Coordinator, Health in Emergencies

2025-04-24 11:56:32

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 (NSs). 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 vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

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). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into four main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Coordination; (ii) Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; (iii) Management and Accountability; and (iv) People and Strategy.

IFRC has five 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 Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The MENA Regional Office, headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, supports 17 National Societies (NSs) across the region. The MENA Health, Disasters, Climate & Crises (HDCC) Unit operates under a unified regional plan, providing technical support and quality assurance to country cluster delegations and country delegations.

In recent years, the frequency and severity of disasters and crises in MENA have increased significantly. Many of these emergencies are not only growing in complexity but are also becoming protracted, often impacting multiple countries, as seen in the Middle East crisis. There is a growing need to enhance the integration and coherence of emergency health components within NS operations and programs. IFRC remains committed to strengthening its support to NSs, working in coordination with Movement partners to deliver high-quality health services to affected populations.

Job Purpose

The major focus on the Emergency Health Coordinator is to support emergency health preparedness and response of MENA NSs in cooperation with relevant IFRC delegations and regional office as well as to set up the necessary steps for guaranteeing that emergency health considerations and needs are met in the immediate response through high quality, effective and appropriate clinical and emergency health interventions.

Moreover, the role will also support NSs capacity in emergency health including but not limited to pandemic and epidemic preparedness response and other emergency health aspects.

The Emergency Health Coordinator is responsible for providing consistent quality advice and support on various emergency health aspects while engaging with all relevant stakeholders, particularly the IFRC country/cluster delegations, 17 host NSs in the MENA region and the wider membership present in the region.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Regional and Country Operations and Program Development and Implementation:

Actively engaged into drafting and preparations of DREF applications, Emergency Appeals, Operational strategies, country response plans, as well as other funding applications and proposals with a special focus on emergency health interventions.
Provide technical and operational support to the NSs’ emergency health operations implementation.
Being an active member of the global and regional Health and Care thematic team/s activities and contributing to the global IFRC effort in addressing public health in emergency needs.
Contribute to the IFRC efforts on the research and learning agenda, developing a holistic health and resilience approach and building capacity in response to different public health emergencies.
Ensure regional emergency health networks are established as relevant and reinforcing a system for knowledge sharing at the operational regional level including the systematic mapping of capacities and acting as a central repository of information concerning best practices and lessons learnt.
Coordinating and overseeing capacity building activities of public health in emergencies aspects including preparedness, readiness, and response.
Respond and address all technical inquiries from NSs on emergency health topics and connect/re-direct these to the secretariat health department and other technical expertise or resources for further assistance as needed.
Promoting and coordinating the development and integration of emergency health capacity building components into in all proposals or concept notes seeking funding opportunities.
Advocate for the role of the Red Cross Red Crescent in public health response.
Ensure evidence, best practices and core standards are applied to all levels of public health emergency programming, to ensure quality of services.
Take a capacity building approach to work, providing training, technical support, mentoring and dissemination as part of emergency response and recovery activities.

Regional quality program monitoring of emergency health activities:

Ensuring monitoring and evaluation of MENA emergency health activities, by directly engaging and/or by promoting the monitoring activities of the NSs in close collaboration with the PMER staff and country and cluster delegations.
Timely and operational reporting on progress of emergency health activities at the operational regional level that are included in Disaster and Crisis response operational plans.
Develop, in collaboration with pertinent stakeholders, a list of SMART indicators to capture progress and achievements of implementation of emergency health operational plans during emergency response operations.
Work closely with NSs to ensure that all emergency health interventions during response to various public health emergencies are adherent and following the best practices, minimum national and international standards, and delivered in best quality that fit the local context.

Coordination and communication with stakeholders:

Engage in a broad spectrum of coordination and communication activities with NSs and other movement components to strengthen relationships and partnerships and to guarantee NSs are receiving cohesive, coordinated, and feasible support is offered to NSs on their public health in emergencies operations/interventions.
Lead and facilitate the internal coordination to guarantee that all emergency health interventions are integrated, synchronized, complementing, and in line with other emergency response activities.
Ensure effective relationships with external organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, Gavi and so on and support National Societies to develop strategic effective partnership with these organizations on various emergency health aspects.
Coordinate and collaborate with all Partner NSs who’s contributing to public health emergencies preparedness and response aspects in MENA region and engaged with different NSs.
Work with all pertinent stakeholders to coordinate resource mobilization effort in front of different potential donors to support preparedness, readiness, and response of NSs to public health in emergencies in their countries.

Effective people management and contribute effectively to a high quality HDCC Unit and team:

Select, orient, and manage the team members under direct responsibility. Ensure that the technical team under this oversight has clearly defined, results-based priority plans and maintains up-to-date capacities to provide sector-specific technical support to response operations and programs at all times.
Be accountable to the Thematic Lead of Health and Care team by providing regular progress reports on results against objectives.
Be flexible in your work definition according to needs and targets and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within available resources.
Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the HDCC Unit and MENA Region and the with NSs including an open and co-operative view to the actors in the relevant external environment.

Education

University degree in medical or health discipline – Required
Post graduate degree in relevant fields (public health, health admin/management, environment health, medical specialty, etc.) – Required
Relevant professional training courses (Red Cross/Red Crescent related, humanitarian and development sector, management, etc.) – Preferred
IMPACT or equivalent training/experience – Preferred

Experience

Minimum of 7 years work experience in an international sector, focused on humanitarian needs – Required
Minimum of 5 years work experience with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement or other INGOs focusing on humanitarian health sector – Required
Experience working in a change management situation, preferably as an active participant in that change – Required
Track record of managing and supporting diverse and multicultural teams – Preferred
Work experience in the MENA region – Preferred

Knowledge

Mastery of public health concepts and experience in practically applying this knowledge in resource-constrained settings – Required
Strong knowledge of information sharing tools, and the ability to implement them – Required
Budget and finance management – Preferred

Skills

Results-oriented and demand-driven individual, entrepreneurial, with an ability to function in unforeseen and ambiguous situations – Required
Ability to work and lead within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment – Required
Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organization – Required
Good networking, communication, and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive – Required
Programme and project management skills – Required
Demonstrated skills in analytical and strategic thinking – Required
Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality – Required
Comfortable working with donors and communicating effectively with different stakeholders including National Societies – Required

Languages

Fluent spoken and written English – Required
Good command of another IFRC official language (French or/and Arabic) – Preferred

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.
Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.
Functional competencies: Strategic orientation; Building alliances; Leadership; Empowering others.
Managerial competencies: Managing staff performance; Managing staff development.

IFRC Disclaimer

If you appointed to or undertake a role within IFRC, whether as staff, staff on loan or secondees, you will be subject to the organization’s Code of Conduct, which is available here and on our website.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which include prior professional conduct checks and review of criminal records. IFRC will request a conduct check from all prior employers for a period of 5 years, including but not limited to employers who like IFRC participate in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. For more details on the Scheme, please see THE MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE SCHEME — SCHR.

IFRC ensures equal employment opportunities!

How to Apply:

For interested candidates, applications will only be considered through the IFRC website via the following link: IFRC job detail | IFRC

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