Title: Register - Public Health Delegate - ERU/Rapid Response (Anticipatory Recruitment)

Employee Working Location: In-person (International Deployments)

Employment Status: Casual (4 to 12 week missions)

The Canadian Red Cross (Red Cross) – an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada’s Best Employers 2024 , we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

Upon joining our PH register, the Public Health delegate may deploy in several capacities:

• As part of a clinical or public health ERU at the Canadian Red Cross
• As Rapid Response in support to IFRC operations
• In support to other partners (ICRC, bilateral support to other National Societies)

The Public Health Delegate , under the direction of the Team Leader or Operations Manager and other colleagues, will work in collaboration with other Movement Partners, delegates, national staff and volunteers, local health authorities and affected communities as part of a team within the mandate of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) or International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The delegate may deploy as part of an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) . an ERU is a standardized modular package of equipment, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals ready to be deployed on short notice with a team to international emergencies. ERUs are further subdivided into clinical and PH ERUs. Note: A wide range of PH specialists will be considered for the ERU roster including but not limited to: Generalists, Epidemiologists, Vaccination/IPC/Community Mobilization/SBCC Specialists etc.

In this role, you will:

• Due to the broad range of public health interventions that can be required in an emergency, public health (PH) delegate duties/responsibilities will vary greatly from one deployment to another. PH delegates are not expected/required to be specialists in all areas, but rather will be selected for deployment based on the best possible match of program needs and demonstrated individual competencies. Tasks that are frequently required of the PH delegate include:
• Participate/lead initial and ongoing assessments of the public health needs of affected communities and make program recommendations according to findings.
• Provide technical oversight to plan and/or implement activities based on evidence, best practices and core standards, to ensure quality of services, including supervision, quality assurance and routine monitoring or public health activities at the community level
• Reinforce, when possible and appropriate, the capacity of the National Society’s volunteers through basic and/or specialized CBHFA/ECV/CBS training.
• Assist with the set-up, community sensitization and management of a patient referral system along with clinical ERU/IFRC/ICRC colleagues and external partners.
• Plan, manage and/or support context-specific community-based epidemic control and disease prevention activities.
• Design, manage and/or support disease monitoring and community-based surveillance activities.
• Identify local volunteers and community partners who can support the outreach work of the ERU/health activities, and follow proper recruitment and training procedures to work with vulnerable populations in close collaboration with the Host National Society (HNS) and Rapid Response Health.
• Determine how medical/epidemic surveillance is carried out in the host country and ensure that ERU is compliant with the national minimum standards, including adherence to reporting requirements/mechanisms enforced by local authorities.
• Manage and/or support epidemiological data collection, analysis and sharing at both clinic and community levels.
• Set up, manage and supervise ERU health information systems (HIS) including collection, analysis and timely, appropriate and confidential sharing/reporting of data.
• Strengthen the Emergency Response Unit by setting up, managing and/or supporting community-based epidemic control, health promotion and disease prevention interventions.
• Support and coordinate ERU local staff to undertake public health-related tasks, including supervision, mentoring, and training.

Duties Applicable to All Staff These duties complement the key tasks and responsibilities of each ERU Delegate and are in addition to the specific mandate elaborated in the ERU/Rapid response Deployment Order and Terms of Reference:

• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Principles:

• To prevent and alleviate human suffering

• To protect life and health and ensure respect for the human being

• Making no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions, and giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress

• Not taking sides in hostilities or engaging in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature

• Not prompted in any manner by desire for gain

• Sharing equal status with other Societies in the Movement and equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other

• Abide by and work in accordance with the ERU Standard Operating Procedures

• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line managers

Lateral Relationships Represent the ERU/IFRC/ICRC to internal and external stakeholders at various levels as needed and establish and maintain effective working relationships with the following entities:

• Beneficiaries from affected communities and hired staff
• Host National Society counterparts and volunteers
• Red Cross Movement partners, including IFRC, ICRC, PNS, ERU delegates from other deploying NS
• Local health authorities, UN agencies and NGOs, using formal or informal health cluster or similar coordination meetings to maximize efficient health care delivery

What we are looking for: Education and Training

• IMPACT or BTC Course (provided by the Red Cross)
• Master’s Degree in Public Health or equivalent relevant work experience in public or community health during crises (to be assessed on a case-by-case basis using a competency matrix)
• Professional qualification as a Medical Doctor, Registered Nurse or Nutritionist is an asset
• Health ERU Training (provided by the Red Cross) is an asset
• Experience of managing and supporting staff
• Experience in living or working in remote and or low-resource settings
• Experience living or working in a cultural context other than their own
• Preferred experience working for the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement
• Experience implementing Red Cross Red Crescent movement health tools and approaches in emergencies
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Can design and implement sound public health interventions in a low resource setting
• Skills in training, facilitation, coaching and development of staff and volunteers
• Strong computer literacy (Windows, Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, word processing, e-mail)
• Valid international driving license (manual gears)
• Fluent in English
• Working knowledge in French, Spanish or another language is an asset
• National Society cooperative relations; Building trust; Managing performance; Teamwork; Communication; Professionalism; Empowering others; Diversity; Judgement/Decision-making

General Qualifications

• In good mental and physical health
• Discrete, professional and mature
• Capable of decision-making in conditions of uncertainty
• Able to work with limited resources, demonstrate innovation in problem solving
• Capable of handling extreme stress, change and situations of insecurity
• Able to leave for four to six weeks on very short notice

Working Conditions

• Field based position. Difficult and demanding working conditions are expected and may include the following:
• Due to the dynamic nature of an emergency and proximity to disaster-affected area, issues of access and mobility;
• Very basic living conditions;
• Long hours of work in a demanding context with limited resources;
• Stressful rapidly changing environment with limited information to make decisions.
• As we work with and support people (managers, colleagues, beneficiaries/customers, volunteers, donors and external partners) and communities in Canada and around the world, applicants whose first language is not English may be required to perform the responsibilities of the role in English.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).