Pandemic preparedness local liaison/ country officer

Scope of work

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs.

Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in under served communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Program background

The PREPARE project is a coalition funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by International Medical Corps. The projects mission is to strengthen the capacity of the least resourced countries in Africa and Asia for multisectoral disaster management and pandemic preparedness planning. PREPARE aims to promote the integration of pandemic preparedness into wider disaster management and preparedness initiatives. As a result, target countries will have improved pandemic preparedness plans that will become an integral part of their national emergency management plans and will effectively cooperate in their planning with the critical sectors (both public and private) including the defense sector.

Essential responsibilities

In collaboration with the National Emerging Infectious Disease Coordination Office (NEIDCO), under the direction of the PREPARE Project, the Lao Liaison (Country Officer) is to serve as the primary in-country focal point to effectively implement Project related activities in accordance with the PREPARE-Lao PDR work plan. This position is housed within NEIDCO and will report directly to PREPARE Chief of Party and Director General of NEIDCO, with support from the PREPARE Asia Regional Liaison, PREPARE Asia Project Officer, and USAID-Lao PDR Country Mission.

Specific roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as the Co-chair to the Project Oversight Group (POG), offering administrative, technical, and communicative guidance when necessary
• Assist in the planning, preparation, and implementation PREPARE activities including two workshops
• Provide guidance in the establishment of 3-4 sectoral Technical Working Groups (TWGs)
• Maintain regular communication and support for the TWGs during the development of their respective pandemic preparedness and response business continuity planning (sector preparedness plans)
• Identify potential challenges and gaps encountered by the TWGs in the process of developing sector preparedness plans
• Liaise with other actors relevant for pandemic multi-sector preparedness & response planning such as WHO, WB, UNICEF, and others, in order to assure that the activities are effective, coordinated with other previous or on-going initiatives, and sustainable.
• Build relationships within the public and private sectors to promote pandemic and all-hazards preparedness planning, the PREPARE Project, and International Medical Corps.

Deliverables

• Formation and effective facilitation of the Project Oversight Group (POG)
• Formation and effective communication of sectoral Technical Working Groups (TWGs)
• Maintenance of a strong NEIDCO-PREPARE relationship
• Successful support in implementation of activities (workshops and meetings)

Qualifications

• At minimum, a basic understanding of Business Continuity Planning and Whole-of-Society pandemic preparedness
• Knowledge of the essential service sector structures and major players in Lao PDR
• 3-5 years of relevant work experience
• Previously established relationships with NEIDCO staff preferred
• Fluency (written and spoken) in English. Additional extensive knowledge of Lao would be an advantage.