WHO JPO - Health Emergency Officer (Medical Evacuations)

UNDP•Picayune, MS

About The Position

The Junior Professional Officer will contribute to provide technical support in the implementation of WHO programmes in emergency preparedness and response, assisting health authorities and other relevant stakeholders in strengthening national preparedness, response, and core capacities. This contributes to the overall mission of the WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) programme — to help countries prevent, prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies, while coordinating international action in these domains. In the context of the Gaza emergency response, as health needs continue to exceed the capacity of the local health system and are expected to do so for the foreseeable future, WHO has supported local health authorities in operationalizing a system for medical evacuation. Since October 2023, WHO has coordinated the medical evacuation of nearly 8,000 patients, including over 5,400 children, from Gaza to specialized care abroad, ensuring safe transfers despite access restrictions and security constraints. Over 16,500 patients still await evacuation, prompting WHO to call for expanded medical corridors through Egypt and Jordan and increased acceptance of Gaza patients by Member States.

Requirements

Master degree or equivalent in medicine, public health, health management, or a related field from a recognized institution.
In exceptional cases candidates with a Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of 4 years relevant working experience can be considered.
Minimum of two years relevant working experience after obtaining Master degree, or minimum of 4 years relevant working experience for candidates with a Bachelor’s degree.
At least two years of relevant experience in health emergency operations, medical logistics, patient referral systems, and/or humanitarian coordination at national and international levels.
Experience in complex emergencies or conflict-affected contexts is essential
Work experience within the UN system should not exceed 1 year, including UNV, (paid) UN internship and UN consultancy.
All paid work experience since obtaining Bachelor’s degree will/can be considered.
Fluency in English is required.
Maximal age limit is 32 years as of 31 December of the year of application.
This post is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands and is addressed exclusively to nationals of the Netherlands.
Direct experience in emergency medical evacuation systems, patient referral coordination, and/or operational logistics.
Experience in negotiation and coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively under pressure in high-stress environments.
Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills, with proven ability to produce technical reports.
Proficiency in the use of health information and data management systems

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

Responsibilities

Support the end-to-end WHO-supported medical evacuation (medevac) process for patients requiring specialized treatment outside Gaza, ensuring operational, medical, and administrative compliance.
Support operational planning for medical evacuations, ensuring readiness, security clearance, and coordination with host countries and health partners, and lead medical evacuation missions.
Liaise with the Ministry of Health, the Referral Committee, national authorities, health cluster partners, and receiving countries to facilitate the timely clearance, referral, and transfer of patients.
Support the re-establishment and functioning of medical referral corridors through Rafah, Kerem Shalom, and other potential routes, ensuring rapid scale-up when feasible.
Support and coordinate WHO efforts related to the safe return of patients to Gaza when conditions allow.
Provide strategic and technical guidance to national authorities and partners to strengthen referral systems, medical transport, and pre-transfer stabilization capacities within Gaza.
Support with the integration of medevac operations into national and subnational emergency preparedness and response plans, ensuring alignment with broader humanitarian health objectives.
Monitor and assess emerging risks that may affect patient movement or access to care, proposing mitigation measures and operational adjustments as needed.
Maintain and analyze comprehensive data on medical evacuations, including patient categories, destinations, and access bottlenecks, and ensure timely reporting through WHO dashboards and information products.
Prepare situation reports, analytical briefs, donor updates, and after-action reviews on medevac operations, access trends, and humanitarian health outcomes.
Support and coordinate evaluations of medevac effectiveness, impact, and quality of care.
Identify operational and funding gaps in medical evacuation systems and support on advocacy with partners and donors for necessary resources.
Contribute to WHO’s advocacy with Member States and partners to expand acceptance of Gaza patients and restore traditional referral corridors, including to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Support on the development and implementation of training and capacity-building initiatives for health, logistics, and coordination personnel involved in patient triage, referral, and evacuation operations.
Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and operational guidelines to strengthen WHO’s emergency medical evacuation mechanisms in future responses.
Participate in inter-agency forums, humanitarian coordination mechanisms, and health cluster meetings related to medical evacuations and access to care.
Promote collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, and national partners to ensure coherence and complementarity within the wider humanitarian health response.
Provide briefings to senior management, donors, and stakeholders on medevac operations and related humanitarian access issues.
The JPO will perform any other duties as required by the functional supervisor, in particular in the context of WHO’s emergency response activities