JOB DESCRIPTION

H (no hardship)

Family

Family

PR3

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-10-01

August 8, 2025

Occupational Health Coordination Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

UNHCR has a highly mobile, global workforce comprising personnel serving in various locations around the world. A significant proportion of this workforce is posted in difficult and remote duty stations, where working and living conditions are challenging. Some locations are affected by security risks and ongoing conflicts, making the safety and well-being of staff a top priority. To enable UNHCR teams to stay and deliver on its mandate, the Occupational Health Unit has established a dedicated Health Support Team to manage these health risks in line with its Health Support Project Guidance and Strategy.

This position is located in the Occupational Health Unit, within the Health and Wellbeing Section of the Division of People Management (DPM).

The Health and Wellbeing Section is responsible for ensuring that UNHCR’s workforce operates in a safe and healthy work environment—an essential foundation for effective functioning and productivity. The Section covers six regions, with professional and support staff providing occupational medical services and support to personnel. In addition to delivering direct, person-to-person services to individual staff and teams, the Section is responsible for implementing UNHCR’s Duty of Care commitments and developing policy documents that promote staff health and psychosocial well-being.

Occupational health focuses on enhancing and maintaining:

• the health of people at work, ensuring they operate safely; and
• the organizational effectiveness of UNHCR by providing expert advice to management.

The Occupational Health Coordination Officer reports to the Head of Occupational Health Unit and has supervisory responsibilities.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Conduct workplace and health risk assessments at duty stations, including high-risk environments, and recommend measures to ensure safe and healthy working conditions.
• Support the development of response plans and the management of medical emergency responses to complex situations.
• Contribute to the delivery of travel health services for staff on official travel, missions, or emergency deployments.
• Support the management of occupational health activities in alignment with UN and organizational standards.
• Help implement and monitor projects and programmes that support medical and psychosocial well-being, in line with regional strategic objectives.
• Provide guidance on UNHCR policies and administrative instructions, promoting compliance with health and safety legislation.
• Support resource management, including assisting with budget preparation and monitoring, technical assessments for health-related procurement and supply, and supervision of team members as applicable.
• Support emergency medical evacuations for UNHCR personnel and their dependents.
• Contribute to reporting on occupational health, safety, and welfare issues affecting personnel.
• Participate in the assessment and clearance of medical evacuation centres for UNHCR personnel and their family members.
• Support individualized medical risk assessments related to work accommodations, fitness for duty, and mobility decisions. Contribute to quality improvement initiatives in occupational health service delivery.
• Handle confidential staff medical data in accordance with established protocols and ethical standards.
• Establish and maintain coordination mechanisms between the Occupational Health Unit and key stakeholders (e.g., Legal Affairs, Procurement, Administration, People Management) at HQ, regional bureaux, and country operations to mitigate health risks and promote healthcare service delivery in line with UN Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (HQPS) standards.
• Collaborate with UNHCR Occupational Health Officers, Medical Officers or Advisers from UN entities, corporate Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Medical Services, as well as UN Medical Directors, on the planning, training, and execution of Health Risk Assessments and Mandatory Health Support Elements Assessments, and on the development of duty-station or country-specific Health Support Plans.
• Coordinate with UNHCR teams and suppliers across HQ, regions, and countries to plan and operationalize Health Support Plans and healthcare solution projects.
• Facilitate access to healthcare providers delivering evidence-based medical interventions, training, and preventive measures to safeguard the physical and mental health of UN/UNHCR staff.
• Support the planning, deployment, and supervision of health support personnel and healthcare providers in the field.
• Monitor and evaluate healthcare service delivery and the performance of healthcare professionals in UN/UNHCR facilities.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

*Medical Doctor (MD)

Certificates and/or Licenses

Emergency Management – Other

NEBOSH IGC for Occupational Health and Safety Management

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Substantial clinical experience as a Medical Doctor or Practitioner, including at least 1–2 years in an international organization or hardship duty station. Minimum of 2 years of experience in occupational health and safety, travel medicine, tropical and infectious disease or emergency medicine. Healthcare project design and management experience. Demonstrated experience in inter-agency coordination in the UN occupational health sector. Supervisory experience of other health personnel.

Desirable

Experience in managing employee assistance programs. Demonstrated experience in leadership and team building.

Functional Skills

MD-Clinical practice

MD-Tropical and Infectious Diseases

MD-Travel Medicine

*MD-Conduct health risk assessments

MD-Health Information Systems (HIS)

*MD-UN Medical Service standards and practices

*CO-Drafting and Documentation

MD-UN-wide health care policies and protocols (e.g. medical evacuation procedures, etc.)

*MD-Assessment of quality standards of health facilities

LE-Data protection laws & procedures for sectoral practices (employment, health, security)

OS-Occupational Health and Safety critical risk control methods

OS-Occupational Health and Safety statistical reporting

MD-Medical Evacuation route planning and operationalization with MOU

PM-Project monitoring and evaluation

*PM-Project lifecycle management

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Judgement and Decision Making

Empowering and Building Trust

Managing Resources

Managing Performance

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Innovation and Creativity

Planning and Organizing

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

The candidate must review complex and challenging operational contexts, perform health risk analysis, determine best mitigations measures and course of action for medical cases clinical management as well as emergency pathways.

The candidate therefore must be a Medical Doctor (MD), with a Master of Medicine (MMED), with specialization in Internal medicine, with at least six years of relevant progressive experience. The candidate must have NEBOSH international certificate in occupational health and safety management, patient safety and health care quality improvement training/experience, Emergency trauma bag instructor. In addition, the candidate must be a good communicator as they are expected to write comprehensive case reports and be able to communicate ideas, decisions and arguments with clarity to senior management and a wide group of stakeholders.

The candidate has to demonstrate a high level of leadership, management, professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Capacity to work well with shifting priorities as well as to adapt the plans as needed by the operational imperatives, is critical. Equally, maintaining respectful communication with others within and outside UNHCR is a must. Given that the incumbent will have to work in a multidisciplinary team, the candidate is expected to demonstrate a a solid capacity to collaborate and create and nurture partnerships with different stakeholders. Demonstrated managerial capacity to guide, coach, and support their team members as well as monitor their work progress very important.

Commitment to on-going professional development, self-growth as well as commitment to continuous organizational learning and development is critical.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.

Nature of Position:

The Health  and Wellbeing Section is responsible for ensuring that UNHCR’s workforce has a safe and healthy work environment, which is essential for effective functioning and productivity.

UNHCR has a highly mobile, global workforce comprising personnel serving in various locations around the world. A significant proportion of this workforce is posted in difficult and remote duty stations, where working and living conditions are challenging. Some locations are affected by security risks and ongoing conflicts, making the health and well-being of staff a top priority.

Occupational health focuses on enhancing and maintaining:

• the health of people at work, ensuring they operate safely; and
• the organizational effectiveness of UNHCR by providing expert advice to management on occupational health and access to health care.

The Occupational Health Coordination Officer supports the establishment of HR strategic priorities and the transformation of the Division into a strategic business partner for field operations and senior management through risk analysis and advice on access to health care to staff and dependents.

He/she is responsible for advising on UNHCR’s Duty of Care commitments and developing relevant guidance, risk assessments, and developing innovation health support plans that promote access to health care, emergency response as well as clinical medical case management.

The role is based in Vienna and reports directly to the Head of Unit and it is standard in character. The role acts as the officer in charge during the absence of the Head of Unit and the management experience is important.

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, LE-Data protection laws & procedures for sectoral practices (employment, health, security), MD-Assessment of quality standards of health facilities, MD-Clinical practice, MD – Conduct health risk assessments, MD-Health Information Systems (HIS), MD-Medical Evacuation route planning and operationalization with MOU, MD-Travel Medicine, MD-Tropical and Infectious Diseases, MD-UN Medical Service standards and practices, MD-UN-wide health care policies and protocols (e.g. medical evacuation procedures, etc.), OS-Occupational Health and Safety critical risk control methods, OS – Occupational Health and Safety statistical reporting, PM-Project lifecycle management, PM-Project monitoring and evaluation

Medical Doctor (MD) (Required)

Certifications

Emergency Management – Other, NEBOSH IGC for Occupational Health and Safety – Other

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Innovation & creativity, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add. 2 to the Bi-Annual 2025 Compendium – Part B

Additional Information

This position requires Functional Clearance