EMT/Paramedic (Emergency Response Technical Advisor) , Africa

Employer: International Rescue Committee
Location: Liberia
Closing date: 21 Jul 2015
Background: 

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC has worked in Liberia since 1996 and is one of the largest humanitarian actors in the country. On March 31, 2014, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was identified as an outbreak in Liberia. On August 8, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The outbreak raged on, with nearly 4,000 deaths and more than 10,000 cases in Liberia. Pre-crisis, the work of IRC in Liberia has had a development focus in the areas of Health, Child Protection and Women's Protection and Empowerment (WPE). However, as part of the organizational mandate to respond to emergencies, the IRC quickly diverted existing funding and raised new funds for critical EVD prevention and response activities in target areas.
In September 2014, funding was secured from US government's Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for a multi-NGO consortium "Montserrado Ebola Prevention and Response Consortium" project, led by IRC. The project currently runs through July 31, 2015, with plans to expand through the end of December, 2015. In line with the Ministry of Health (MoH) strategy, Consortium partners are supporting the disease surveillance and response functions Montserrado County Health Team (MCHT) at the County, District, Zonal and Community levels. In addition, Action Contra La Faime (ACF) will support psychosocial intervention and Global Communities (GC) will support Dead Body Management and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) will support improving the Emergency Dispatch Unit. As the lead agency, the IRC also takes responsibility for overall consortium management.

The role of the Technical Advisor will be to lead IRCs support to the Emergency Dispatch Unit and emergency response system. He/she will report to the Health Consortium Team Leader, and his/her role will be to work closely with the national Incident Management System (IMS), the MoH, the Emergency Dispatch Unit and with relevant partners to design an Medical Emergency Response System that matches the needs of Montserrado County beyond the EVD crisis, to develop terms of reference, protocols and standard operating procedures, and lead the training programs based on these.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the IMS, the MoH, the EDU and relevant partners to develop an emergency response system for Montserrado County.
• As needed, provide guidance to the GoL on development of similar systems for other counties.
• Act as the Consortium's representative on matters related to support to the EDU in discussions with government, donors, and other partners
• Develop terms of reference, protocols, standard operating procedures and training curricula to address both emergency and public health phone calls.
• Train MoH dispatchers to conduct phone triage to receive, classify and refer calls for appropriate response.
• Provide direct mentorship to EDU management. Providing the overall operational support to the Emergency Dispatch Unit. This may include, but is not limited to, supporting the management of operational needs, providing general logistical and specific fleet management support for ambulance and response teams.
• Provide timely updates on progress and challenges to the Consortium.

Requirements: 

• Certification as an EMT, Paramedic or equivalent.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in of emergency response systems.
• Experience establishing emergency response systems in a developing region.
• Proven ability to work effectively with multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams; skilled at persuading and leading through influence, negotiation and coaching.
• At least 5 years' experience in humanitarian emergencies or post conflict situations.
• Experience designing and implementing training programs.
• Experience working in a multi-cultural setting and in complex humanitarian responses - experience working in Liberia is a plus;
• Computer skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook);
• Fluency and strong writing skills in English required.

Length of Assignment: 6 months

Safety & Security Situation:
All international Staff must comply with all IRC Liberia security policies and procedures. While there is a great deal of media coverage about the risks of working in an Ebola affected country, both the CDC and WHO have stated that the highest risks remain for those directly treating Ebola patients which this position would not be involved in. Furthermore, you will be working with a team of fellow international staff who continue to work confidently in the country, following robust IRC hygiene protocols to minimize any risk. At any point the position holder has the option to end the assignment should you feel unsafe in any way, with no repercussions in terms of employment in other IRC programs.

How to apply:

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=a2F0cmluYW1pbGxlci41MjYwNS4zODMwQGlyYy5hcG...