Public Health Officer

Position details

• Vacancy number: 2603833
• Grade: P4
• Contractual arrangement: Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4
• Contract duration: 12 months
• Organization: AF_COD Democratic Republic of Congo
• Schedule: Full-time
• Closing date: Sep 17, 2026, 2:59:00 PM

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device's system settings.

Purpose of the Position

The ongoing conflict in eastern DRC is an upsurge of a complex protracted crisis of more than two decades which has contributed to a large-scale humanitarian crisis, with 6.47 million internally displaced persons and 4.19 million returnees reported by OCHA as of January 2026. WHO is responding to this emergency as a Grade 3 event under the WHO Emergency Response Framework. An Incident Management System team has been established at the WHO Country Office to support a coordinated multisectoral response under the leadership of the Incident Manager, with overall coordination from the WHO Emergency Preparedness and Response Team Lead, the Deputy WHO Representative and the WHO Representative. In this context, the Public Health Officer will provide technical leadership and operational support to WHO’s health emergency response in the North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces by performing the following functions:

(i) Leading and coordinating WHO’s actions in support to emergency preparedness, response and resilience, to reduce excess morbidity and mortality among crisis-affected, internally displaced persons, returnees and vulnerable host communities.
(ii) Providing technical guidance to provincial authorities, provincial WHO teams, Health Cluster partners and humanitarian actors on priority public health risks and response strategies.
(iii) Supporting continuity of essential health services and health system functionality in crisis-affected areas, with attention to equity, access, vulnerable groups and barriers to care.
(iv) Contributing to the prevention, detection and response to epidemic-prone diseases and other public health threats in the crisis affected areas, including cholera, mpox, measles, malaria and other priority conditions such as maternal mortality.
(v) Promoting the use of reliable data, field evidence, epidemiological analysis and operational learning to guide decision-making throughout the emergency response cycle.
(vi) Liaising with technical response pillars (surveillance, lab diagnostics, clinical management, vaccination, risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control) and other humanitarian sectors to ensure an integrated public health response.
(vii)Providing technical public health input to strategic planning, operational planning, project implementation, monitoring, situation reports, donor reporting and lessons learned exercises.

Objectives of the Programme

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, while strengthening national capacities for resilient and sustainable health emergency management.

Description of Duties

During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be adjusted based on the operational needs of the humanitarian response.
The incumbent will perform some or all of the following duties:

1. Assess public health risks, damage to health infrastructure, functionality of health services, referral systems, laboratories, cold chain, essential medicines, health information systems and the priority needs of crisis-affected populations.

    

2. Support national and provincial health authorities, WHO staff, Health Cluster partners and humanitarian actors to plan, coordinate and implement public health response activities in line with WHO’s Emergency Response Framework and the Health Cluster strategic response.
3. Analyse public health risks, needs, vulnerabilities, health service gaps and response capacities, and advise WHO and partners on priority interventions, operational bottlenecks and corrective actions.
4. Monitor access to and continuity of essential health services in crisis-affected areas, with attention to equity, vulnerable groups, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities.
5. Support the implementation of evidence-based public health interventions, including emergency health care, maternal and newborn health, child health, outbreak prevention and response, health promotion, mental health and psychosocial support, and protection-sensitive health programming.
6. Compile, analyse and interpret data from multiple sources, including surveillance, early warning, displacement trends, health service functionality, partner presence and field assessments, to inform operational decision-making.
7. Support coordination meetings with WHO teams, provincial health authorities, Health Cluster partners and other relevant sectors; prepare minutes, track action points and contribute to lessons learned and after-action reviews.
8. Provide technical inputs to situation reports, health cluster bulletins, outbreak updates, donor reports, operational plans, briefing notes and other information products.
9. Support coordination across WHO technical pillars (including surveillance, laboratory, clinical management, vaccination, IPC, RCCE,) and other humanitarian sectors including WASH, nutrition, protection, logistics and education, to ensure an integrated response.
10. Ensure that WHO-supported interventions comply with IASC principles, humanitarian standards, accountability to affected populations and the Humanitarian Programme Cycle.
11. Perform any other incident-specific duties assigned by the functional supervisor.

 

Recruitment Profile

Education 

Essential:
Advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in public health and/or health-related fields from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable:

• Doctorate degree in Medicine.
• Post graduate studies or specialized training in emergency response or disaster management in the context of public health.
• Diploma in tropical medicine or diploma in disaster management.

 

Experience

Essential:

• At least seven years of relevant experience, at the national and international levels, in public health in emergencies response or health sector coordination, with emphasis on managing outbreaks and health emergencies and/ or health consequences of emergencies and crises.
• Experience in capacity building, developing and promoting collaborative partnerships.

Desirable:

• Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies, health cluster partners, recognized humanitarian organizations or relevant nongovernmental or humanitarian organizations. 
• Experience in capacity building program planning/development, project management, monitoring and evaluation. 
• Experience with resource mobilization in emergency settings.

 

Knowledge and Skills

• In-depth knowledge of WHO incident management system, WHO 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.
• Demonstrated knowledge and field experience in managing the public health impacts of complex humanitarian crises, population displacement, armed conflict, natural disasters and epidemic-prone disease outbreaks.
• Strong skills in health needs assessments, public health risk analysis, strategic information management, epidemiological interpretation, operational planning and prioritization of interventions in emergency settings.
• Demonstrated ability to support coordination across national authorities, provincial health teams, Health Cluster partners, UN agencies, NGOs and other humanitarian actors.
• Proven capacity in proposal development, donor reporting, situation reporting, technical brief writing, monitoring and evaluation, and documentation of lessons learned.
• Ability to anticipate emerging public health risks, identify service delivery gaps and propose practical corrective actions in complex and insecure field environments.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office software applications.

 

WHO Global Competencies

• Producing results in complex and fast-changing humanitarian settings)
• Communicating effectively with national authorities, partners, communities and WHO teams
• Building and promoting partnerships across WHO, government, UN agencies, Health Cluster partners and other humanitarian actors
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences, with sensitivity to conflict-affected and displaced populations
• Fostering teamwork across technical pillars, field teams and multisectoral response structures.

 

Languages

Essential : Expert level of French and intermediate level of English

Additional Information
Staff members separated due to the 2025 Prioritization and Realignment Process will receive special consideration according to the applicable regulatory framework.
This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
In the event your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and eManual.
The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.
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WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.
An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
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