Health Operations Officer

The Health Operations Officer will manage health emergency response operations, including communicable disease control, health service delivery, and prevention measures. The role involves coordinating with national authorities and partners to implement WHO's health emergency plans and ensuring quality healthcare services during crises.

Responsibilities

• Manage the team, guide, and ensure implementation of the response plan.
• Set standards and norms, develop and disseminate technical guidance and validate training, resource mobilization and communication materials.
• Manage the coverage of all health operations in support to the Ministry of Health, work with partners and facilitate the implementation of WHO's prevention, control and response measures.
• Ensure planning and implementation of communicable diseases programmes addressing outbreak and health emergency risks.
• Co-develop action plans for interventions in high-risk groups and recommend measures for special attention.
• Monitor early prevention, detection, verification, assessment and investigation of outbreak risks and disseminate related data.
• Manage rapid response teams responsible for investigation of alerts, field risk assessments and early response.
• Support information systems on communicable diseases and monitor progress towards universal health coverage.
• Conduct periodic reporting and treatment of communicable diseases activities.
• Ensure messages are technically sound and socio-culturally appropriate to engage stakeholders in prevention and control.
• Support national authorities and partners in equipping health facilities with necessary infrastructure, equipment, drugs, laboratories, blood safety and medical supplies.
• Monitor quality of preventive and curative healthcare in health facilities and recommend improvements.
• Support capacity-building and training of local staff on best preventive, diagnostic, control and curative practices and standards.
• Make recommendations and provide guidance on prevention and control measures in affected and non-affected areas.
• Provide technical assistance on vaccination, surveillance, vector control, infection control, sanitation, water provision, prepositioning of drugs and supplies.
• Conduct research on etiology, transmission, diagnostics, prevention and treatment of causes of excess morbidity and mortality and recommend remedial actions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's level or above) in medicine, public health, epidemiology, or related field.
• First University degree in Medicine or public health from an accredited /recognized institute (desirable).
• Specialized training in emergency management; specific training in humanitarian response (desirable).
• At least seven years of related experience, at the national and international levels, in health operations, with proven experience in managing outbreaks and health emergencies in low and middle income countries.
• Related experience in managing human and financial resources.
• Relevant work experience in outbreaks and/or health emergency management (desirable).
• Related experience in development and implementation of strategies and action plans within WHO and/or UN agencies (desirable).
• Experience working in relevant nongovernmental, health cluster partners or humanitarian organizations (desirable).
• Demonstrated skills in and knowledge of the rapid response operations and their implementation in emergencies as related to public health.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and manage difficult situations.
• Proven skills to manage multidisciplinary and multinational staff.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the theory, principles, methods and techniques of public health, communicable diseases and health service delivery.
• Expert knowledge of English.
• Working knowledge of Arabic (desirable).

Skills

• Health Emergency Preparedness
• Outbreak Risk Management
• Communicable Disease Control
• Public Health
• Health Service Delivery
• Emergency response operations
• Humanitarian Response
• Resource Management
• Finance Management
• Strategy Development
• Action Plan Implementation
• Multidisciplinary Staff Management
• Multinational Staff Management
• Rapid Response Operations
• Epidemiology
• Medical Knowledge
• Coordination with national authorities
• Health Cluster Coordination
• Humanitarian Operations Liaison
• English

Languages

English, Arabic