Classified Grade: NO-A
First Level Supervisor: Public Health Officer 
Unit: Surveillance &Outbreak Response
Duty Station: Gaza
Closing date: 31 May 2025

Purpose of the Position:

In the context of WHO Health Emergencies, the incumbent will provide technical support to health authorities and partners in Gaza on the organizational and operational aspects of surveillance and outbreak response activities tailored to the local situation. S/he will closely coordinate with key stakeholders, focusing on essential elements of surveillance, including developing a sensitive system that accurately detects non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, selecting and reviewing surveillance sites , Identifying focal points and building a skilled network, conducting active surveillance to maximize sensitivity and ensure no polio cases are missed, strengthening the laboratory network to enhance capacity for detecting and responding to potential outbreaks , regular updates and refinements to the surveillance system are vital for its continued effectiveness. The incumbent's mission is to establish and maintain a surveillance system that meets the highest standards in alignment with WHO global standards.

Objectives of the Program and the immediate Strategic Objective:

• Provide a comprehensive technical support to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the Gaza Strip in stopping the circulation of Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) and timely managing any type of outbreaks
• Strengthen the EWARS surveillance system in the Gaza Strip to provide a timely and comprehensive view of disease trends and outbreaks through early detection and rapid response to potential outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases, as well as monitoring the system's performance.
• Capacity Building for All Staff Involved in the Surveillance System and Outbreak Response in the Gaza Strip

Organizational context:

The ongoing hostilities and war in Gaza, which escalated on October 7, 2023, have placed severe strain on the country’s already fragile health and social systems, weakened by years of siege. Nearly 2 million people are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Ministry of Health (MOH), UNRWA, and other partners to enhance and expand a surveillance system aimed at the early detection of disease outbreaks. This initiative includes activating active surveillance, training frontline health workers on reportable diseases, and implementing community-based surveillance initiatives.

Over the past year, the Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) has been implemented, and efforts to scale up its activities are currently underway , unfortunately the system is facing numerous challenges, including data fragmentation and incompleteness , delays in reporting, largely due to connectivity and security issues , Lacking Patient, and Alert Register at all health facilities , duplication in reporting channels due technical issues , limited coverage, particularly in conflict-affected areas , absent of mechanism in verifying alerts due to high staff turnover, limited local lab diagnostic capabilities , specimen referral and transportation to the referral lab for confirmation , inadequate data management capacities , no clear local alert management guidelines for reportable diseases  and delay in response from out sourcing company  is hindering the

To achieve the above, the WHO OPT Gaza Sub-office is hiring an public health officer to provide leadership, technical expertise and guidance to the ministry of health (MOH) and partners in establishing and strengthening the surveillance system and outbreak response.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following duties:

• Support the development of risk assessment using WHO assessment tools to identify the immediate gaps and needs for proper response
• Provide comprehensive field support to effectively address and mitigate persistent gaps identified through risk assessments in designated locations.
• Offer expert guidance to the technical committee regarding the scope of the response, informed by the findings from the risk assessment conducted.
• Strengthen children's immunity by facilitating the implementation of high-quality Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIAs) and enhancing essential Routine Immunization through targeted catch-up strategies.
• Enhance early case detection and reporting by ensuring timely and accurate data collection from all health facilities, medical points, and community health workers, using standardized data collection tools
• Building capacities in data management, interpretation, and dissemination of the results with concerned stakeholders and authorities to support timely action in Gaza Strip
• Provide dedicated training for RRTs at governorates level and focal points at healthcare facilities and medical points
• Conduct regular On-the- job training during the active surveillance visit targeting medical Doctors and other clinicians to make the alert about the priority reportable disease

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Qualifications

Educational background

Essential: University degree in medicine, public health, nursing, or related field (microbiology, pharmacy)

Desirable: Certification or postgraduate specialization in surveillance, public health, epidemiology, or infectious diseases

Functional Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and under pressure
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and proactively.
• Sound knowledge of public health.
• Excellent presentation and writing skills
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to lead and motivate teams
• Proficiency in relevant data collection and reporting software. 

Professional experience  

• Essential: At least two years of experience in public health,
• Desirable: Desirable: Experience in immunization and polio eradication efforts. Demonstrated experience in managing immunization campaigns, working with governmental health authorities, and coordinating health interventions at a national or sub-national level.

Language Skills

Expert knowledge of English and Arabic.

Competencies

• Setting an example
• Producing results
• Communicating in a credible and effective way
• Moving forward in a changing environment
• Fostering integration and teamwork.

Interested applicants must submit an introduction letter, a resume and copy of education certificates, in English, no later than 31 May 2025 to [email protected] indicating in the subject line: Polio Technical Officer  _ Your name.

Please note that applicants must respond to the questions listed below in their email application; applications submitted without answers to these questions will not be considered. 

1. Do you have a university degree in Medicine, public health, nursing, or a related field from a recognized university? (Yes, No)

2. Do you have experience in surveillance, routine immunization and Polio campaigns? (Yes/ No, if yes for how many years)

3. Do you have relevant professional experience in Public Health? (Yes/ No, if yes for how many years)

4. Do you have first-hand experience of working with UN agencies or Governmental health Authorities? (Yes/ No)

5. Are you fluent in English? (Yes/ No) 

Relevant applications will be considered, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.