ATTENTION!!!

AU Values

• Respect for Diversity and Team Work   • Think Africa Above all                     

• Transparency and Accountability           • Integrity and Impartiality                       

• Efficiency and Professionalism              • Information and Knowledge Sharing

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Organization Information

Reports to: Regional Director, Northern Regional Coordinating Centre (NARCC)
Directorate/Department: Northern Regional Coordinating Centre (NARCC)
Division: Emergency Preparedness and Response
Number of Direct Reports:0
Number of Indirect Reports:0
Number of Positions: 1
Job Grade: P3
Contract Type: Appointment for Limited duration (ALD)
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Purpose of Job

The African Union (AU) through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) leads continent-wide efforts to strengthen health systems and public health emergency preparedness and response capacities. Africa CDC works with Member States, regional bodies, and partners to detect, prevent, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health threats.
The Senior Technical Officer – Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response will provide technical leadership and coordination for emergency preparedness and response activities across North Africa, supporting all Seven (7) Member States and regional partners to strengthen readiness and resilience to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks and other health burdens through an integrated network of region-wide preparedness and response, surveillance, laboratory, and research programs.

Main Functions

Under the supervision and guidance of the NARCC Regional Director, the Senior Technical Officer for Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response will assume a leadership role in providing technical expertise and support in emergency response operations. The officer will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing technical assistance to emergency response teams, ensuring the implementation of best practices, and contributing to the overall success of emergency response efforts.

Specific Responsibilities

The Senior Technical Officer for Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response shall perform the following major duties and responsibilities:
•Support development and implementation of regional preparedness plans and frameworks to achieve the 7-1-7 model
•Providing technical advice and support to emergency response teams in Africa during public health events, focusing on areas such as disease surveillance, outbreak investigation and response, infection prevention and control, laboratory services, and risk communication.
•Coordinating the grading of public health events in Northern Africa, utilizing standardized criteria and methodologies, and preparing reports to share with relevant stakeholders for informed decision-making.
•Collaborating and strengthening engagement with relevant stakeholders, including national health authorities of Member States, international organizations, NGOs, and other partners, to ensure effective coordination, information sharing, and alignment of technical strategies in response to public health events.
•Coordinating the development, implementation, and monitoring of emergency response plans specific to public health events, including technical aspects such as rapid response protocols, case management guidelines, and laboratory testing algorithms.
•Conducting technical assessments, analysis, and evaluations to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in public health emergency response in Africa.
•Support early warning systems, surveillance, and cross‑border collaboration and prepare technical briefs, situation updates, and progress reports.   
•Keeping abreast of new technologies, best practices, and innovations in public health emergency response, and recommending their integration where applicable.
•Coordination and participating in capacity building initiatives, technical workshops, including providing technical training and mentoring to field staff involved in public health emergency response to enhance their skills and knowledge.
•Supporting the development of technical guidelines, protocols, and standard operating procedures for public health emergency response in Northern Africa.
•The Senior Technical Officer will also work to build partnerships with other organizations to support emergency response activities and support rapid response planning and deployments during emergencies.  

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

•Master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Health Systems Management, or a related health field from an accredited academic institution with at least seven (7) years of relevant work experience including three (3) years at expert level in the coordination and planning of support of public health emergency response, preferably in the fields of outbreak response, infectious disease prevention and control, health security or health systems strengthening. Or

•Bachelor’s Degree in public health, Epidemiology, Health Systems Management or a related health field from an accredited academic institution with at least ten (10) years of relevant work experience including three (3) years at expert level in the coordination and planning of support of public health emergency response, preferably in the fields of outbreak response, infectious disease prevention and control, health security or health systems strengthening.

•A PhD in Public Health or a related field will be an added advantage.
•Extensive and demonstrable experience in providing technical support in emergency response operations, preferably as coordinator or senior advisory role within a humanitarian context.
•Demonstrable technical expertise and experience in supporting and/or managing complex emergencies with special emphasis on technical assistance.
•Experience working with an international organization is an asset.
•Previous experience working in Africa reflects an in-depth knowledge of public health issues and public health workforce in general.
•Demonstrable experience and in-depth knowledge of the operations of the Africa CDC, Regional Collaborating Centers is preferred.
•Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and with other partners of Africa CDC.
•Demonstratable working knowledge of disaster management and climate health
•Clear understanding of the health systems on the Continent and operations of the Ministries of Health in Northern Africa Member States.
•Knowledge and experience in supporting public health response for public health emergencies and programs under government ministries and external donors.
•Understanding of the African Union’s and Africa CDC way of working and managing associated.
•Strong analytical capacities.
•Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and personal qualities of integrity and credibility.
•Excellent verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention to details.

Required Skills

•Proven expertise in emergency preparedness and response.
•Experience in capacity building and regional training.
•Strong analytical and data interpretation skills
•Knowledge of emergency management systems and public health technologies.
•Demonstratable previous relevant working experience in Northern Africa Region
•Ability to work under pressure, stay on track and meet deadlines
•Analytical and problem-solving abilities
•Proven ability to produce precise and intelligible reports and office briefs in line with the requirements of the African Union.
•High level of autonomy at work, yet with profound team-spirit
•Adaptive, patient, resourceful, resilient and flexible
•Pro-active and solutions oriented
•Knowledge of results-based management and drive for Results
•Conceptual Thinking
•Job Knowledge and information sharing
•Continuous Improvement Orientation
•Building Relationship
•Fosters Accountability Culture
•Learning Orientation
•Communicating with Influence
•Excellent communication, teamwork, and organizational skills.
•Ability to work in multicultural environments.
•High professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct.

Leadership Competencies

Core Competencies

Functional Competencies

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TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:

The Appointment will be for a period of Eleven (11) Months, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

GENDER MAINSTREAMING:

Africa CDC is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

LANGUAGES:
Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

REMUNERATION:

The salary attached to the position for the eleven month period is US$  88,844.56  (P3 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 68,255.99 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union.

Applications must be submitted no later than February 26, 2026 11h59 p.m. EAT.
-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted. -Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas, Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise. -The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. -Candidates from less represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, Somalia and Tunisia.