Humanitarian Health Coordination Officer

Job Posting Organization:
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Established in 1948, WHO's mission is to ensure that all people attain the highest possible level of health. The organization operates in over 150 countries and has a workforce dedicated to addressing global health challenges. WHO's strategic priorities include universal health coverage, health emergencies, and healthier populations, aiming to improve health outcomes worldwide. In Myanmar, WHO focuses on enhancing health systems and responding to public health emergencies, ensuring equitable access to essential health services for vulnerable populations.

Job Overview:
The Humanitarian Health Coordination Officer will lead efforts at the subnational level to prepare for and respond to humanitarian and public health emergencies. This role is crucial in improving health outcomes for affected populations through effective coordination of health actions alongside other sectors such as WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Nutrition, Food, and Protection. The officer will engage with various stakeholders to strengthen health system recovery and resilience, ensuring that essential life-saving health services are accessible to those in need. The position requires a proactive approach to emergency preparedness and response, with a focus on intersectoral collaboration and coherent health response planning.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership in subnational humanitarian health coordination and emergency preparedness and response related to disasters, communicable disease outbreaks, and displacement crises.
• Maintain regular coordination with health partners to ensure coherent and complementary health response planning and implementation.
• Represent health in area-based coordination forums and ensure follow-up on health-related action points.
• Represent WHO in relevant meetings and forums, including Zonal Coordination Groups and Area Based Coordination meetings.
• Provide technical and contextual inputs for the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), in collaboration with health partners.
• Support the compilation of 5W data from health partners on a quarterly basis.
• Conduct Rapid Assessments after disasters and conflicts.
• Support emergency commodities and other logistic supplies for health partners during disasters and health emergencies.
• Coordinate with partners such as OCHA, UNICEF, UNFPA, IOM, and NGOs for joint health activities in disaster-prone areas, including information sharing and reporting updates. 1
• Organize field trips for missions, including partners and donors, to disaster areas as needed.

Required Qualifications:
Essential qualifications include a medical degree or equivalent professional training and/or self-study or working experience in public health or related fields. Desirable qualifications include a postgraduate degree in Public Health or related fields. Candidates should possess at least three years of work experience in program management related to disasters and/or public health emergencies. Proficiency in using computer software such as MS Office, Excel, and PowerPoint is also essential.

Educational Background:
Candidates must have a medical degree or equivalent professional training. A postgraduate degree in Public Health or related fields is desirable, indicating a higher level of expertise in public health issues and management.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of three years of relevant work experience in program management, particularly in the context of disasters and public health emergencies. This experience should demonstrate the candidate's ability to manage health programs effectively and respond to emergencies in a timely manner.

Languages:
A high level of proficiency in English is mandatory for this position, as effective communication is crucial in coordinating health responses and engaging with various stakeholders. Additional language skills may be beneficial but are not specified as mandatory.

Additional Notes:
This vacancy notice may be used to fill similar positions at the same level. A written test and interviews may be part of the screening process. Candidates selected for interviews will need to provide scanned copies of their degrees and certificates. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications from accredited institutions. The organization is committed to diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of underrepresented Member States. The position is subject to local recruitment, and any extension of appointment will depend on programmatic requirements and performance. WHO maintains a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of tobacco.