Assistant Public Health Officer (m/f)

Description

• The Assistant Public Health Officer is a member of a multidisciplinary team and will ensure that UNHCR's public health programmes meet minimum UNHCR and global health standards in order to minimize avoidable morbidity and mortality among populations of concern (POC) and towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the context of refugees health services are integrated in the national system
• The incumbent provides technical guidance to UNHCR management and partners including on the design and scope of UNHCR’s responses in health and nutrition, coordinates with other actors, and monitors the public health response. S/he interacts with internal and external stakeholders such as government counterparts, UN Agencies and NGOs
• The Assistant Public Health Officer should also ensure consultation with communities seeking the diverse views of men, women, girls and boys, adolescents, youth, older persons, LGBTI persons, persons with disabilities , including people with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities, in assessing needs, designing, implementing and monitoring responses in line with UNHCR’s policy on age, gender and diversity mainstreaming
• Public Health programmes include primary health care, secondary health care, community health, reproductive health (including HIV), nutrition, MHPSS and health information systems. In addition to public health staff, major operations may also have dedicated staff focusing on any of these components but public health professionals are expected to be very conversant with reproductive health programming and ensure that minimum standards are met. Depending on the size of the operation the incumbent may be expected to have major responsibilities for nutrition and MHPSS responses
• The Assistant Public Health Officer is supervised by the Head of Field Office in Nampula. The incumbent has a functional line with the Public Health Section in Geneva and regional bureau regarding authoritative guidance and support in technical matters and is expected to maintain regular contact with the PHS
• Category/grade - National Professional Officer, NOA
• Post Number – 10035462
• Type of contract - Fixed-Term Appointment (FTA)
• The Effective Date of Assignment - As soon as possible

Duties

Coordination and Partnership

• Assist in the co-ordination of public health, reproductive health, nutrition and HIV activities within the Area of Responsibility (AOR) in support of the government’s responses and in conjunction with other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other partners, including development actors to ensure delivery of public health and nutrition services to beneficiaries (POC and host community) meet UNHCR and /or nationally recognized and most up-to-date standards and policies
• With support from the supervisor, support the Operation to define the level and scope of UNHCR’s involvement in public health and nutrition responses in terms of overall and operational objectives during emergency situations and beyond
• In line with the Global Compact on Refugees work with governments and humanitarian and development partners to ensure a complementary approach to meet the health needs of POCs
• Represent UNHCR in health coordination and other meetings including inter-sectoral groups such as Technical Working Groups for MHPSS and nutrition
• Engage in relevant partnership fora, including in line with UNHCR’s role as a UNAIDS co-sponsor of the Joint Programme on AIDS and co-lead with WFP of the Division of Labour area of HIV in Humanitarian Settings
• Support operational collaboration with WFP including the implementation of Joint Assessment Missions and corresponding Joint Plans of Action in line with global commitments on targeting of assistance to meet basic needs and data sharing to support assistance distribution (in collaboration with programme and protection colleagues)
• Support emergency responses to new refugee influxes or outbreaks or other situations in line with the Public Health Emergency Toolkit and UNHCR’s Emergency Handbook and the SPHERE Handbook

Strategic planning and development

• Contribute to the implementation of UNHCR’s Strategic Plan for Public Health and adaptation at country level
• Work with others in UNHCR to advocate for refugees, returnees and other POC’s access to local public health, reproductive health (RH) and HIV, MHPSS and nutrition services (including food assistance where relevant) and lobby for inclusion of refugees, returnees and other POC as a specific group in government policies and plans related to health, RH and HIV as well as major donor programmes such as the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria
• Contribute to public health strategies addressing known gaps in health and nutrition programming based on country-specific needs assessments with due consideration to neonatal and maternal health care, TB and viral hepatitis, palliative care, health services for LGBTI individuals, health and protection services for persons selling sex and programming for persons with disabilities including access to assistive technologies and appropriate associated services
• Support the monitoring of country specific medium to long term inclusion plans in support of the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries (e.g. Social Welfare) and in partnership with development and other actors
• Work with stakeholders, including UN agencies, NGOs, Ministries of Health and academic institutions in the development of public health response plans associated with refugee movements (including in repatriation programmes)
• Maintain and update contingency plans within the AOR for potential epidemics, refugee and returnee movements

Technical integrity and risk mitigation

• Update and disseminate standard practices on public health, MHPSS, nutrition, HIV and reproductive health among partners
• Support the prioritization of primary health care (including preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care)
• Monitor, in close co-ordination with other humanitarian actors, that health care services provided to POC are based on Ministry of Health, UNHCR and/or internationally recognized and most up-to-date standards and policies
• Support the adaptation of UNHCR internal operating procedures to ensure they are in line with UNHCR and/or international standards and improve efficiency of programme activities; this includes but is not limited to - referral health care, medicines and medical supplies procurement and management, medical resettlement and resettlement of persons with health needs, cash-based assistance for health care coverage and referral between units and inter-sectoral collaboration
• Monitor and support compliance with, and integrity of, all public health standard operating procedures in conjunction with Project Control and Programme staff and in line with delegated authorities, including flagging to senior managers when these are not in line with global guidance or not being followed

Collaboration

• Support linkages of public health to WASH programmes throughout all stages of the programme cycle including in outbreak preparedness and response, emergency responses to refugee influxes, WASH in health facilities, and menstrual hygiene management
• Support inter-sector collaboration throughout all stages of programme cycle between public health and nutrition with WASH, education, environment, shelter, and protection in order to promote synergies and maximize impact
• Assist with the review and analysis of relevant project proposals and budgetary submissions presented by UNHCR partners within the context of the UNHCR programming cycle
• Seek the diverse views of men, women, girls and boys, adolescents, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and LGBTI in assessing needs, designing, implementing and monitoring responses in line with UNHCR’s policy on age, gender and diversity mainstreaming
• Contribute to the implementation of the UNHCR Health Information System and other relevant data collection tools including the balanced scorecard, maternal and neonatal death audits, Health Access and Utilization Survey and other corporate tools where relevant; support the analysis, interpretation and use of public health data
• Advocate for the inclusion of refugees and other POC in national surveys such as demographic and health surveys, multi-indicator cluster surveys, AIDS indicator surveys including where possible a separate sample for refugees allowing for comparisons and trend analysis over time
• Support national health systems to disaggregate data by refugee and nationals in key areas based on country specific needs in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Assist in the monitoring of public health and nutrition programmes against standard UNHCR and international indicators, to ensure that programmes are evidence-based and implemented in a comprehensive and cost-effective manner
• Support the planning, implementation, analysis, dissemination and use of nutritional surveys (Standardized Expanded Nutrition Surveys, SENS), health-related surveys and post-distribution monitoring exercises (in collaboration with WFP)
• In line with policies for Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) ensure POC have access to feedback and accountability mechanisms relating to public health and nutrition services including the collection and analysis of data on their satisfaction with regards to public health and nutrition services
• Draft regular sectoral reports and submit material for preparation of periodic project monitoring reports as required by the office at country level
• Provide timely updates to enable adequate reporting and briefings to donors and management

Capacity Building

• Support capacity strengthening of UNHCR and its implementing partners to address public health, nutrition, reproductive health, HIV, MHPSS programming in a coordinated, multi-sectoral way and disseminate relevant guidelines and information materials
• Undertake and/or support capacity building needs assessments of UNHCR staff and partners and develop approaches to address capacity gaps including identifying internal and external training opportunities
• Perform other related duties as required

Requisites

• Years of Experience/Degree Level:
• For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree
• Field(s) of Education
• Medicine, Medical Science, Medical Doctor, Nursing, Public Health or other relevant field.
• Certificates and/or Licenses:
• Not specified
• Essential: Knowledge of public health, reproductive health and nutrition. Good communicator with strong interpersonal and negotiations skills
• Desirable: Additional qualifications in Nutrition and WASH and a thorough understanding of the linkages with public health and Food security. Ability to coordinate a range of diverse actors and activities to achieve a common objective in the area of Public Health
• Functional Skills:
• MS-Monitoring & Evaluation
• MD-Public Health Epidemiology
• MD-Reproductive Health
• MD-Community Health - Health Data Collection/Analysis/Interpretation
• UN-UNHCR's Mandate/Policy and Global Strategic Priorities
• For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language
• Core Competencies:
• Accountability
• Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Result Orientation
• Managerial Competencies:
• Empowering and Building Trust
• Judgement and Decision Making
• Managing Resources
• Cross-Functional Competencies:
• Analytical Thinking
• Planning and Organizing
• Stakeholder Management

Notas

• Eligibility: Interested staff members should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS, UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.2). If you have questions regarding your eligibility, you may also contact the HR Unit
• In line with the RALS, the below category of candidates are eligible to apply for internally/externally advertised vacancies
• Group 1 candidates: Current NPO staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment are eligible to apply to advertised positions in the NPO category at their personal grade and one grade below or above, as Group 1 candidates
• External candidates: All other candidates are eligible to apply to positions in the NPO category as external candidates, including GS staff members holding a university degree and fulfilling eligibility requirements, regardless of grade or length of service, who may apply to any vacant NPO position in their country of assignment for which they qualify. External candidates must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position
• Remuneration: A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org
• Submission of Applications:
• Interested internal candidates (Group 1 and Group 2) should apply through MSRP - Self-Service - Recruiting Activities - Careers (please search by JO number or by Location). Please update your personal profiles with all required information in order to be able to apply. Please consult the attached documents for further guidance on how to update the personal profile
• Interested external applicants are also invited to apply online and complete the mandatory motivation letter. External vacancies are posted on the external UNHCR website and applicants who do not have internal status must apply through the external UNHCR website. https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html - Careers - Career opportunities - Other Opportunities - Vacancies - sort by Location or search by Job Opening number
• Not signed, incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be required to sit for a written test and only candidates who have passed the test successfully will be called for oral interviews. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees)
• Applications will be accepted only via the online portals. Please do not send application via email.
• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application
• UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants for this position. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behaviour and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at inspector@unhcr.org or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80
• For any technical problems encountered during the online application, please send an email to the below email address titled “Online VA Query-your name and surname”. Human Resources mozma@unhcr.org
• Candidates must be Mozambican Nationals
• Please note that this position requires functional clearance
• Please kindly note this is a Fast-track vacancy. In line with Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS, UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.2) timeframe for filling of vacancies should in principle be reduced by half at each stage to expedite the filling of vacancies under accelerated Fast Track procedures