Health Emergency Management Specialist (Consultant)

About Asian Disaster Preparedness Center:

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is an autonomous international organization with a vision to reduce disaster and climate risk impacts on communities and countries in Asia and the Pacific by working with governments, development partners, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, private sector, media, and other key stakeholders.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity-building center, ADPC develops and implements cross-sectoral projects/programs on the strategic themes of preparedness for response and resilient recovery, risk governance, urban resilience, climate resilience, and health risk management. ADPC strategic themes are complemented and underpinned by the cross-cutting themes of gender and diversity, poverty and livelihoods, and regional and transboundary cooperation. ADPC supports the implementation of national, regional, and global frameworks, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR), the Paris Agreement for Climate Change, the New Urban Agenda, the recommendations and priorities of World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), etc. For details, please refer to the ADPC website at http://www.adpc.net/.

Background:

ADPC, in partnership with the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), is currently implementing a program, namely "Improving Coordination Capacity for Preparedness and Emergency Response in Ethiopia (ETCOR)," with funding and technical support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The program aims to improve the institutional capacity of EDRMC and key sectoral ministries, including agriculture and health, by enhancing systems, capacity, and coordination mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response, improving information and knowledge management system.

The program focuses on supporting the relevant government institutions in the effective coordination of emergency relief, humanitarian coordination, emergency preparedness, and early recovery actions in Northern Ethiopia and other vulnerable regions where the respective sectoral stakeholders are involved. The medium to long-term focus will be on enhancing the inter-and intra-sectoral coordination capacity of the government system for overall preparedness and emergency response in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Health Sector Transformational Plan emphasizes strengthening the capacity for preparedness, detection, prevention, response, and recovery to all public health emergencies and disasters. An integrated approach to public health emergency management and clinical emergency care reduces the impact of all these conditions. Emergency, injury, and critical care system is a spectrum of activities including pre-hospital care and transportation; initial evaluation, diagnosis, and resuscitation; in-hospital care (emergency department and intensive care units [ICU), as well as a referral system to deliver time-sensitive health care services for acute illness and injury across a life course. The overall injury spectrum also goes from prevention through to rehabilitation to provide a holistic approach. The prevention of injury is done in a multitude of sectors. The Ministry of Health (MoH), specifically the Emergency, Injury, and Critical Care Directorate and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), are engaged in complex health emergency responses operations, including displacement due to conflict, and leading the coordination platform involving the different health actors operating at various levels in the country.

Purpose and Objectives:

The program is looking to recruit a qualified consultant as a Health Emergency Management Specialist to be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The consultant will be responsible for leading the implementation of identified activities in this ToR.

The position is expected to provide technical assistance to enhance the MoH's capacity for planning, standardizing, and coordinating the delivery of complex health emergency response and recovery operations, mainstreaming DRR into health sector planning and programming, as well as strengthening information management systems.

The consultant acts as a bridge between the MoH and the EDRMC in establishing an effective work relationship for integrating, harmonizing, and coordinating DRM and multi-sectoral disaster response within the framework of DRM and the health sector policies of the country.

The consultant will work closely with the MoH/EPHI to strengthen systems and capacities related to DRR in the health sector. The consultant will work closely with the project management team to evaluate the project's impacts on the ground. Key objectives of the position include:

1. To provide technical support to standardization of emergency response such as mobile health response packages, gender-based violence (GBV), and internally displaced persons (IDPs) response planning and delivery.

1. To support the improvement of health emergency response coordination, which may include the development of SoPs, guidelines, and response monitoring and backstopping coordination mechanisms.

2. To strengthen the health emergency response information management system and integration of information communications with the overall national multi-sectoral humanitarian response and DRM under EDRMC.

4. To support the DRR mainstreaming into health sector strategies, plans, and programs.

5. To design and implement technical capacity building of the MoH staff in the areas of effective health emergency preparedness and response operation as well as integration of DRR into the health sector development planning.

This position is open to Ethiopian nationals only.

Note: It is not the intent of this TOR to cover every aspect of the position requirements but rather to highlight the most important areas of personal and joint responsibility.

Expected Outputs:

The consultant is expected to deliver the below outputs within the timeline.

• Outputs/ Key deliverables Timeline Capacity and gap analysis for the leadership and the establishment and operationalization of regional and sub- regional Emergency Coordination Centers (ECCs) in project target regions and strengthening linkages between the national and sub-national ECCs and MoH. December 2022 –January 2023
• Technical guidance provided for capacity building of the leadership and the establishment, operationalization, and enhancement of multi-sectoral coordination and communication of the ECCs and MoH at various levels. Regularly
• Health risk assessment tools and methodologies developed for health facilities and services and linked with ECCs operational guidelines. Regularly
• Linkage of the NECC established with regional and subregional ECCs and MoH.- Regularly
• Guidelines/protocols and SOPs developed for information sharing and communication between ECCs, regions, and health facilities. Regularly
• Training of trainers (ToT) and capacity-building programs developed and conducted on hospital preparedness for emergencies at the district level. February - April 2023
• Training and capacity-building programs developed and conducted for social care workers for emergency response at the community level. May - July 2023
• Health Early Warning system reviewed and integrated with the national early warning system with inter-sectoral coordination. Regularly
• DRR mainstreaming initiatives of the health sector are undertaken including strategies, plans, and programs. Regularly
• Lessons and good practice documents were developed, ensuring experience exchange for the overall emergency preparedness and response capacity and coordinating.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

1. Conduct capacity and gap analysis for the establishment of regional ECCs, and strengthen linkages between national and sub-national ECCs and MoH.
2. Provide technical guidance for capacity building of the leadership and the establishment, operationalization, and enhancement of multi-sectoral coordination and communication of the ECCs and MoH at various levels.
3. Prepare EMTCC functionality reports monthly for MoH and EDRMC.
4. Lead the development of health risk assessment tools and methodologies for health facilities and services and maintain linkage with ECC's operational guidelines.
5. Provide resources and inputs to undertake the risk assessment activities after the tool’s development process.
6. Support in strengthening facility-based health emergency preparedness and response systems.
7. Facilitate DRR mainstreaming and initiatives into the health sector by assisting in the development of emergency public health strategies, strategic approach for achieving health emergency response and risk management goals, and identification of risk management opportunities to address residual risk within different communities to minimize socio-economic effects on lives, livelihoods, food security, and economic assets and increasing the program outreach.
8. Develop and deliver Training of Trainers (ToT) and capacity-building programs for hospital preparedness for emergencies at the district level.
9. Develop and deliver training and capacity-building programs for social care workers for emergency response at the community level.
10. Review the Health Early Warning system and integration with the national early warning system and operationalization of inter-sectoral coordination.
11. Support risk assessments of hospitals and health facilities in the target regions.
12. Provide technical resource inputs in activities such as risk assessment
13.  Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the nodal agency/ies and ADPC program team.

Working Principles & Reporting Relationship:

Overall Supervision and Reporting:

In performing the duties and responsibilities indicated above, the consultant will be under overall guidance and supervision of MoH/EPHI, and work in close coordination with ADPC Program Manager based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The consultant will closely work with MoH/EPHI staff, and coordinate with other MoH Directorates, EDMRC, and the ADPC program team in Ethiopia.

Administrative Coordination and Liaison:

In performing above stated services, the consultant will liaise with the ADPC program team based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and all administrative reports and requests, including travel authorizations, timesheets, and related forms be counter-endorsed by the ADPC Program Manager based in Addis Ababa if charged to the project resources.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Master's degree in Public Health or Epidemiology with a background in medicine, nursing, public health, health education, environmental health, and other health- related fields.
• Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the health sector and strong analytical skills, including needs assessments and report writing. PhD. in the related field would be an added advantage.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience with three years of experience working with international organizations in the field of emergency and disaster risk management. Proven experience in health system strengthening, emergency preparedness, response and recovery, and multi-sector and multi-agency coordination would be added advantage.
• Familiar with the Ethiopian health system, structure of health service administration at all levels, and the context of disaster risk reduction in Ethiopia.
• Knowledge and experience on impacts of multi-hazards and climate change impact on health-related sectors.
• Experience in emergency coordination across the government and humanitarian sectors. Practical experience and knowledge in incident management systems, planning, organizing, and coordinating emergency operations during disasters, disease outbreaks, and during conflicts.
• Capacity-building experience including system improvement, technical skills, and the ability to facilitate/conduct large technical training for various audiences. Proven capacity to supervise, train, and coach staff would be an added advantage. Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands-on implementation capacity.
• Experience with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis and application of ICT in information management and reporting would be an added advantage.
• Proven experience in design, implementation, and management of projects related to public health management and work with multi-disciplinary teams.• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding related to international agreements, practices, and policies in the field of disaster risk reduction and public health emergency management.

Personal Qualities:

• Self-motivated, proactive, and initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and organize work & time independently.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and team-oriented working style.
• Excellent influencing skills with experience in advocacy.
• Excellent skills in facilitation, team building, and coordination.
• Excellent analytical, oral presentation, report writing, and ability to communicate technical matters effectively to the general audience.
• Strong networking capacity and understanding of humanitarian and development nexus at national, regional, and local levels.
• Strong desire to learn, and undertake new challenges, must be a creative problem- solver, and must have self-confidence.
• Willingness to work hard, good sense of humor but with seriousness about the quality and excellence of work.

Languages:

• Excellent English proficiency in oral and written communication is required. Verbal and written communication skills in Amharic are essential.

General Requirements:

• Represent ADPC to the highest professional and scientific standards at all times.
• Operate within all, MoH/ EPHI, EDRMC, and ADPC guidelines, procedures and policies, and specific program needs.

Duty Station:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Duration:

One (1) year with the possibility of extension based on the performance and technical requirements of the position and the duration of the project.

How to apply

Interested Candidates can submit the completed ADPC application form (downloadable from adpc.net or ADPC Website), resume, copy of degrees/certificate(s) together with samples of related work to: adpcjobs@adpc.net

Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

ADPC encourages diversity in its workplace and supports an inclusive work environment.