WHO Job Vacancy: Regional Emergency Director - Cairo, Egypt

Vacancy Notice No: EMRO/16/FT555

Grade: D1

Contract type: Fixed-term Appointment

Duration of contract: For two years (renewable, after satisfactory performance, continuing need for the post and subject to availability of funds)

Department of Health Emergencies (WHE)

Purpose of the Position
The purpose of the position is to direct WHO's Health Emergency Programme in all areas of its work at the regional level. The Regional Emergency Director (RED) will be responsible for ensuring strong WHO management, coordination and leadership of the health response during outbreaks and health emergencies, including acute humanitarian crises, disasters and protracted emergencies. The Regional Emergency Director will also be responsible for ensuring that an effective agenda of Member States preparedness and WHO readiness is implemented across the Region.

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Category
The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations

The Programme brings together and enhances WHO's operational, technical and normative capacities in outbreaks, emergencies and risk analysis to address all health hazards across the risk management cycle in a predictable, capable, dependable, adaptable and accountable manner. The Programme is designed to operate within the broader humanitarian and emergency management architecture in support of people at risk of, or affected by, outbreaks and emergencies, consistent with ways that strengthen local and national capabilities.

Description of duties: The Regional Emergency Director will:

• Report to his/her respective Regional Director on the oversight and day-to-day management of organizational readiness, Member State preparedness, protracted emergencies (with exceptions as below), grade 1 emergency response activities in their Regions, and grade 2 events when oversight of event management is delegated by the Director General to the Regional Director.
• Report to the Executive Director (ExD) of the Programme on issues of policy, strategy, and operational planning related to all Programme activities, management of protracted emergencies where oversight is delegated by DG to ExD and grade 2 response activities when oversight of event management is delegated by the Director General to the ExD.
• Guidelines and key documents available include the WHO General Programme of Work, the Programme Budget of the organization, World Health Assembly resolutions, Regional Committee resolutions, WHO's Programme Budget, WHO Financial Rules & Regulations, Accounting Instructions, WHO Manual, Information Circulars, the WHO Emergency Response Framework (ERF), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for WHO' work in emergencies, established financial procedures, practices and standards and guidelines and decisions of the IASC principles.
• The incumbent is expected to exercise full judgement in adapting or modifying relevant WHO guidelines and to lead the development of new guidelines to meet particular requirements or changing circumstances.
• Assignments will be generated by the incumbent, with guidance on policy aspects and strategic direction provided by the ExD. The incumbent will be expected to provide strong leadership and to collaborate with HQ, Regional and Country Office counterparts in the development and application of global, regional and country level policies and positions. The incumbent must have the capacity to work independently and will have scope to exercise considerable individual professional judgment.
• The incumbent will have direct contact with WHO ADGs, Deputy/Assistant Regional Directors, DPMs, WHO Representatives, Regional Advisers, HQ and RO Directors and senior-level technical staff to coordinate and manage relevant activities; Health Cluster partners and other Cluster leads and Coordinators, senior staff of donor agencies; other policy staff and technical staff in partner agencies (both within and outside the UN system), and senior staff of Ministries of Health and related Ministries involved in emergency risk management and response.

Summary of Assigned Duties:

• Member States preparedness:
  
• Provides technical leadership to Member States in the region to ensure they receive appropriate and timely technical cooperation to strengthen their capacity to reduce the risk of, prepare for and respond to large scale outbreaks and emergencies with health impact.
• Oversees monitoring & evaluation of countries capacity to deal with large outbreaks and emergencies, including, and particularly the achievement of, IHR core capacities
• Supervises implementation of baseline all-hazards risk assessments and independent assessment of critical preparedness capacities.
• Provides authoritative guidance on the development and costing of national health emergencies plans.
• WHO readiness: provides WR and WHO Country Offices with authoritative guidance on technical oversight & standards on organizational readiness activities, with a focus on high vulnerability countries (e.g. for annual simulations) in his/her region; is responsible for readiness of the Regional Office. Guides WHO Country Offices in high vulnerability countries to build their core response capacities through critical readiness activities.
• Management of protracted emergencies: advances the application of technical standards and the implementation of the standard minimum package of life-saving and survival interventions, supports the Health Cluster Coordinator in emergency planning, standards, risk assessment and integration.
• Overall oversight of outbreaks and graded acute emergencies which will be managed through the Incident Management System; has direct supervision of Incident Manager at country and regional level:
• Ensures application of established technical guidance & standards and supports the Regional Director in government relations to ensure the effectiveness of the Incident Management System.
• Coordinates with the DPM and DAF on the management of regional surge capacity within and beyond the Emergencies Programme.
  In case of a multi-region emergency, represents his/her region or designates a team member to do so in coordination meetings with HQ and other Regions.
• Fosters strong regional emergency-related partnerships: builds and coordinates regional partner networks and coordinates regional response partners during graded & protracted events.
• Drives and guides resource mobilization activities within the Region, working closely with the RD's, ExD's and HWO's resource mobilization teams.
• Oversees and ensures rapid and clear information flows with other Regions and HQ.
• Fosters close-collaborative work with other technical departments, particularly in coordinating an overall strategic and operational approach in protracted emergencies.
• Supervises joint work plan development, financial and HR planning processes and oversees regional and country work plans, and financial and HR management within his/her authorities.
• Performs any other relevant duties deriving from the above mentioned responsibilities.

Required Qualifications:

Education
WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an accredited institution

Essential
An advanced university degree (Masters level or above) in Medicine, Public Health or a related field.

Desirable
Specialized training or degree in epidemiology. Specialized training or degree in emergency/humanitarian response. Training in leadership or management.

Skills: Competencies:

1. Promoting WHO's position in health leadership
2. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
3. Producing results
4. Ensuring the effective use of resources
5. Moving forward in a changing environment

For further information on the WHO Global Competency Model please access the following URL: CLICK HERE

Functional Knowledge and Skills:
General:

• Demonstrated exceptional leadership and team management skills in international and multi-cultural settings, including the proven capacity to lead and deliver on deadlines during periods of intense stress and activity; demonstrated ability to provide independent leadership in such periods with capacity to organize, monitor and synthesize information quickly and concisely. 
• Proven ability to successfully coordinate, manage and lead projects, and build partnerships, across agencies and organizational departments in the context of health emergencies. 
• Proven ability to successfully interact and negotiate with senior national and international authorities on the implementation of health emergencies strategies and programmes. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills with solid writing and editing experience and ability. 
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to quickly comprehend strategic and tactical objectives and to formulate comprehensive plans to address challenges/risks.

Specific

• Proven experience in the leadership and management of acute and protracted public health emergency response efforts, including infectious disease outbreaks. 
• Knowledge of the epidemiology of infectious diseases and other global health security threats and of issues and practices for the prevention and control of disease. 
• Peer-recognized leadership and experience in managing and directing organizational assets to save lives and improve health in the setting of humanitarian disasters. 
• Authoritative and comprehensive knowledge of the theory, principles, methods and techniques in international emergency risk management and humanitarian response, with a broad-based understanding of its growing complexity including knowledge of the workings of relevant international policy-setting bodies.

Other Skills:

• Computer literacy. Familiarity with software of common use, particularly Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

Experience: Essential:

• At least 15 years of international and national relevant, progressively responsible professional experience in managing, planning, developing and implementing health security, emergency, surveillance, disease control and/or public health programmes, including at least 5 years of experience in providing senior level advice and guidance to expert groups and high-level government officials, as well as at least 5 years of management experience in recognized senior leadership positions with direct responsibility for managing both human resources and finance operations. 
• Proven experience in policy and strategy formulation, and in coordinating large scale projects with high political impact in developing countries. Relevant experience with the inter-agency mechanisms used to coordinate international preparedness for and response to health emergencies, including those most relevant to coordination of health policy and action in health emergencies.
  

Desirable

• Relevant work experience in WHO and/or UN sister agencies; experience working in relevant non-governmental or humanitarian organizations. 
• Work experience or training as a Health Cluster Coordinator or a Humanitarian Coordinator. Field experience in public health programmes or emergency response programmes in developing countries. Languages: Excellent knowledge of English is essential. An intermediate level of another UN language is a strong asset. 
• Annual salary: (Net of tax) Post Adjustment: 29.8 % of the above figure(s). This percentage 
• US$ 97583.00 at single rate 
• US$ 105572.00 with primary dependents is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

How to apply:

Additional Information:

Applicants are kindly requested to pay attention to the screening questions as they will be used to screen out unqualified candidates;

• Only qualified applicants with the relevant experience will be considered;
• A written test/presentation and interviews will be used as a form of screening. The written test might be used as an eliminatory tool.
• Other similar positions at the same level may be filled from this vacancy notice (this could be the base for rosters).
• Interviews will include competency-based questions.
• WHO's salaries are calculated in US dollars. They consist of a base salary and a post adjustment, which reflects the cost of
  living in a particular duty station and exchange rates. Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, home travel,
  education grant for dependent children, pension plan and medical insurance.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WHO:

• Click on: to learn more about WHO's operations
  Click on: to learn more about salary scales.
• Deadline: 28 September 2016
• Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world

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