Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

E (most hardship)

Non Family

UNOPS LICA6

2024-10-16

October 31, 2024

Operational context:

 The national health system in Syria, alike other public service sectors in general and in NES in particular has been negatively impacted by prolonged crisis whereby the public hospitals and public health centers are either closed or only partially functional, depriving public access to health services.

 The health system suffers shortage in skilled and qualified health professionals, that is more observed in NES, and is even aggravated by the population scattered model. Poor living conditions and drought in the area increases the risks of communicable diseases and malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating women. The devaluation of the local currency and the increased cost of health care services, in the absence of a national health insurance, in addition to specific challenges facing refugees, asylum seekers and stateless in equally accessing the national, some how affordable health care services as the nationals, all are barriers to the access of persons of concern to health care services.

 In this backdrop, UNHCR is coordinating the efforts of humanitarian actors and agencies in the security volatile situation, and work with partners in different settings to ensure meaningful access of forcibly displaced population in urban, rural and camp settings, in the protracted situation and in surged emergencies in the country to acceptable level of quality primary, secondary, tertiary, palliative and rehabilitative health care services, including mental health and medicines.

 The Public Health function is managed withing a multidisciplinary team in UNHCR Qamishli Sub-Office and contributes to ensuring that UNHCR’s public health programs meet minimum UNHCR and global health standards in order to minimize avoidable morbidity and mortality among forcibly displaced and stateless persons and towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 Public Health Programmes include primary health care, secondary health care, sexual and reproductive health (including HIV), nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). The incumbent provides effective guidance and support to partners on UNHCR’s responses in public health.

 This will contribute to advancing the concepts found in UNHCR’s Global Public Health Strategy as well as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the mainstreaming/inclusion of refugees into national health programs and systems.

 Community based health is a cornerstone in UNHCR response to forcibly displaced population that is integrated with community based protection. This function is part of the progamme unit in SO Qamishli, under the direct supervision of o the international programnme officer, with a collaborate/coordinate with other units in the office, with health authorities, UN agencies, health actors and stakeholders, and other sectors that impact health to ensure efficient and effective response to health needs of persons of concerns.

 Moreover, a close and interactive technical support and guidance will be received from the public health unit in the country office Damascus.

Desirable candidate Profile:

1) Experience in working in refugees’ operations is preferable.
2) Certified public health or community health experience is a must.
3) Certified academic degrees in medicine or in nursing is preferable.
4) Experience in public health emergency preparedness and response.
5) Experience with the provision of quality-assured medicines and medical supplies.
6) Experience in health data collection and analyzing with concise documentations skills.
7) Experience with coordination and stakeholder engagement to achieve public health goals.
8) Knowledge and familiarity in the national health system in general and specifically well knowledge in NES health system.

Standard Job Description

Public Health Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Public Health Associate is a member of a multidisciplinary team and contributes to ensuring that UNHCR’s public health programmes meet minimum UNHCR and global health standards in order to minimise avoidable morbidity and mortality among forcibly displaced and stateless persons and towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Public health programmes include primary health care, secondary health care, sexual and reproductive health (including HIV), nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). The incumbent provides effective guidance and support to partners on UNHCR’s responses in public health.

S/he will contribute to advancing the concepts found in UNHCR’s Global Public Health Strategy as well as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the mainstreaming/inclusion of refugees into national health programmes and systems.

The Public Health Associate is usually supervised by a more senior public health staff or in the absence thereof, by operations/programmes staff.

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

• Assist the implementation of public health programmes with partners and health authorities in a multi-sectoral and coordinated manner.
• Assist efforts towards public health programming towards greater inclusion and access of refugees to national health systems.
• Participate in relevant coordination and collaboration structures as requested.
• Participate in emergency responses to new refugee influxes and disease outbreaks.
• Support gathering information for relevant assessments and identification of needs.
• Work closely with programme and other units as applicable in programme planning and monitoring.
• Support intersectoral collaboration throughout all stages of programme cycle between public health, and other sectoral areas to promote synergies and maximise impact.
• Assist in the use of the relevant UNHCR Health Information System suite of tools and surveys to support in analysis, interpretation, reporting and use of public health data.
• Assist in capacity strengthening of partners to ensure the technical integrity of public health programmes.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making is 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.

For positions in country operations

• Assist in efforts to enhance the technical integrity of health care services and that they are based on Ministry of Health, UNHCR and/or internationally recognized and most up-to-date standards and policies.
• Assist in the process of preparing and processing medicine and medical supply orders with partners.
• Assist in ensuring community engagement and community participation in health programming.
• Monitor and support compliance with UNHCR Public Health Administrative Instruction/standard operating procedures.

For positions in regional bureaux

• Assist in the coordination of public health programmes across the regional bureau and with country operations including assimilation and documentation of better practice/lessons learnt for dissemination.
• Support effective collaborative approaches across the departments in the bureaux and with HQ.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Medicine; Nursing; Public Health; Epidemiology;

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

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Experience in public health programming as well as understanding of health systems and health system building blocks. Experience with data collection and analysis in position(s) where the ability to draft clear, concise documentation was essential.

Desirable

Experience in public health emergency preparedness and response. Experience in humanitarian settings. Experience with coordination and stakeholder engagement to achieve public health goals. Experience with health information systems. Experience with the provision of quality-assured medicines and medical supplies.

Functional Skills

PM-Project monitoring and evaluation

PH-Public Health Epidemiology

MD- HIV/AIDS situation management

MD-Reproductive Health

PH-Community Health – Health Data Collection/Analysis/Interpretation

(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

Cross-Functional Competencies

Planning & Organizing

Stakeholder Management

Technological Awareness

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.

Required Languages

,

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

MD-HIV/AIDS situation management, MD-Reproductive Health, PH-Community Health-Health Data Collection/Analysis/Interpretation, PH- Public Health Epidemiology, PM-Project monitoring and evaluation

Education

Certifications

Epidemiology – Other, Medicine – Other, Nursing – Other, Public Health – Other

Other information

 Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.

 The broad levels are A1/A2 (Basic User), B1/B2 (Independent User), and C1/C2 (Proficient User).

 Qualified Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.This position requires Functional Clearance

Home-Based

No