Senior Health Officer

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NS). The overall aim of IFRC is ‘to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world’. IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of affected people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. It is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  It is led by the Secretary General and has the Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into 3 main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has 5 Regional Offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has Country Cluster Delegations and Country Delegations throughout the world. Together, the Headquarters and the field structure (Regional, Cluster and Country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

The East Asia Country Cluster Delegation (EACCD or EAD) based in Beijing, China works closely with the East Asia National Societies (EANS) of the following countries: China (Red Cross Society of China – RCSC), Japan (Japanese Red Cross Society – JRCS), Mongolia (Mongolian Red Cross Society – MRCS) and the Republic of Korea (Korea National Red Cross – KNRC). The IFRC EAD also provides remote support to the DPRK Red Cross Society (DPRK RCS) through the IFRC Country Delegation in DPRK.

Job Purpose

The purpose of the Senior Health Officer role in the IFRC East Asia Delegation is to strategically promote cooperation, coordination, and adaptation to address the health challenges facing East Asia. This includes understanding the implications of ageing, climate change, community resilience, pandemics, and health emergency, and adapting Red Cross services and networks accordingly. The Senior Health Officer will play a key role in advocating for First Aid best practices, supporting the IFRC’s Health and Care Framework 2030, and enhancing emergency health preparedness and response. Additionally, the Senior Health Officer will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and to contribute to the overall well-being and resilience of East Asian communities.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Promoting East Asia First Aid Services

• Promote and facilitate First Aid discussions within East Asia through meetings, workshop, webinars, First Aid competitions, and other relevant events, as well as the promotion of EANS expertise to APRO in this area.
• Promote the harmonisation of evidence-based principles and an inclusive approach of First Aid, linking it with thematic program areas: schools, road safety, DRR and emergencies, and provide active support for EANS applications to International First Aid Attestation (IFAA).

Strengthening Health in Emergencies and Pandemic Preparedness

• Support the Senior DRM Officer in raising real-time alerts and updates for any outbreak/pandemic or complex health-related emergencies in East Asia and contribute to IFRC disaster-related health response support to EANS, such as Emergency Appeals and DREF application, with respect to health and WASH in Emergencies.
• Support IFRC Anticipatory Actions and Disaster Preparedness to EANS, by strengthening health-related activities for community-based health surveillance, mitigating, preparing, and responding to shocks in East Asia.
• Support the Large-Scale Disaster Preparedness initiative in East Asia, through technical inputs in pandemic preparedness of EANS and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).
• Assist in promoting and seeking partnerships with relevant academic institutions to access expert-level disaster research knowledge in the health sector.

Health Services and Climate Change Adaptation

• Work closely with IFRC Program Team for the inclusion of health, Environmental health/WASH and outbreak/pandemic prevention actions for Integrated Community Resilience Program (ICRP) in rural and urban China, to contribute to the enhanced community resilience.
• Engage in climate and health initiatives, connecting with external stakeholders, understanding government policies, and facilitating linkages, as a joint program team effort.
• Monitor, when IFRC support is required, EANS program activities related to sustainable and affordable access to WASH services (water supply, sanitation and handwashing infrastructures and operation & maintenance hardware activities, as well as hygiene promotion, behaviour change communication and water supply & sanitation management software activities) and promote the inclusion of the WASH dimension for climate change adaptation.

Consolidating a platform on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

• Lead discussions and initiatives within the East Asia MHPSS Network, in close collaboration with the IFRC Asia Pacific MHPSS Collaborative, to consolidate this technical exchange platform and to identify strengths and gaps in MHPSS efforts within East Asia.
• Facilitate coordination and collaboration with professionals, academia, and think tanks to follow the latest trends, to define areas for improvement and strategies to strengthen MHPSS within the Red Cross’ country-based programmes where relevant, and as an integral part of the East Asia Large-Scale Disaster Preparedness initiative.

Advancing on the Topic of Healthy Ageing

• Engage proactively with IFRC Global Health Unit in Geneva and APRO to develop an informative network of EANS focal points to advance the Healthy Ageing agenda in East Asia.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Additional Regular Tasks

• Support the promotion of IFRC Health and Care Strategy through humanitarian diplomacy actions, including planning, preparing for and co-organising panels at the Global Health Forum of the Boao Forum for Asia.
• Upgrade health stakeholders mapping in East Asia, including contacts, frequency of exchanges, and key highlights.
• Monitor and report health-related trends and issues in East Asia to APRO on a weekly or biweekly basis.
• Provide analysis of key health priorities in East Asia, collaborating with Program Team members and EANS health focal points.
• Monitor significant actions in the health sector in East Asia and inform the EA Delegation in advance.
• Assist in the development of IFRC speeches, presentations, panels, and training sessions in East Asia.
• Support the development and promotion of new health-related opportunities, including producing technical evidence-based materials for resource mobilization.
• Contribute to the development and progress updates of Unified Planning reporting documents for health-related topics.
• Prepare financial documents for proper management of health-related activities, including budget preparation and monthly forecasts.
• Be actively involved as part of the East Asia Delegation to contribute National Society Development (NSD), Youth Engagement, Protection Gender and Inclusion (PGI), with respect to health-related activities and programs.
• Be an active member of the APRO Health/Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) Group, sharing feedback and promoting the work done by EANS on health and WASH, and ensure regular interactions with different IFRC health teams in the region.
• Monitor, whenever relevant, opportunities on WASH, non-communicable disease prevention and other health-related topics.
• Be willing and able to travel internationally and domestically as required to facilitate project implementation and foster collaboration with partners.

Duties Applicable to all: 

• Actively work towards the achievement of the Secretariat’s goals.
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross/Red Crescent principles.
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

• Postgraduate or master’s degree on Public Health, or Community Surveillance/Epidemiology, or Health Systems and Administration; and/or Community-based Medical Doctor, or Nurse, or Psychosocial Support, or similar qualification from a reputed university
• Additional qualifications/training on First Aid, Health in Emergencies, Pandemic/Outbreak Prevention and Control, Environmental Health/WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene), communicable or non-communicable disease control, or any of the topics described on the row above is preferred.
• Training Course on Project Management is preferred.

Experience

• At least 4 years of professional experience in Humanitarian Aid or Community Development in China
• At least 4 years of professional experience in supervising projects in the field of Health/Public Health, or in line with the education profile mentioned above
• Great knowledge and experience of health issues and solutions related to Climate Change
• Proven skills and experience of program management, including Monitoring & Evaluation and project/programme reporting
• Proven experience of budgeting and financial management of projects / programmes
• Proven experience in successful coordination and partnership with other organizations
• Experience in Emergency Health and/or Pandemic Prevention and Control is preferred.
• Good understanding and experience of community resilience approaches is preferred.
• Experience of working in one of the East Asia countries (excluded China) is preferred.
• Experience of working for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement is preferred.
• Experience of volunteering work is preferred.
• Experience of working with implementing partners and donor agencies is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Excellent IT capacity (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Sharepoint, etc.)
• Training/facilitation skills (capacity building) is preferred.
• Excellent skills in networking/relationship with other agencies and organisations
• Good understanding and knowledge of the humanitarian health sector
• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for work/professional purposes is preferred.
• Fluent spoken and written Chinese Mandarin
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic) or from East Asia (Korean, Japan, Mongolian) is preferred.