Emergency Public Health Officer 12-492

Job Location:

Job Description:

The influx of refugees into South Sudan since the start of 2012 has continued to rise dramatically as conflict and hunger in Sudan’s Blue Nile State drive record numbers across the border into South Sudan. The highest numbers have been recorded in Upper Nile State; latest UNHCR estimates indicate more than 110,000 refugees are in Maban County alone.

Jamam camp flooded on June 26, 2012 and UNHCR has started the relocation of the Jamam refugees to Gendrassa, a new camp near the Yusuf Batil camp. More than 4,000 refugees have been relocated thus far with a remaining estimated 26,000 left that need to be relocated to Gendrassa.

International Medical Corps has been in Maban County since late May 2012 and have provided emergency health and nutrition services to the refugees at the previous transit sites, Yusuf Batil and Jamam camp. International Medical Corps is now providing life-saving services in Gendrassa, where malaria cases continues to rise and there is an increased risk of cholera and other communicable disease outbreaks due to the worsening rainy season.


JOB SUMMARY

The primary function of the Emergency Public Health Officer is to ensure public health concerns (e.g. prevention and responding to communicable diseases especially those of epidemic potential, diseases surveillance, and responses to outbreaks) are integrated into the overall emergency response activities in Maban County in South Sudan and to lead coordination and implementation of these activities.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Program Planning

• Work closely with the Team Leader/Country Director to meet understand the emergency program goals and to meet expectations
• Lead/participate in a coordinated rapid assessment to better understand communicable disease risks and to map treatment sites for potential epidemics and strengthening surveillance activities for epidemic prone communicable diseases
• Monitor and analyze data to flag possible outbreaks during the emergency phase
• Work with medical team and special advisors such as WASH/EPI to identify possible outbreak risks and plan risk mitigation
• Work with Medical Director/Coordinator to develop response plans to outbreaks of communicable diseases during the emergency phase
• Initiate planning for longer-term communicable disease prevention activities, including outbreak response and containment and prevention education, as emergency stabilizes
• Contribute to production of proposals for any new projects to address unmet needs in a short and longer term

2. Coordination

• Coordinate with all relevant actors and actively participate in relevant working groups or sub-cluster (where active) to address emerging needs while aiding duplication and overlap of responses;
• Work with partners and community members/service users to develop appropriate and culturally acceptable prevention, surveillance and response activities
• Coordinate with other sectors especially WASH and participate in additional cluster working groups to ensure integration of communicable disease prevention and responses into various IMC health and WASH interventions

3. Training

• Organize and lead trainings for IMC health and non-health staff and partner organizations working in relevant sectors including organization and lead trainings for key groups including first responders
• Organize and co-facilitate trainings for medical practitioners on data collection/analysis and planning an outbreak response
• Identify and train community-based volunteers for prevention activities
• Build capacity of local organizations involved in prevention, response and/or surveillance activities

4. Representation

• Represent the organization at relevant coordination meetings as appropriate
• Ensure maximum visibility of the agency amongst the UN and NGO community
• Contribute to the positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of high quality professional standards and the organization’s Code of Conduct

5. Human Resources Management

• Assist in the selection, training and support of qualified technical program staff
• Develop support strategies for staff and introduce principles of self-care

6. Security

• Ensure application and compliance of security protocols and policies
• Consider security implications of all program activities, reviewing new initiatives with national staff, partners and community leaders