Regional Emergency Health Coordinator

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies. The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

Job Purpose

To lead and coordinate the implementation of the IFRC emergency health preparedness, risk management and response strategy and priorities in Asia Pacific, particularly in areas of NS capacity strengthening, IFRC emergency response preparedness, coordination and collaboration, knowledge management and organisational learning.

The regional emergency health strategy endeavours to ensure risk-informed, holistic approaches to emergency preparedness and health emergency risk management, demand-driven, people-centred approaches to community resilience and humanitarian assistance, and strategies to provide health services to underserved and vulnerable populations to prevent and reduce human suffering. Employing a risk informed resilience-focused approach, these programmes and emergency interventions may include, but are not limited to, the following components: first aid, communicable and emerging disease prevention and control, epidemic preparedness and response, nutrition in emergencies, mental health in emergencies, sexual and reproductive health, water and sanitation/hygiene promotion.

The Regional Emergency Health Coordinator will lead and coordinate IFRC’s support to National Societies in Asia Pacific in ensuring that the public health components of COVID-19 preparedness, response and recovery programmes adhere to IFRC policies and strategies, meet established public health/humanitarian standards and technical guidelines, and reach the most vulnerable. The Coordinator will also lead initiatives that monitor, detect, and predict epidemic threats, develop and enhance early warning systems, assess preparedness levels and support coordination and strengthening mechanisms to ensure that the National Societies and IFRC are ready to mobilize to reduce epidemic threats as well as adequately prepared to respond during the early stages of an impending epidemic.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

Emergency response and recovery

• Supports local health assistance in emergencies and disasters and ensures it is effective, and that gaps in health service provision are timely filled.
• Advice and provide oversight in the planning, implementation, and management of the health components of NS emergency response and recovery programmes supported and coordinated by the IFRC, ensuring that these are accordingly to agreed standards. When necessary, provide surge support to NS/IFRC emergency response and recovery operations.

Emergency preparedness

• Support National Societies in health emergency risk assessment and management incorporating measures for prevention, mitigation, public health preparedness, humanitarian health action and recovery.
• Actively contribute to the further development as well as reviews of IFRC response mechanisms, operating procedures and protocols affecting different levels of the organization.
• Support National Societies in improving their epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response capacities, including capacities to carry out early detection, early action and behavior change communication.
• Provide technical, capacity building and coordination support to NS for the implementation of the Japanese Government supported “ Stockpiling Project”
• Support National Societies to conduct Preparedness for Effective response assessment including epidemic ready component.
• Lead the further development and mobilization of regional pools of qualified health practitioners as part of the regional surge teams.

Emergency Medical services

• Contribute to the development of tools, guidelines and projects focused on improving emergency medical services and prehospital care, and ensure they are evidence informed, adhere to applicable quality standards and contribute to a resilience-based health approach.
• Support Asia Pacific National Societies to align with the IFRC global quality assurance frameworks and risk management tools that support patient safety and staff health in emergency medical services and prehospital care.
• Lead the further development of Emergency Medical Team in Asia Pacific to provide timely, accountable, predictable, dependable, scalable, interoperable, environmentally sustainable, effective and efficient health response in emergency situations, including the IFRC global quality assurance frameworks.

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)

NS capacity strengthening

• Support the development of regional strategy based on the IFRC global strategy for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response including the development of a regional strategic preparedness and response guidelines and plans for improving health outcomes through coordination and management of pandemics and epidemics.
• Promote, and where possible facilitate, the integration and mainstreaming of emergency health programmes and initiatives, including nutrition and mental health/psychosocial support in emergencies into relevant NS programmes, as well as the co-ordination and co-operation between and among NS emergency health programmes and initiatives.
• Actively support National Societies to reviews operating procedures, tools, and protocols for epidemic response.
• Provide guidance to IFRC country and country cluster support offices in supporting NS’ emergency health preparedness and response capacity strengthening related to natural disasters and public health emergencies, which are consistent with their mandates and roles as agreed with national authorities.

Coordination and collaboration

• Participate in and work with relevant regional emergency health networks and coordination mechanisms with a view of improving health and nutritional interventions in emergencies, as well as strengthening effective and coordinated health response in emergencies.
• As part of the IFRC’s global emergency health team, participate in defining collective priorities and initiatives to contribute to the delivery of the Secretariat’s strategic operational framework for health in general, with a special focus on emergency health and nutrition.
• Build and maintain relations with WHO, UNICEF, ASEAN and other external partners in emergency health and support National Societies to develop strategic partnerships.

Knowledge management and organizational learning

• Contribute to the strengthening of knowledge base in emergency health and operational effectiveness of health interventions in emergencies through conduct of research, and reviews and evaluation of NS/IFRC emergency and recovery operations.
• Compile essential technical guidelines, references, reports and case studies on emergency health preparedness and response, including nutrition and made them available through IFRC platforms
• Support the operationalization of lab hub on Psychosocial support and Pandemic preparedness.

Resource mobilization

• Help build and facilitate fund-raising initiatives for National Society and IFRC emergency health programmes, in collaboration with APRO Partnership & Resource Development and other units/sectors.

Education

Required

• Medical or other health-related graduate degree
• Post-graduate education in public health

Preferred

• Diploma or training in tropical medicine, infectious diseases control, nutrition in emergencies, or humanitarian assistance

Experience

Required

• At least three years of experience in managing emergency health programmes and interventions.
• At least five years of programme management experience in an international humanitarian organisation

Preferred

• At least three years of experience in working with national counterparts
• Experience in working with a national Red Cross Red Crescent society
• At least three years of experience working on supply and quality assurance of medical consumables and equipment for health emergency preparedness
• Programme management experience within the Red Cross/Red Crescent system, preferably in an emergency response setting

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Analytical thinking skills
• Good training and facilitation skills
• Leadership and coordination skills
• Fluently spoken and written English
• Self-supporting in computers: word processing, spreadsheets and presentations
• Good knowledge of disaster management and humanitarian assistance concepts and debates, as well as mechanisms, tools and guidelines for programming and coordination at different levels

Preferred

• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic)
• Extensive knowledge of the IFRC health and disaster management objectives, mandate and programme orientation, as well as emergency health and disaster management system, tools and mechanisms.

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Accountability
• Respect for diversity

Core competencies

• Collaboration and teamwork
• Communication
• Creativity and innovation
• Building trust
• National society and customer relations
• Judgement and decision making