Team Leader

Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
Location: Yangon (Myanmar)
Grade: P-5, International Professional - Internationally recruited position - Senior level
Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Emergency Aid and Response
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2021-12-30

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objective of the WHO Country Office (WCO) for Myanmar is to implement the country cooperation strategy for Myanmar in cooperation the government, the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national health policies, strategies and plans and developing and managing WHO's technical cooperation programmes at the country level. The WCO collaborates with the Government of Myanmar and relevant stakeholders in support of their efforts of achieving national health goals; of ensuring the attainment of universal health coverage and of contributing to global and regional public health action by providing need-based technical assistance in national level policy formulation, setting norms & standards, improving knowledge dissemination & management, monitoring country health situation and building sustainable institutional capacity, to play a greater leadership role in different national level policy/technical fora.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Emergency Director, WHO/SEARO, and under the direct supervision of the WHO Representative to Myanmar, and in close coordination with other members of the incident management (IMS) WHE team and WHO/SEARO, and in collaboration with other teams within WCO Myanmar and key external stakeholders, the Team Leader-WHE will perform the following duties:

Strengthening and Facilitating Emergency Risk Management & Health Security Systems:

1. Coordinate all aspects of the WHE programme, at the country level, to ensure the concerted approach of WHO in the areas of Emergency Risk Management, Country Preparedness and International Health Regulations, Risk & Situation Assessments and Infectious Hazards Management.

2. Support national health authorities, partner with UN agencies, international, governmental and non-governmental organizations/institutions, academic/research institutions and professional associations 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 appropriate risk assessments in line with the national risk assessment strategy.

Identify, enumerate and map populations vulnerable to/affected by prioritized risks and assess their coping capacities and health needs in cooperation with technical units at RO and HQ level and relevant technical partners.

In collaboration with technical units at RO and HQ level and relevant technical partners, assess the capacity and competency development system; human and technical resources; coordination and collaboration mechanisms available to manage prioritized risks through appropriate capacity needs assessments and develop national strategies and training programmes for capacity enhancement such as for: Field Epidemiology; Public Health Emergency Management including at Points of Entry; Hospital Emergency Preparedness and Response; Emergency Medical Teams (EMT); Pre and Post- Hospital Emergency Care Systems and Professionals; Epidemic Rapid Response Teams (ERRT) and Outbreak Management; Emergency Health Information Management; Post-Disaster Surveillance; Risk, Situation and Post-Disaster Needs Assessment; Risk, Crisis and Media Communications; Simulations and After Action Reviews; Process, Outcome and Impact Assessments/Evaluation and Knowledge Management, etc.

Conduct an updated national risk and capacity assessment and revise the National Action Plan on Health Security (NAPHS) based on the updated findings, the consolidated findings of the State Party Annual Reporting (SPAR) on International Health Regulation (IHR),and there commendations of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of IHR Take additional action, including the development of preparedness and response/contingency plans for specific high priority risks such as seasonal, zoonotic and pandemic influenza; cholera and other water/food borne diseases; dengue, zika and other vector borne diseases; Nipah and other zoonotic diseases.

Assess capacities for emergency management, including preparedness, and the development/revision of a national multi-hazards health emergency preparedness and response plan and take additional action, including the development of preparedness and response /contingency plans for specific high priority hazards such as earthquakes; floods, landslides and droughts; and mass casualty incidents due to road traffic accidents, etc.

Mobilize and coordinate resources, oversee the operational and strategic planning of the health preparedness and response plans, identify resource needs and funding gaps; encourage donors to fund the overall health sector risk reduction / preparedness and response to vulnerable/ affected populations.

3. 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.

Strengthening and Facilitating Emergency Response Systems:

4. Lead WHO's emergency response programme at national or subnational levels including through coordination with relevant RO and HQ colleagues for capacity building of all WCO staff to perform their assigned roles asper the WCO Business Continuity and Contingency Plans in line with the WHO Emergency Response Framework.

5. Advise and support the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the establishment/strengthening of Incident Management System/Health Emergency Operations Centre (IMS/HEOC) at national and sub-national levels for information management and coordination of 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 sub-national levels.

6. Advise and support the MoH for the establishment/strengthening of Safe Hospital Initiative in prioritized hospitals which are safe, resilient and ready to undertake surge health response for multi-hazard emergencies/disasters in a coordinated manner with adequately stocked and managed Emergency Medical Logistics Warehouses, trained staff with defined roles/responsibilities and resources for all functional areas of the hospital IMS as per the Hospital Emergency/Disaster Preparedness and Response Plans. Support the regular testing of the hospital emergency response system through functional exercises at the national and sub-national levels.

7. Advise and support the MoH and other key ministries and partners for the establishment/strengthening of emergency health care systems to ensure the provision of a range of critical emergency health care services from the community/pre-hospital level to the post-hospital and rehabilitation levels integrated and harmonized with hospital-based emergency health care services.

8. Coordinate the development, dissemination, training on and use of Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for all health sector and hospital IMS functions and public health interventions to manage priority risks (including enhanced surveillance, investigation and rapid response, contact tracing, sampling, infection prevention and control, outbreak vaccination, risk communication, etc.) at the level of the MoH/Health Cluster to effectively implement the Business Continuity and Contingency Plans.

9. Develop capacity to effectively monitor and evaluate processes, outputs, outcomes and impact of response and recovery interventions; conduct after action reviews, analyze, synthesize and share learning, challenges and smart practices from policy, strategic and field interventions using systematic knowledge management frameworks.

Antimicrobial Resistance Containment:

10. Lead and coordinate the WHO support for the effective revision, planning and implementation of the National Action Plan for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance and prioritize WHO actions aimed at piloting and demonstrating one-health focused AMR Surveillance; Anti-Microbial Use; Anti-Microbial Stewardship; Infection Prevention & Control; Operations Research; Training & Capacity Building; Evidence-based Policy Advocacy, Communications and Community Engagement.

Operations and Finance:

11. 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 in line with the WCO Business Continuity Plan and the National Action Plan for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance.

12. Oversee the management, distribution and pre-positioning of WHO emergency medical logistics stockpiles through appropriate emergency logistics management systems integrated and harmonized with routine logistics management systems.

13. Oversee the development of a detailed task-based work plan and budget for implementation of priority activities identified in the national multi-hazards health emergency preparedness and response plan and the National Action Plan for Health Security. Ensure the country and the WCO have accessible contingency funds for immediate response to emergencies, including, outbreaks at national and other appropriate sites.

14. 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:

15. In cooperation with other levels of response, authorize the release of related information, communications, advocacy products and statements to internal and external partners including donors as well as to the public.

16. Monitor and provide guidance and briefings to senior officials of the MoH, WHO and partners as required, on the progress and implementation of preparedness and operational readiness activities and funded projects in alignment with the national action plans and throughout the emergency management and programme management cycle, including financial and implementation tracking, and output/impact monitoring.

Other Duties:

17. Perform any additional duties and discharge any additional responsibilities assigned by the WHO Representative or the Regional Emergency Director WHO/SEARO in consultation with the WHO Representative as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

University degree in Medicine and an advanced university degree (master level) in Epidemiology/Public Health/Health Management from an accredited/recognized academic institution.

Desirable:

Training/proven competencies in disaster/emergency and outbreak management.

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 partnering with and coordinating health policy and strategic interventions; and operational interventions in emergency preparedness, response and recovery with a range of actors especially in a developing country setting.

Desirable:

At least 5 years of relevant work experience with WHO and/or UN agencies, working with health cluster partners; and experience of working with relevant nongovernmental or humanitarian organizations or health academia/health research.

Skills

In-depth knowledge of emergency relief policies and practices within the UN, other UN Specialized Agencies, donor agencies, national and international NGOs.

WHO Competencies

1. Teamwork

2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

3. Communication

4. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

5. Ensuring the effective use of resources

6. Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language

Skills

Essential:

Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Beginners knowledge of Myanmar.

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 89,837 (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 2995 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.

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 may be used as a form of screening.

In the event that 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.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

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