JOB DESCRIPTION

C

Family

Family

NOA

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-08-01

July 27, 2025

Assistant Public Health Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Assistant Public Health Officer 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 and guidance and support to partners on UNHCR’s responses in public health.

S/he advances the concepts found in UNHCR’s Global Public Health Strategy as well as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and applies a humanitarian-development nexus lens to UNHCR public health programming and contributes to advancing the mainstreaming/inclusion of refugees into national health programmes, advocacy for refugees’ inclusion into national universal health coverage plans including health insurance and other social protection schemes.

The Assistant Public Health Officer 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

• Provide support for the implementation of public health programmes in a multi-sectoral and coordinated manner in cooperation with government, UN agencies, NGOs, and other humanitarian and development partners with due consideration to the approaches outlined in the Global Compact on Refugees, health-related pledges linked to the Global Refugee Forum and in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG3.
• Support a strategic approach to public health towards greater inclusion and access of refugees to national health systems including social health protection as applicable.
• Participate in relevant coordination and collaboration structures.
• 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 with the implementation of relevant UNHCR Health Information System suite of tools and surveys to support in analysis, interpretation, reporting and use of public health data as well as linkage/integration with national data systems including disaggregation by nationality.
• Support capacity strengthening of UNHCR and its implementing partners to ensure the technical integrity of public health programmes in a coordinated, multi-sectoral way.
• 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

• Support public health emergency preparedness and response planning.
• Support 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.
• Support the process for preparing and processing medicine and medical supply orders with partners.
• Ensure community engagement and community participation in health programming.
• Monitor and support compliance with, and integrity of, all UNHCR Public Health Administrative Instruction/standard operating procedures and alerting the manager of any issues.

For positions in regional bureaux

• Support 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.
• Ensure appropriate technical advice and support (including missions) to country operations, in all aspects of public health service delivery, including in emergencies and in line with UNHCR’s policy and guidance.
• Assess, analyse public health data and provide relevant support on the technical quality of public health programming in the operations.
• Support effective collaborative approaches across the departments in the bureaux and with HQ.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Medicine              Medical Science                 Medical Doctor

Nursing                Public Health                      Epidemiology                     or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified.

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

Managerial Competencies

Managing Resources

Cross-Functional Competencies

Planning and 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.

The ideal candidate will have a degree in medicine, public health, epidemiology, or a related discipline, with relevant experience in humanitarian or low-resource settings. Demonstrated experience in primary healthcare delivery, public health coordination, or health systems support in refugee-hosting contexts is highly desirable.
The candidate should possess strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to interpret health data, assess program performance, and support adaptive management. Familiarity with UNHCR”s public health policies, the SPHERE standards, and national health strategies in the DRC or a comparable context would be an asset.
Experience in inter-agency coordination, capacity building, and project monitoring is essential, as is the ability to engage effectively with national counterparts, NGOs, and UN agencies. The position requires fluency in French and a working knowledge of English; experience working with refugee populations and an understanding of DRC’s health system is a strong advantage.
Proficiency in health information systems (e.g., DHIS2), UNHCR’s digital platforms (e.g., COMPASS, CLOUD ERP), and Microsoft Office tools is preferred. A commitment to continuous learning, collaboration, and equity in health service delivery is essential to succeed in this role.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) hosts over half a million refugees and asylum seekers and is home to more than 6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Amid multiple and overlapping health, humanitarian, and protection crises—including protracted conflict, recurrent disease outbreaks, and a fragile public health system—UNHCR plays a critical role in supporting the health, well-being, and dignity of forcibly displaced populations across the country.

UNHCR’s health response in the DRC aims to support inclusive, equitable, and sustainable access to health services for refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, and affected host communities. In recent years, the operation has made considerable progress in fostering the inclusion of refugees into the national health system, despite systemic challenges such as limited government capacity, underfunded health infrastructure, and the compounded impacts of climate and conflict-related displacement. These efforts align closely with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which calls for greater burden-sharing and the integration of humanitarian responses into national systems.

Amid the current context of institutional restructuring and declining humanitarian funding, UNHCR’s strategic focus has shifted to consolidating gains in refugee inclusion, enhancing multisectoral coordination, and driving evidence-based prioritization of health interventions. The Assistant Public Health Officer (NOA) will play a vital role in advancing this agenda, with responsibilities spanning technical support, field coordination, data monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.

Working under the supervision of the Senior Programme Officer – Field Coordination, the incumbent will contribute to the planning, implementation, and monitoring of health, HIV/reproductive health, nutrition, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs. The Assistant Public Health Officer will help ensure that health services meet minimum UNHCR and national standards and are responsive to the needs of different population groups, with a particular emphasis on quality, accountability, and equity.

Given the scale and complexity of the DRC operation—with refugee populations from multiple countries and diverse delivery models (camps, settlements, urban settings)—the role requires strong coordination skills and the ability to work effectively across sectors and levels. The incumbent will actively participate in inter-agency health forums, support joint assessments and supervision missions, and contribute to strategic planning exercises, including the implementation of the Multi-Year, Multi-Partner (MYMP) Plan 2024–2026.

Additionally, the Assistant Public Health Officer will support the collection, analysis, and integration of health data (e.g., DHIS2), promote best practices in epidemic preparedness and response, and facilitate training and technical support to local partners and public health staff. The position requires a proactive approach, an understanding of the humanitarian-development nexus, and a strong commitment to health equity, inclusion, and systems strengthening.

Living and Working Conditions:

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the biggest operation of the Regional Bureau for Southern, and one of the oldest on the whole continent. DRC continues to host over 538,009 refugees countrywide since the beginning of the year (including 216,451 Rwandan refugees, 172,809 CAR refugees, 45,336 Burundian refugees and 102,044 South Sudanese refugees). DRC also continues to host over 4 million IDPs mainly located in the Kasai provinces, and Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces due to inter-tribal conflict, militants illegal activities amongst others.

In line with the 2020-2025 UNHCR DRC Protection Strategy, UNHCR ‘s operations focus on facilitating durable solutions, including local integration and empowerment; providing multi-sectoral assistance to refugees both in camps and for those living with the host community (including on sites, in accordance with an approach of ¿alternatives to camps ¿); building self-reliance by supporting livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities; protection monitoring, prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and search for durable solutions for Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees; capacity-building vis-à-vis the DRC authorities; providing emergency response.

UNHCR articulates its work in 2 sub offices with several field offices, besides the main office in Kinshasa

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

Bachelor of Arts: Epidemiology, Bachelor of Arts: Medical Doctor, Bachelor of Arts: Medical Science, Bachelor of Arts: Medicine, Bachelor of Arts: Nursing, Bachelor of Arts: Public Health

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration, Technological awareness

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position requires Functional Clearance