Organization: WHO – World Health Organization
Location: Juba
Grade: Mid level – NO-C, National Professional Officer – Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Statistics
Communication and Public Information
Information Technology and Computer Science
Documentation and Information Management
Closing Date: 2024-07-25
Background:
In South Sudan, WHO operates within a complex and challenging public health landscape characterized by ongoing conflicts, population displacement, and limited healthcare infrastructure. The country faces a myriad of health challenges, including high rates of communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, alongside frequent disease outbreaks. Malnutrition and maternal and child health issues also pose significant concerns.
Emergency Preparedness and Response: In this volatile environment, WHO’s role in emergency preparedness and response is critical. The organization focuses on strengthening health systems and enhancing disease surveillance and response capabilities to ensure rapid action during health crises. WHO provides direct support during emergencies through collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners, ensuring that resources are swiftly mobilized to address urgent health needs.
Strengthening Health Systems: WHO plays a pivotal role in coordinating national and international health efforts aimed at improving overall health outcomes in the region. This includes developing strategies for emergency preparedness, conducting risk assessments, and establishing robust response mechanisms. WHO’s efforts are directed toward building resilient health systems that can withstand and quickly recover from emergencies.
Disease Surveillance and Response: Enhanced disease surveillance is essential for early detection and timely intervention in public health emergencies. WHO supports the implementation of advanced surveillance systems, trains local health workers, and ensures that health data is accurately collected and analyzed. This proactive approach enables rapid identification of outbreaks and immediate response to contain and mitigate their impact.
8. Objectives of the Assignment:
·Strengthen Data Collection and Analysis:
oCollect and analyze data on public health emergencies from field operations and other relevant sources to provide timely and accurate information for decision-making.
oMaintain and improve a comprehensive database of all health-related information and data pertaining to WHO emergency preparedness and response activities in South Sudan, ensuring it is accessible to the WHO team and partners.
·Enhance Communication and Reporting:
oPrepare regular updates, reports, and visualizations detailing WHO’s progress and impact in addressing public health emergencies in South Sudan.
oCollaborate with the communication team to write and edit materials for external audiences, ensuring they meet WHO standards and are appropriate for public dissemination.
·Support Strategic Planning and Program Development:
oProvide data-driven recommendations and support to inform strategic planning initiatives and program development.
oContribute to the development of performance metrics and indicators to monitor progress and outcomes, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
·Facilitate Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building:
oParticipate in the preparation of research abstracts for submission to research conferences.
oFacilitate training and capacity-building activities for staff on data collection, analysis, and utilization best practices, promoting a data-driven culture within the organization.
9. Duties and Responsibilities:
Collect and analyze public health emergencies data from field operations and other relevant sources.
Maintain a comprehensive database of all health-related information and data pertaining to WHO emergency preparedness and response activities in South Sudan, building a central repository of relevant information accessible to the WHO team and partners.
Provide regular updates, reports and visualization detailing WHO’s progress and impact in addressing public health emergencies in South Sudan.
Write and edit communication materials in collaboration with communication team, including press releases, donor briefs, and public bulletins, ensuring they meet WHO standards and are appropriate for external audiences.
Coordinate with various departments and units within WHO to ensure the accuracy and consistency of public health messages.
Provide with the inputs in the development of communication strategies to enhance the visibility and understanding of WHO’s work in South Sudan.
Follow organizational guidelines for report format and style, including citing sources and referencing data.
Maintain records and track progress of report writing within the WHO South Sudan Emergency team and provide recommendations for improvements to the report writing process and procedures.
Provide data-driven recommendations and support to inform strategic planning initiatives and program development.
Contribute to the development of performance metrics and indicators to monitor progress and outcomes.
Participate in the preparation of research abstracts for submission to research conference.
Perform any other duty as assigned
10. Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
First university degree in Public Health, communication, computer sciences, information management or related field.
Experience:
At least 5 years of professional experience in a public health, communications, or information management role.
Skills:
Demonstrated ability to handle complex information and produce accessible and informative reports.
Strong writing and editing skills, with experience preparing documents for diverse audiences, including the general public.
Proficient in data analysis and data management tools.
Excellent interpersonal and coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.
Experience working in challenging and resource-limited environments, preferably in South Sudan or similar contexts.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
High level of attention to detail.
Language:
Proficiency in English, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Key Competencies:
Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test may be used as a form of screening.
In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
WHO’s workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.
WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.