Advisor, Health Emergencies

Pan American Health Organization Inc; Bogotá ciudad; Presencial; COP 267.888.000 - 311.400.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Pan American Health Organization Inc. in Bogotá seeks a Deputy Director or similar leadership role to strengthen national health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capacities.

You will guide policy, coordination, and technical guidance with national authorities and international partners. The position requires nine years of managerial public health experience, strong analytical and leadership skills, and fluency in Spanish or English with working knowledge of the other language.

Formación

• Nine years of combined national and international managerial experience in public health, social services, or disaster management.
• Requires leadership in emergency preparedness, risk reduction, and health security.
• Fluency in Spanish or English with working knowledge of the other language.

Responsabilidades

• Manage PAHO’s health emergencies program at the national level and provide strategic advice.
• Lead surveillance, risk assessment, investigation, and data management for epidemics.
• Coordinate partnerships with ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
• Support emergency response operations and incident management as needed.

Conocimientos

Management experience

Public health knowledge

Emergency response

Spanish/English bilingual

Educación

University degree

Master's degree in health/public health or disaster management

Herramientas

ERP

Excel

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Teams

Word

Outlook

OneDrive

Descripción del empleo

Job Information

Grade: P-4 Salary - Annually: Step I - 86,027.00 USD Post Adjustment - Annually: 47,228.82 USD Contractual Agreement: Staff - Professional Post Job Posting: September 22, 2026 Closing Date: October 13, 2026, 11:59 PM Colombia Standard Time Primary Location: Bogota, Colombia Organization: COL Colombia Schedule: Full time

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Advisor, Health Emergencies Join PAHO’s Health Emergencies team and contribute to strengthening national capacities for preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience in the face of emergencies and disasters. This role plays a key part in supporting countries to protect public health through effective emergency management and health security strategies.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the general supervision of the Director, Health Emergencies (PHE), and the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not limited to, the following assigned duties: Manage PAHO’s health emergencies program at the national level and provide strategic advice to strengthen prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery capacities for all types of hazards. Provide technical guidance to national authorities on health emergency policies, disaster risk reduction, global health security, and the implementation of country strategies and work plans aligned with PAHO priorities. Lead and support surveillance, risk assessment, investigation, and information management activities related to epidemic-prone infectious hazards, including outbreak monitoring and data dissemination. Promote and coordinate multisectoral partnerships with ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacities and mobilize resources for technical cooperation. Support emergency response operations, including serving as or supporting the Incident Manager during graded emergencies, and contribute to regional and national emergency response mechanisms. Coordinate emergency planning, reporting, work planning, evaluations, and implementation of regional plans of action related to disaster risk reduction, humanitarian assistance, and epidemic-prone diseases. For a complete list of functions, please see the post description.

EDUCATION

A university degree in health, social, or environmental science and a master’s degree in a health science, public health, or in a discipline related to emergency and disaster management from a recognized institution.

EXPERIENCE

Nine years of combined national and international experience in a managerial position in public health, social services, or disaster management (prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery).

LANGUAGES

Fluency in Spanish or English with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT SKILLS

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

For a complete list of competencies and skills, please refer to the post description. The skills required are: Advanced expertise in humanitarian aid, emergency preparedness, and disaster risk reduction. Strong knowledge of public health emergency response operations and the ability to lead multidisciplinary and multinational teams. Excellent analytical skills for assessing, monitoring, evaluating, and managing emergency situations. Ability to develop and implement innovative strategies and provide evidence-based recommendations on technical, political, and administrative issues. Proven capacity to build partnerships, coordinate stakeholders, and maintain results-oriented collaborations. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the preparation of reports, presentations, and technical documents for senior audiences. Ability to work collaboratively, promote knowledge sharing, and deliver quality results in complex environments. Strategic planning, resource management, and performance monitoring skills.

DURATION OF CONTRACT

One year post of limited duration. First year probationary period.

DISCLAIMER

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade and level. PAHO, considers official higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in one of the following databases: - World Higher Education Database (WHED), list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be assessed through the link: http://whed.net/ - Council for Higher Education Accreditation chea.org - College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, nces.gov to support the validation process. Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Maintaining high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities. Promoting a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of misconduct. Providing a smoke-free environment. Protecting the people in the communities we serve. Therefore, we have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is the specialized international health agency for the Americas. It works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people's health. PAHO wears two institutional hats: it is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System and also serves as Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), the specialized health agency of the United Nations. PAHO engages in technical cooperation with its member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes, to strengthen health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters. PAHO is committed to ensuring that all people have access to the health care they need, when they need it, with quality and without fear of falling into poverty. Through its work, PAHO promotes and supports the right of everyone to good health. To advance these goals, PAHO promotes technical cooperation between countries and works in partnership with ministries of health and other government agencies, civil society organizations, other international agencies, universities, social security agencies, community groups, and other partners. PAHO promotes the inclusion of health in all public policies and the engagement of all sectors in efforts to ensure that people live longer, healthier lives, with good health as their most valuable resource. Under the leadership of its 51 member countries and territories, PAHO sets regional health priorities and mobilizes action to address health problems that respect no borders and that, in many cases, jeopardize the sustainability of health systems. From its Washington, D.C., headquarters, 27 country offices and three specialized centers in the region, PAHO promotes evidence-based decision-making to improve and promote health as a driver of sustainable development.