Purpose of the Post:

The Technical Officer (Country Preparedness and International Health Regulations) provides guidance and technical support to Member States in facilitating the implementation of the IHR (2005). The post is established to carry out a variety of technical and programme management support activities on strengthening and assessing health security capacities in MSs that support prevention, preparedness`, readiness, response and resilience to public health emergencies. The post is further established to provide technical assistance to Member States and implementing partners, and to coordinate regional and international public health actions related to the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (MEF) internally and externally.

The incumbent will be deployed to emergency operations when required.

Organization Context:

The Technical Officer (Country Preparedness and IHR) reports to the immediate supervisor the Programme Area Manager (PAM), CPI, under the guidance of the second-level supervisor, the Regional Emergency Director, WHE/Director, Health Security and Emergencies (RED/DSE).
The incumbent contributes to strengthening national health security systems and develops and implements collaborative intersectoral activities in close collaboration with WHO regional and country offices in support of the implementation of the IHR (2005) through APHSAF.
The Division supports Member States to assess, develop and build sustainable preparedness and response capacities that support implementation of the Region’s For the Future vision of becoming “the healthiest and safest region in the world”. This is primarily through the health security thematic priority area, but also including the other thematic priority areas where appropriate. In order to progress this agenda, the incumbent will be expected to drive public health impact in the Region through the requisite operational shifts and enabling factors.
The incumbent may interpret or adapt established technical guidelines as appropriate and develop innovative approaches to meet particular requirements or changing circumstances, for application at the global, regional and country level to achieve the CPI’s objectives. Assignments require ongoing contact with staff at all levels in CPI, WHE, and throughout WHO as appropriate, to provide expert advice and exchange information. The successful implementation of the IHR (2005) also requires extensive contact with partners and regional offices counterparts to ensure global and regional coherence in strategic and operational plans and activities and ensure that Member States acquire and maintain adequate core capacities for surveillance to detect public health events that may become public health emergencies of international concern.
The incumbent will be expected to interpret and adapt relevant international and regional guidelines, frameworks and strategies, aside from the WHO Staff Rules and Staff eManual, and WPR Policy and Procedure Handbook. Due diplomacy towards and appropriate consultation with governing bodies and agencies must be considered.
The incumbent is expected to actively participate in and welcome opportunities to support multidisciplinary, cross-cutting approaches to work and is required to facilitate participation in such approaches. Work is regularly reviewed in discussion with the supervisor, in briefings and debriefings.
The present position under WHE may be relocated to another duty station, including at WHO headquarters, regional or country level, based upon the technical needs of WHE.

Summary of Assigned Duties:
Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:
1. Provide overall support to strengthen IHR 2005 core capacities in Member States of the Western Pacific Region using APHSAF to guide implementation;
2. Provide guidance and support to Member States in the implementation and reporting of IHR monitoring and evaluation framework (MEF) tools, including States Parties Annual Report (SPAR), Joint External Evaluations (JEEs), intra/after action reviews and simulation exercises;
3. Provide technical support for the development and implementation of a regional process to ensure national JEE implementation including JEE preparation, organization, write-up, publication and dissemination of final JEE reports;
4. Work with others to support, as necessary, timely annual submission and analysis of SPAR of countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region;
5. Initiate contact and coordinate with National IHR Focal Points, WHO Offices, HQ counterparts and experts involved in the organization of national and regional trainings and workshops related to the IHR
(2005) and voluntary IHR MEF capacity assessment tools;
6. Analyse and consolidate findings from IHR MEF activities into comprehensive overviews of country priority needs and challenges;
7. Provide technical support for the development and revisions of national action plans for health security (NAPHS), or their equivalent, advocate for financial resources as well as testing and maintenance of these plans;
8. Provide support for strengthening WHO preparedness, readiness and response capacities by providing IHR- related training and workshops for regional and country office staff involved in emergency preparedness, readiness and response, including IHR duty officers;
9. Keep abreast of WHA resolutions, particularly those related to the IHR (2005), and new advances in emergency preparedness;
10. Provide technical assistance and advice in preparing for and responding to outbreaks of emerging diseases and other public health threats;
11. Participate in the incident management structure (IMS) during any disease outbreaks, pandemic or other public health emergency.
12. Serve as WHO IHR contact point, including acting as IHR Duty Officer as part of an on-call roster, where required;
13. Upon request, provide technical support, backstopping and gap-filling for emergency activities at any level of the Organization or scale of emergency; and
14. Perform other related duties, as requested by the supervisor, including provision of support to other areas of work and teams or programme areas within the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, as required.

Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.
• Communication
• Producing results
• Building and promoting partnership across the Organization and beyond

Functional Skills and Knowledge

– Proven ability to independently organise and implement IHR MEF workshops in coordination with WHO Country Offices;
– Demonstrated knowledge of the international health regulations (2005), and NAPHS;
– Strong analytical, research and writing abilities;
– Sound organizational and planning skills and ability to multi-task and produce results under pressure.
– Capacity to conceptualize, organize and critically analyze situations and solve problems;
– Ability to plan, organize, coordinate and implement activities based on the inputs from several sources with a focus on quality and attention to detail;
– Ability to work in a team, to manage projects for specific target audiences from start to end with a confirmed capacity to deliver concrete products based on tight timelines;
– Ability to adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds and maintain high standards of personal conduct;
– Ability to engage effectively with external partners including Ministries of Health, donor partners, civil society, and other stakeholders;
– Excellent written and oral communication skills to diverse audiences within and outside the health sector, including to high level stakeholders

Education {Qualifications):

Essential: Advanced level university degree (Master’s level or above) in medicine, epidemiology, public health, public policy, or a health-related field.

Desirable: Specialized training in public health, monitoring and evaluation, or project management.

Experience:

Essential: At least seven years of relevant progressive experience in public health, with at least three years working on IHR and and IHR MEF implementation at country level. Experience in outbreak and emergency management, particularly related to emerging diseases in developing countries.

Desirable: Experience in delivering HR-related capacity-building activities. Relevant work experience in WHO or UN agencies.

Language:

Written and spoken fluency in English is essential. Working knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

Other Skills (e.g. IT):

Proficient in standard MS Office software applications with knowledge in information technology tools for information-sharing. Presentation skills.

Additional information:

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
In the event your candidature is retained for an 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.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and E-Manual.
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The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
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