Log In
Sign Up
Applications have closed
ESARO has an exciting career opportunity! We are looking for a passionate and committed Regional Health Specialist (Emergencies) at the P-4 level to support the implementation and monitoring of the public health emergency elements of the overarching framework on collaboration for children in ESA Region. If this position’s requirements match your profile and career aspirations, UNICEF would love to hear from you!
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, good health
The UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Region is disproportionately affected by public health and humanitarian emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact, resulting in a previously unseen scale of disruption of essential health services, including routine immunization, that saw an increase in the number of zero-dose children in Africa from 7.7 million in 2020 to nearly 12 million in 2022. This has contributed to outbreaks of multiple vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) including but not limited to measles, pertussis, rotavirus, and a resurgence of yellow fever and wild poliovirus.
Conflict has seen an increase in displacement in Africa, reaching a record high of 40.4 million people, 77 % internally displaced with significant spillover effects within and across countries. Most of these people are found in the Lake Chad Basin, great lakes, and horn of Africa, the latter two in ESA region.
Africa is host to various climate change hotspots including in the Horn of Africa, and southern Africa, which have both experienced impacts of extreme climatic events in the past four years. New evidence points to the impact of climate crisis on the health and wellbeing of communities, particularly affecting children, who form up to 60% of the African population. In these places, there is deepening food insecurity, worsening vulnerability due to eroded community resilience and reduced socioeconomic status and serious health impacts, including the rise of climate-sensitive diseases like cholera (the highest caseload reported in over five years); vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya, whose geographic spread and infestation is influenced by ecological changes; and measles outbreaks in displaced, overcrowded settings with low immunization coverage. Additionally, deceleration of early warning, surveillance and response has been noted, contributing to increasing vulnerability to disease outbreaks.
A key priority for UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) is ensuring that all countries are well prepared for, and respond to emergencies, including public health emergencies, timely, effectively, and in a manner that contributes to building resilience. UNICEF contributes to public health emergencies preparedness and response through its unique role in targeting the specific needs of the most vulnerable, including children and women. UNICEF simultaneously addresses both the causes of the public health emergency, contributing to control efforts, and responds by addressing to its socio-economic consequences.
How can you make a difference?
Under the overall supervision of the Regional Health Adviser (RHA), the incumbent is responsible for leading the technical support and strategic direction on public health and health in humanitarian emergencies.
Key function, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks
1. Management and advisory support to the Regional Adviser
Provide timely and pertinent advice to the Regional Adviser (RA) in establishing the public health emergency components of the annual work plan, determining priorities, targets and performance measurements. Coordinate work progress, monitoring and ensure results for public health emergency are achieved. according to schedule and performance standards, and report to the RA critical issues for timely action. Provide technical assistance and advice to colleagues in the section on programming and implementation and lead the technical work of the cross sectoral team on public health emergencies to enable UNICEF to achieve its performance objectives.
2. Programme development and planning
Provide technical support and guidance for the preparation, design and updating of the public health emergency related elements of regional and country situation analysis to ensure comprehensive and current data informs and guides the development, design, and management of programmes. Provide support to country offices for the development of health components of humanitarian response plans, outbreak preparedness and response plans, HACs, other appeals, proposals and other emergency related documents.
3. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in health programmes. Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results. Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management, identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals. Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for management, donors, and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
4. Advisory services and technical support
Collaborate and consult with key government officials, NGO partners, UN agencies and other country office partners/donors on policies, strategies, best practices, and approaches on public health emergency-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation, and delivery of results. Participate in strategic programme discussions and planning to provide technical advice and contribute to policy discussions and agenda setting to promote health in the areas of emergency preparedness, response, and resilience. Prepare policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials on public health emergency prevention, preparedness and response for management use, information and/or consideration. Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives, contingency planning, and emergency response in country (surge) or where designated, including by monitoring and assessing emerging and ongoing public health threats. Coordinate and provide technical assistance to the 21 ESA region countries, identifying and addressing support needs, including in long term.
5. Advocacy, networking, and partnership building
Build and sustain strategic partnerships with health sector, UN agencies, government counterparts, national stakeholders, global and regional entities (Africa CDC, Regional Economic Communities) and partners, allies, donors, and academia focusing on public health emergency prevention, preparedness and response through active networking, advocacy, and effective communication. Prepare communication and information materials for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes in the context of humanitarian emergencies or public health emergencies. Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency discussions and planning on health-related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated.
6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting-edge practices in public health emergency and humanitarian health. Institutionalize, document, including through peer reviewed journals, and share best practices and knowledge learned. Contribute to the development of approaches, strategies, policies, and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of health emergency programmes. Lead, plan and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of public health and cross sectoral health emergency country office staff, government, and other stakeholders to promote and deliver results on public health and humanitarian emergency related actions and programmes. Maintain the public health emergency rosters ensuring inclusion of subsection for national staff and external consultants with relevant skills and experience. Periodically review and update, including by publishing an expression of interest as required.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in public health (MSc or PhD)
- A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience in public health and humanitarian emergency preparedness and response and other areas in health.
- Experience working in a developing country in the African Region is essential.
- Experience should include coordination and strategic partnerships, risk assessments, planning, programming, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public health emergency programs  within epidemiology and disease control, expertise mainly in: epidemic prone diarrhoeal diseases, viral haemorrhagic diseases; vaccine preventable diseases. Knowledge of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 framework and its implementation in member states.
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
- Experience working at the district level is an asset.
- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered is an asset
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French or Portuguese (a working language in ESA countries)Â is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels:Â competency framework here.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates from industrial countries are encouraged to apply.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
