ANTHROPOLOGIST

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Vacancy Notice No: AFRO/14/TA187 Title: EBOLA OUTBREAK - SURGE CAPACITY - ANTHROPOLOGIST Grade:  Contract type: Temporary appointment Duration of contract:  Minimum 3 months (with possible extension)	Date: 17 December 2014 Application Deadline: 31 March 2015 (82 day(s) until closing deadline) Currently accepting applications Duty Station:  Multiple duty stations   Organization unit: AF Africa (AF) Duty stations: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia (including district level)
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME : The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013 and now involves intense transmission in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. On Friday 25th July 2014 the Director-General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005), and grading the outbreak to Grade 3 in line with the WHO Emergency Response Framework (ERF). There is heightened concern about the risk of Ebola spreading to other countries. Within this framework, a WHO Ebola Response team is dedicated exclusively to coordinate international response, and mobilise international technical assistance from WHO, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and other partners and stakeholders to provide direct support for national outbreak response activities and in the field. The UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, agreed on the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) by the UNSG - the first of its kind - headquartered in Accra and providing a UN-wide initiative that draws together all the assets of all relevant UN agencies to tackle this crisis together. In this regard, WHO is the lead agency for a number of strategic objectives.
Description of duties: Under the overall guidance of the WHO Country Representative (WR) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the responsible officer for social moiblization in EVD outbreak response team, and in support to the National Social Mobilization Task Team, advise on the social, cultural and behavioral factors that are likely to support or hinder the spread of EVD prevention and control activities in communities. He\she will: - Support the EVD Response Teams through the application of ethnographic methodologies in order to understand factors that drive the spread of EVD and apply findings to programme and policies; - Carry out investigation(s) that will help better understand local cultural attitudes, beliefs and practices related to EVD and community support for proposed public health interventions and strategies e.g., the establishment of Ebola Treatment Units/Ebola Care Units/Community Care Units and conducting safe burials; - Identify and incorporate local beliefs and practices into patient care and social mobilization response efforts; - Investigate contextual issues regarding culture, beliefs and values that would support better understanding of Ebola outbreaks and the proposed public health interventions and strategies; - Contribute to ongoing ecological studies in relation to primary cases and identification of the natural source of Ebola virus where relevant; - Advise on ways to integrate understanding of cultural and social norms of communities to develop better rapport and trust between government, response staff and communities across various EVD issues; - Support the Ministry of Health to document the sociocultural and behavioral contextual situation of the Ebola outbreak; - Provide a detailed a detailed analysis of the social, cultural and behavioural factors associated with the EVD and propose a set of recommendations to address programmatic, technical and policy issues; - Other duties as required.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Essential: University degree in social/medical/cultural anthropology
Skills:  Essential: - Proven knowledge and skills in medical/social/cultural anthropological studies; - Possess strong knowledge of theories in health and culture and their application including psychosocial support. - Excellent interpersonal skills; - Strong organizational skills; - Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment with tact and diplomacy. - Proficiency in Microsoft Office package (e.g. Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc.). Desirable: - Knowledge of WHO, the UN System or NGO work in the field of response relief and/or of their practices and procedures is an advantage. Competencies: 1. Communicating in a credible and effective way 2. Producing results 3. Fostering integration and teamwork 4. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Experience: Essential: At least 5 years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluation of social policies and interventions, social participation and community mobilization initiatives in developing countries. Desirable: Experience working with infectious disease outbreak response and in emergency situations is an added advantage.
Languages: Depending on the country of assignment: - For French speaking countries: Good working knowledge (written & spoken) of French. Knowledge of English an advantage. - For English speaking countries: Good working knowledge (written & spoken) of English. Knowledge of French an advantage
Additional Information: THIS VACANCY IS GENERIC AND OUTLINES THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS WHO ARE CONSIDERED FOR DEPLOYMENT AGAINST A SPECIFIC POSITION WILL BE CONTACTED. AS REFERENCE CHECKS WILL BE MADE THROUGH YOUR CURRENT AND PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS AT THE POINT OF SHORTLISTING, PLEASE ENSURE THAT THEY ARE INFORMED OF THE URGENCY TO PROVIDE RAPID FEEDBACK. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU INDICATE THEIR E-MAIL ADDRESS WHEN COMPLETING YOUR PERSONAL HISTORY FORM. PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENT CANDIDATES MUST: - HOLD A VALID YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CERTIFICATE - COMPLETE THE ONLINE UNDSS BASIC II SECURITY IN THE FIELD TRAINING WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE THROUGH https://training.dss.un.org/courses/v21/pages/dss_login_register.php - PROVIDE ALL COPIES OF DEGREES/DIPLOMAS INDICATED IN THEIR PERSONAL HISTORY FORM PERSONS CONTRACTED AGAINST THIS VACANCY NOTICE WILL COMPRISE A MOBILE WORKFORCE AND MAY BE DEPLOYED TO ANY LOCATION WITHIN THE ASSIGNED COUNTRY, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THAT COUNTRY. THEY MAY ALSO BE REDEPLOYED TO ANOTHER LOCATION DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR ASSIGNMENT.
Annual salary: (Net of tax) at single rate
This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
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