Background
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, with 192 member National Societies. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.
Organizational Context
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. We are a membership organisation established by and comprised of our member National Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), we form the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. We work to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. The IFRC is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides a central capacity to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s headquarters is organised in three main business groups: (i) Partnerships, including Movement and Membership; (ii) Programmes and Operations; and (iii) Management Services. Our Programme Services Division is in turn organised in three Departments, each of them led by a Director. We have organised the Health and Care Department in three teams, of which Emergency Health (EH) is one. You will join the EH team, which provides technical oversight and internal and external coordination for quality implementation of health activities in emergencies, including readiness and global response tools and systems. You will contribute to the IFRC’s programmatic response the COVID-19 pandemic and support health programming in emergencies. You will work in close collaboration with our Regional Offices by providing technical assistance, support and coordination to the IFRC’s clinical preparedness, readiness and response to epidemics and health in emergencies. Our goal is to ensure that our programmes benefit men and women equally, according to their different needs, with their equal input and participation at all levels of the organisation. We are an international and multicultural work environment, where diversity is valued and promoted.
Job Purpose
The Emergency Health Officer will support the Emergency Health team’s response to COVID-19 and other health emergencies, supporting clinical aspects of emergency health readiness and response.
As an Emergency Health Officer, you will contribute to the expert support of the IFRC to ensure National Societies support rapid detection and appropriate response to COVID-19 outbreaks, other health emergencies, and health consequences of disasters and crises. You will particularly:
• Support global activities in emergency health ensuring consistent coordination between IFRC Geneva Secretariat, the Regions and country offices, and the National Society membership;
• Contribute to global level collaboration with Movement (Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies and ICRC) partners;
• Develop and innovate tools for quality interventions in response to COVID-19 and other health emergencies;
• Contribute to technical support to health operations in the field, through deployment where necessary;
• Knowledge management that supports learning and development of best practices for emergency health response in National Society and IFRC operations (e.g. improved training, lessons learning and application, competency-based personnel development, etc.)
Job Duties and Responsibilities
Support National Societies to improve health outcomes in emergencies
• Act as a technical support resource for the Secretariat, regional offices, National Societies and Health Delegates, especially in the domain of emergency health.
• Provide specific technical support to ensure National Societies can provide an appropriate clinical response,
• Strengthening health response readiness as part of prevention; disaster preparedness; emergency health response including the full spectrum of clinical capacities.
Support coordination and quality assurance of health response in emergencies
• In coordination with Senior Officers for Emergency Medical Services and Public Health in Emergencies support development, maintenance and quality assurance for health emergency response units (e.g. emergency clinics/hospitals and public health rapid response units).
• Support development of systems and tools that support rapid and efficient response to needs for health in emergencies.
• Collaborate with other IFRC units, including disaster management, preparedness, cash, logistics, shelter, WASH, community health and volunteer management involved in emergency response to ensure health activities are integrated and supported in emergency operations based on risk analysis.
Contribute to delivering quality in operations
• Support the development and innovation of tools, guidelines and projects focused on improving medical response in emergencies that are evidence-based and follow international stan
• Contribute to addressing operational questions and challenges through operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners
• Contribute to technical monitoring of emergency health responses to support quality and evidence-based implementation, identify bottlenecks and potential problems for appropriate resolutio
• Support innovation in the area of emergency health.
• Support the development of quality assurance and risk mitigation tools that support public health and patient safety in emergency health interventions.
• Support data collection, analysis and utilisation of data in emergencies to improve capacity to detect, prevent and respond to health hazards.
Being part of an effective, high-quality IFRC team
• You will provide regular progress reports on results against objectives and operations supported.
• Produce key project outputs and metrics.
• You are flexible in your work definition according to needs and targets and improve team efficiencies and effectiveness within available resources
• You contribute to a co-creative environment with colleague
Education
Required
- Qualification in medicine or nursing required
Preferred
- Postgraduate education in global health, humanitarian assistance, field epidemiology, or equivalent
Experience
Required
- At least five years of experience in the humanitarian or emergency response sector with a focus on health in emergencies (including field experience).
- Demonstrated experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment.
Preferred
- Management and supervisory experience in a multicultural environment.
- Experience working in a Red Cross Red Crescent National Society and IFRC or the ICRC.
Knowledge, skills and languages
Required
Mastery of clinical concepts and experience in practically applying this knowledge in resource-constrained settings into policy, programmes and positioning, particularly in emergencies
Programme and project management skills
Results-oriented and demand-driven individual, entrepreneurial, with an ability to function in unforeseen and ambiguous situations
Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation
Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality
A high degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels
Ability to work within a multicultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment
Fluently spoken and written English
Preferred
Advanced networking, communication and negotiation skills. Ability to be proactive and persuasive
Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners
Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic) meriting
How to apply:
https://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/working-with-us/current-vacancies/job-description/?id=53455