Health Emergency Management Specialist (Consultant)

About the 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/.

Since 2012, ADPC has partnered with the government of Ethiopia to enhance leadership and institutional capacities in the disaster risk management (DRM) ecosystem of the country. Since 2016, ADPC has provided prioritized and targeted technical assistance to the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC) across various programs, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the Foundation). These initiatives have significantly strengthened Ethiopia’s institutional disaster preparedness and response capacity across various sectors, including health.

Background:

Ethiopia faces a complex landscape of potential public health emergencies, necessitating a robust and coordinated approach to preparedness, response and recovery. In partnership with the EDRMC, the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) with technical and financial support from the Foundation, ADPC is currently implementing a project titled “Strengthening Emergency Actions and Response Capacities of the Health Sector (SEARCH) in Ethiopia.” The project offers an opportunity to build on past successes and bolster emergency preparedness and response in the health sector. Engaging and strengthening partnerships between key stakeholders – including the MoH, EPHI, UN agencies, and other development partners (including various Clusters) – is critical for a resilient health sector. Therefore, a collaborative space and a roadmap are needed to advance the mainstreaming of DRM into health sector agendas. The roadmap development will involve consultations, dialogues, co-creation, and validations to gather insights, address critical challenges and gaps, and develop a comprehensive roadmap to optimize resources and streamline disaster preparedness and response coordination mechanisms for public health emergencies in the country.

The main goal of the project is to collaborate and establish critical areas for strengthening health emergency preparedness and response actions, as outlined in the national health strategies and plans, as well as the new DRM policy. The project specifically focuses on addressing public health emergencies, preparing for pandemics, and strengthening health surveillance and early warning systems while mainstreaming DRM and Climate Actions into long-term health investment plans.

Purpose and Objectives:

The program seeks to recruit a qualified consultant as a Health Emergency Management Specialist to be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The position is expected to provide technical assistance to enhance the capacities of the MoH and EPHI for planning, standardizing, and coordinating health emergency response and recovery operations, and mainstreaming DRR into health sector planning and programming.

The consultant will act as a bridge between the MoH/EPHI, health sector stakeholders, and EDRMC, 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.

The consultant will work closely with MoH/EPHI to strengthen systems and capacities related to DRR in the health sector. The key objectives of the position include:

1. Providing technical support for improving public health emergency preparedness, response, and coordination.
2. Supporting the mainstreaming of DRR into health sector strategies, plans, and programs.
3. Supporting the co-creation of a roadmap and action plan for enhancing public health emergency preparedness and response actions in Ethiopia.

This position is open to Ethiopian nationals only.

Note: This TOR is not intended 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.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

1. Conduct a landscape analysis through one-on-one consultations, desk research and stocktaking of existing initiatives, programs, and the policy environment in MoH/EPHI.
2. Identify MoH key stakeholders involved in public health emergencies, including UN agencies, other development partners (including various clusters), and community organizations.
3. Plan and facilitate consultations to gather insights from stakeholders about current challenges and gaps in public health emergency preparedness at federal and regional levels with recommendations for improvement and prepare reports.
4. Develop a structured consultation framework that includes surveys, interviews, and focus groups and document findings systematically to identify common themes and critical issues.
5. Plan and facilitate validation workshops or roundtable discussions where stakeholders can share perspectives on identified challenges.
6. Collaboratively develop a strategic action plan and roadmap based on insights gathered during consultations and dialogues.
7. Facilitate and support the DRM mainstreaming initiatives into the health sector by assisting in the implementation of the action plan developed by MoH/EPHI.
8. Technical support to MoH/EPHI on public health emergency preparedness and response, and enhanced coordination with EDRMC and concerned stakeholders.
9. Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the nodal agency/ies and ADPC.

Working Principles & Reporting Relationship:

Overall Supervision and Reporting:

In performing the duties and responsibilities indicated above, the consultant will be supervised by the ADPC Program Manager based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and work in close coordination with the Program Lead, DRR Mainstreaming and Governance. The consultant will closely work with MoH/EPHI staff, and coordinate with other MoH Directorates, EDMRC, and health sector stakeholders 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 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, be a creative problem-solver, and 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: 1 October 2024 – 30 June 2025

Itinerary: In case the official mission under the project outside of the duty station is required, the consultant will be entitled to domestic flight, local travel, daily subsistence allowance, and other related travel costs as per ADPC financial and administrative policies and costs will be covered by the program.

Condition of payment:

The consultant will be paid a monthly professional fee upon submission of timesheets to be approved by ADPC Program Manager based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The consultant is expected to submit monthly timesheet related to the tasks along with the above-stated deliverables.

All taxes, duties and government charges imposed or levied in connection with this contract will be the sole responsibility of the consultant.

How to apply

Interested Candidates can submit the completed ADPC application form, (downloadable from www.adpc.net), resume, copy of degrees/certificate(s) together with a cover letter, to: adpcjobs@adpc.net.

Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

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