Public Health Officer
Organizational Context
The WHO Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme supports countries and coordinates international action to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies. This role is within the AF_COD Democratic Republic of Congo department, supporting health emergency management.
Job Purpose
The Public Health Officer will provide technical leadership and operational support to WHO’s health emergency response in critical provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, addressing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. The role focuses on leading and coordinating WHO's actions for emergency preparedness, response, and resilience to reduce morbidity and mortality among affected populations. This includes providing technical guidance to authorities and partners, supporting the continuity of essential health services, and contributing to the prevention and response to epidemic-prone diseases and other public health threats. The position also emphasizes data-driven decision-making, integrated responses across health sectors and humanitarian actors, and contributing to strategic and operational planning, reporting, and lessons learned exercises.
Responsibilities
Assess public health risks, health infrastructure damage, and the functionality of health services, referral systems, laboratories, cold chains, and essential medicines. Analyze health needs, vulnerabilities, and service gaps to advise on priority interventions and operational improvements. Monitor access to and continuity of essential health services, ensuring equity for vulnerable groups. Support the implementation of evidence-based public health interventions, including emergency care, maternal and child health, outbreak prevention, and mental health support. Compile and analyze data from various sources to inform operational decisions. Coordinate meetings with stakeholders, document outcomes, and contribute to after-action reviews. Provide technical input for reports, operational plans, and briefing notes. Ensure WHO interventions align with humanitarian principles and standards. Perform other incident-specific duties as assigned.
Work Experience
Essential: At least seven years of relevant national and international experience in public health emergencies response or health sector coordination, focusing on managing outbreaks and health crises. Experience in capacity building and developing partnerships is also required. Desirable: Experience with WHO, UN agencies, health cluster partners, or recognized humanitarian organizations; experience in program planning, project management, monitoring, evaluation, and resource mobilization in emergency settings.
Skills
In-depth knowledge of WHO incident management systems, Emergency Response Framework (ERF), public health emergency preparedness and response, health systems strengthening, disease surveillance, outbreak prevention and control, and continuity of essential health services in humanitarian settings. Field experience in managing public health impacts of complex humanitarian crises, population displacement, conflict, natural disasters, and outbreaks. Strong skills in health needs assessments, risk analysis, information management, epidemiological interpretation, operational planning, and prioritization. Ability to coordinate effectively with national authorities, partners, and UN agencies. Proven capacity in proposal development, reporting, technical writing, monitoring, and evaluation. Ability to anticipate risks and identify service delivery gaps. Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. WHO Global Competencies: Producing results, effective communication, building partnerships, respecting diversity, and fostering teamwork.