management, monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience with resource mobilization in emergency settings.

Skills:

• Good knowledge of the country's situation with regard to the diseases covered by the work programme with a good understanding of the needs, priorities and policies of the countries concerned, WHO policies, practices, guidelines and procedures in related areas, and possibility to apply them in country offices. 
• Ability to identify problems, formulate opinions, draw conclusions and make recommendations. 
• Ability to revise and write guidelines and objectives for the assigned programme. Interpersonal skills: tact, patience and courtesy. Good knowledge of health and safety rules. 
• Technical aspects of the field of specialization. Public speaking techniques and good writing and communication skills. 
• Commitment to achieving the goal of gender equality by ensuring equal opportunities. 
• Team spirit and leadership/team management and time management skills. Analytical skills and demonstrated knowledge/experience in health system analysis. 
• Desirable: knowledge of coordination, evaluation andassessment of health services programmes/projects.

WHO Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills:

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Remuneration
WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 90,664 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 3831 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.