NPO- Country Emergency Readiness Officer at World Health Organization

The objectives of WHO's Emergency Preparedness and Response is to support member states develop and sustain the capacity and a robust system to detect, analyze, report and promptly respond to disease outbreaks and other events of potential public health impact. It also aims at building capacity of member states to identify major hazards and take necessary measure to mitigate and reduce possible impacts during emergencies. The incumbent will be assigned the following duties;

• Provides technical expertise and guidance in the field of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) including provision of expertise and authoritative advice for the collection, validation, analysis and dissemination of data, the design and implementation of Early Warning and Response System, and the coordination of related activities.
• Establishes and maintain close collaboration with a broad range of staff from MOH, health facilities, county health offices and partners to promote and facilitate effective cooperation for the implementation of related policies and procedures,
• Provides elaborate strategies and guidelines to ensure the quality and usefulness of EPR interventions including the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response(IDSR), monitoring and rapid assessments when required during emergencies;
• Provides support in capacity building in the country to meet the core IHR competencies. Monitor progress, identify critical gaps and support the review and re-planning for meeting the required core competencies.
• Ensure that humanitarian health needs are identified by planning and coordinating joint, inter-cluster, initial rapid assessments adapting to the local context the IRA tool, as well as follow-on more in-depth health sub-sector assessments, as needed.
• Mobilize Health Cluster Partners to contribute to establishing and maintaining an appropriate Early Warning and Response System, and regularly report on health services delivered to the affected population and the situation in the areas where they work.
• Ensures a close contact and collaboration with MOH and state health offices to ensure timely communication of events of potential health risks including disease outbreaks. Monitor trends and report potential emergencies to ensure timely and coordinated response.
• Monitor internal WHO capacity to implement the WHO Emergency Response Framework (ERF) in collaboration with the other units within WHO. Participate in the development of strategies and implementation of interventions to build the WCO capacity to implement ERF.
• Support the MOH in collaboration with the regional office and HQ to strengthen cross border collaboration, capacity building and information exchange.
• Support the health cluster to Identify and make contact with health sector stakeholders and existing health coordination mechanism, including national health authorities, national and international organizations and civil society.
• Secure information from a broad range of health sectors, analysing and recommending actions and guidelines for the elaboration of medium- and long-term plans of work and strategies, including consolidating health data in trends and trends assessment, with particular attention to surveillance, monitoring and early warning;
• Lead and promote the effective coordination of surveillance and assessment activities with Regional Offices and HQ as well as local, regional and national health entities and other international health partners including UN agencies and NGOs;
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the WR.

Required Qualifications
Education

• Essential: Degree in medicine, health related discipline and/or postgraduate degree in Public Health epidemiology, mathematics, or statistics, with specialization in public health and studies in computer sciences.
• Desirable: Additional training on disaster management and essential statistical packages and information management system

Experience

• Essential: Five years of professional experience with an emphasis on disease surveillance and emergency preparedness and response. Demonstrable experience of working in Kenya in the last three years. Sound knowledge of the operations of Health Cluster principles and mechanisms
• Desirable: Good knowledge of WHO health surveillance system and programme management an end-to-end business processes as designed in the Global Management system; experience in project management, ideally in the UN system and/or a public health context; Good knowledge of GSM system or similar ERP systems; experience with staff training in surveillance and health management information systems

Skills

• preparedness and response, complemented by skills in the field of epidemiological or statistical data collection, assessment, analysis and the evaluation and monitoring in a public health context.
• Familiarity with polio eradication, measles mortality reduction, neonatal tetanus elimination activities and strategies as well as key routine and supplemental immunization activities.
• Ability to conceptualize and promote innovative strategies and policies.
• Ability to communicate and write in a clear and concise manner, and to develop effective guidelines.
• Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills complemented by ability to motivate and lead others, and to promote consensus.
• Ability for research and innovations to address critical gaps

WHO Competencies

• Producing Results
• Fostering integration and teamwork
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment
• Building and promoting partnerships across organization and beyond.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural difference.

Use of Language Skills
Essential: Expert knowledge of English