Health Coordinator -(Re-Advertisement)

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability. 

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpa); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. 

The Ebola outbreak, declared mid‑May 2026, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, with hundreds of suspected cases and hundreds of deaths reported across Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu provinces. It began with clusters of unexplained deaths in early May and is spreading in a context of weak health systems, population movement, insecurity, and community mistrust, which together increase the risk of sustained transmission and cross‑border spread to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and South Sudan. The absence of an approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain makes the outbreak particularly complex and heightens the urgency of rapid containment.

The IFRC is scaling up a national society‑led response centred on community engagement, surveillance, and infection control, supported by an emergency appeal. Red Cross volunteers are mobilized in affected areas to conduct door‑to‑door awareness, counter misinformation, encourage early care‑seeking, and support safe and dignified burials, key to breaking transmission. At the same time, the IFRC is coordinating closely with governments and partners, strengthening cross border preparedness, mobilising resources and surge capacity, and supporting logistics, infection prevention control, and community-based surveillance to contain the outbreak and reduce regional spread.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Ebola Emergency Coordinator, the Health Coordinator provides technical and operational support to ensure the timely and effective implementation of health emergency activities by the National Society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The incumbent collaborates with relevant internal and external partners to promote a coordinated and effective health response.

Working in co-leadership with the Operations Manager, the position provides technical guidance and defines health priorities, technical approaches and response modalities based on epidemiological analysis, community needs and the evolving operational context. The Health Coordinator supports the National Society in delivering safe, timely and high-quality health interventions and ensures effective technical coordination with relevant authorities, partners and health actors. The position also contributes to the planning, monitoring and adaptation of the operation while strengthening National Society capacity for epidemic preparedness and response.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Health Co-Leadership with Operations Lead the health component of rapid and ongoing assessments, identifying priority geographic areas, response gaps, at-risk populations, barriers to healthcare access and care-seeking, National Society technical capacity, and the specific value added of the National Society and IFRC network. Contribute jointly with the Operations Manager to a comprehensive assessment of health and non-health needs, response gaps, capacities, and operational risks and internal IFRC/National Society systems risks. Lead and regularly update the epidemiological risk analysis and scenario planning for the outbreak, drawing on surveillance data, community feedback, operational information and partner analysis; translate findings into recommendations on geographic prioritization, response modalities, scale, staffing and resource requirements. In consultation with the National Society and in co-leadership with the Operations Manager, lead the development and periodic revision of the outbreak response strategy, setting health objectives, priority locations, technical approaches, response modalities, targets and sequencing of activities. Ensure that IFRC-supported health plans and technical approaches are harmonized with Ministry of Health strategies, WHO guidance, and outbreak-response pillars. Provide technical leadership for RCCE as a core outbreak-control intervention, ensuring that community feedback, perceptions, information needs, barriers to care-seeking and protection considerations are incorporated into technical strategy and programme adaptation. Work with CEA and PGI colleagues to establish integrated community feedback, referral and “do no harm” approaches across health interventions. Regularly review and adapt response activities according to epidemiological evolution, community feedback, implementation quality and operational feasibility, including recommendations to scale up, scale down, change scope or relocate interventions. Technical Support Lead IFRC’s work in monitoring national and provincial epidemiological data, health indicators and disease patterns for analysis specific to the BVD outbreak. Provide technical guidance and support to NS in developing and revising their contribution to the larger BVD response that are consistent with their mandates and roles as agreed with national authorities, WHO, Africa CDC, UN and partner agencies. Lead the develop and dissemination of tools to support the BVD response. Ensure coordination with national authorities, WHO, Africa CDC, UN and partner agencies. Lead the development and roll out of health communication packages, based on guidance and recommendations of the Global Health and Care Team

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Programme management

• Lead health and care specific response activities under the operational strategy.
• Ensure technical oversight and quality assurance of IFRC-supported health activities, including planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
• Support the preparation of key project reports for donors and other partners to keep them informed on program progress.
• Provide technical leadership for epidemic preparedness, operational readiness, and recovery planning, ensuring lessons from the response strengthen the long-term capacities of the National Society and communities

NS capacity development

• Lead IFRC’s Support to National Societies in developing relevant and effective services of the BVD Response..
• Work with National Societies in identifying challenges and gaps in health and care area which require additional resources and assist with fundraising in collaboration with relevant technical teams at the Regional Office. This may include assistance with developing project proposals.

Partnership and coordination

• Liaise with and encourage the NS to engage effectively with other key health sector players including national authorities, WHO, Africa CDC, UN and partner agencies where appropriate. .
• Develop, motivate and set performance objectives for team members in line with broader programme/ operational objectives and global functional objectives to support a culture of continuous improvement and high-quality service delivery to NSs and internal clients.
• Plan, manage and monitor available resources (people, budgets, equipment, etc.) to deliver agreed activities for the Health and Care team.
• Provide/coordinate briefings and training on Health matters for internal stakeholders including at Geneva, Regional Office, CCD and Operations.
• Recruit, train and supervise Health staff to ensure tasks and functions are completed in timely and efficient manner, within acceptable levels of quality and costs.
• Focus the Health Team to ensure alignment of the functions with priorities and objectives.
• Be actively involved in succession planning and in ensuring match of skills and experience to positions requirements.

Education

• Professional certification in a health discipline (MD, RN, MPH, MSc in public or global health, midwifery)- Required
• Relevant post graduate degree public health (MPH, Msc in Public Health)- Required

Experience

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience-Required
• At least 5-7 years of work experience in health programme management-Required
• Experience in collaborating with national health authorities or WHO-Required
• Experience in health emergency risk management-Required
• Demonstrated experience in surveillance, epidemiology, or HIS at the community level-Required
• Experience of working with Red Cross Red Crescent Movement-Preferred
• Previous Ebola Response Experience- Preferred  

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated management skills, service minded, ability to lead, delegate and manage-Required.
• Result-oriented, ability to lead transitions within a matrix management structure
  High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity with internal and external stakeholders-Required.
• Good ability in representation, negotiation, networking and communication-Required.
• Good knowledge of current international health standards and guidelines-Required.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and manage stress-Required.
• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills-Required.
• Good mentoring and coaching skills-Required.
• Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment
• Ability to travel extensively-Required.
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.-Required.
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values.-Required.

Language 

• Fluent spoken and written English and French-Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish and Arabic)-Preferred 

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.

Managerial competencies: Managing Performance, Managing Staff Development.

Functional competencies: Strategic Orientation, Building Alliances, Leadership, Empowering Others