One Health Outbreak/Response Subject Matter Expert & TTX Consultant

Family Health International; Makati; On-site; PHP 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Family Health International in the Philippines is seeking a One Health/Outbreak Response Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Tabletop Exercise (TTX) Consultant for the STRIDES project. The role focuses on technical leadership in scenario development, exercise design, facilitation, evaluation, and after-action review to strengthen multisectoral outbreak preparedness.

The consultant will guide inception, exercise development, and validation, then support implementation and hot wash, producing an

Qualifications

• One Health preparedness, surveillance, outbreak investigation, and response.
• Design and facilitation of simulation exercises (tabletop, functional, field).
• Development of exercise scenarios, validation, injects, evaluation tools, and reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, planning, and execution of a One Health Hybrid Functional and Field Simulation Exercise for Henipah Viral Disease.
• Develop ExPlan, Facilitator Guide, Participant Handbook, scenario narrative, MSELs, injects, and evaluation tools.
• Coordinate with multisector stakeholders; facilitate discussions on decision-making, risk communication, and emergency response procedures.
• Lead After-Action Review, document findings, and develop Improvement Plan and AAR.

Skills

One Health

Simulation design

Facilitation

Interagency coordination

Risk communication

Education

Advanced degree in Public Health/Epidemiology/Veterinary Public Health

Job description

FHI 360/Philippines (www.fhi360.org) is in search of candidates for the position of One Health/Outbreak Response Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Tabletop Exercise (TTX) Consultant for STRIDES project.

About FHI 360:

FHI 360 is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes research, resources and relationships so that people everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives. FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The Strengthening Infectious Disease Detection Systems (STRIDES) Project is a U.S. Department of State-funded initiative that supports the Philippines in strengthening its capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats through enhanced surveillance, laboratory systems, and multisectoral coordination. STRIDES supports national and subnational partners through technical assistance aimed at strengthening One Health preparedness, surveillance, laboratory systems, and outbreak response capacities.

Under STRIDES Tasks 1.3.1 and 4.1.1c, the project will implement a One Health Simulation Exercise (SimEx) Program consisting of a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) and a Hybrid Functional and Field Simulation Exercise focused on a simulated Henipah Viral Disease outbreak. The exercise series will assess and strengthen multisectoral preparedness, outbreak investigation, laboratory coordination, emergency management, risk communication, and response coordination among human health, animal health, and environmental stakeholders.

To support development of a technically sound and operationally relevant TTX design package, STRIDES requires a One Health/Outbreak Response Subject Matter Expert (SME) who will provide technical leadership in scenario development, exercise design, facilitation support, evaluation, and after-action review processes.

Detailed Description of Tasks to be Performed:

The consultant will lead the technical design, planning, implementation, facilitation, evaluation, and reporting of a One Health Hybrid Functional and Field Simulation Exercise on Henipah Viral Disease outbreak response. Responsibilities include:

1. Inception and Planning

• Conduct inception meetings with STRIDES, government counterparts, and stakeholders.

• Review relevant preparedness and response plans, SOPs, One Health frameworks, and emergency management protocols.

• Consult with human health, animal health, environmental, laboratory, and emergency management stakeholders.

• Develop a TTX Exercise Design Plan including objectives, methodology, participant engagement strategy, assumptions, timeline, and workplan.

• Provide technical guidance to ensure realistic outbreak progression and multisectoral response actions.

2. Exercise Design Development and Validation

• Review and refine the Henipah Viral Disease outbreak scenario.

• Validate epidemiologic and operational assumptions.

• Develop exercise objectives and discussion modules.

• Develop the complete TTX package, including:

• Exercise Plan (ExPlan)

• Facilitator Guide

• Participant Handbook

• Scenario narrative and timeline

• MSEL and injects

• Discussion questions

• Evaluation tools

• Participant feedback forms

• Briefing presentations

• Present and revise exercise materials based on stakeholder feedback.

3. Exercise Implementation Support

• Participate in planning and coordination meetings.

• Orient facilitators, evaluators, and exercise support personnel.

• Lead or support TTX facilitation.

• Support exercise management and scenario progression.

• Guide discussions on decision-making, coordination, information sharing, risk communication, and emergency response procedures.

• Coordinate with evaluators and observers to document exercise findings.

4. After-Action Review and Improvement Planning

• Facilitate Hot Wash and post-exercise debriefing sessions.

• Analyze exercise findings against evaluation criteria.

• Document strengths, gaps, lessons learned, and recommendations.

• Develop an After-Action Report (AAR).

• Develop an Improvement Plan with recommended actions and responsible entities.

• Present findings and incorporate stakeholder feedback into final reports.

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Veterinary Public Health, Veterinary Medicine, One Health, Health Security, Infectious Diseases, Emergency Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Environmental Health, or a related field.

• Specialized training in outbreak investigation, emergency preparedness and response, incident management systems, simulation exercises, or health security is highly desirable.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• One Health preparedness, surveillance, outbreak investigation, and response.

• Design and facilitation of simulation exercises, including tabletop, functional, and field exercises.

• Development of exercise scenarios, discussion modules, injects, Master Scenario Events Lists (MSELs), and evaluation tools.

• Multisectoral coordination involving human health, animal health, environmental health, laboratory, and emergency management stakeholders.

• Incident Management System (IMS), Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and emergency coordination mechanisms.

• Risk assessment, risk communication, emergency preparedness planning, and response operations.

• Technical writing and development of exercise plans, facilitator guides, participant handbooks, after-action reports, and improvement plans.

• Strong facilitation, stakeholder engagement, coordination, presentation, and report-writing skills

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience in One Health programming, zoonotic disease preparedness, outbreak investigation, surveillance, and emergency response activities.

• Proven experience developing, designing, facilitating, or evaluating simulation exercises, tabletop exercises, functional exercises, or field exercises.

• Experience working with government agencies and multisector stakeholders involved in public health emergency preparedness and response.

• Familiarity with Philippine health security systems, surveillance systems, laboratory networks, joint outbreak investigations, and emergency coordination mechanisms.

• Experience in development of exercise design packages, facilitation materials, evaluation frameworks, after-action reviews, and improvement plans.

• Demonstrated ability to facilitate multisector discussions and translate technical findings into actionable recommendations.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.