National Professional Officer - Acute and Emergency Care - Special Services Agreement -NOC

1.    Area of expertise : NPO - ACUTE AND EMERGENCY, SSA, NOC

2.    Purpose of this SSA  

The purpose of the position is to lead and provide technical support for the implementation and monitoring of the Acute Care Transformation through Basic Emergency Care (ACTxBEC) initiative in Rwanda. The staff member will be responsible to oversee implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ACTxBEC activities in Rwanda in consultation with WHO Regional Office, Headquarters and Ministry of Health.

The activities of the ACTxBEC are aligned to the WHO General Programme of Work (GPW14), Outcome 3.1: The primary healthcare approach renewed and strengthened to accelerate universal health coverage and Output 3.1.1: WHO strengthens country capacity and provides guidance on the design, delivery, quality and measurement of integrated services and towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3.8): Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

3.    Background  

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM), developed the Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course as an open-access training package to support frontline health workers in the management of acute illness and injury in resource-limited settings. Evidence from multiple low- and middle-income countries has demonstrated that BEC improves provider knowledge, clinical skills, and confidence, contributing to improved management of life-threatening conditions.

Building on this foundation, the Acute Care Transformation through Basic Emergency Care (ACTxBEC) initiative aims to scale up the delivery of BEC training alongside ongoing in-service capacity building, while also assessing implementation and impact at scale. The initiative will be implemented across approximately 1,000 hospitals in at least five African countries, including Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda, and is expected to generate high-quality evidence on service readiness, training effectiveness, clinical processes, and implementation quality from 2026-2028.

The initiative directly contributes to WHO’s mandate to support countries in strengthening health systems towards universal health coverage (UHC), particularly through improved access to integrated emergency, critical, and operative care services as outlined in resolution WHA76.2. Given the scale, complexity, and multi-level coordination required for implementation, strong in-country leadership and dedicated technical oversight are essential to ensure effective delivery, alignment with national priorities, and adherence to global standards.

4.    Summary of Assigned Duties:

Reporting to and under the guidance of WHO Country Representative for Rwanda and the direct supervision of the WHO Health Systems and Service (HSS) Team Lead in collaboration with the regional ACTxBEC the team lead Integrated Services and Models of care (ISM) and  WHO headquarters, The incumbents will support the planning and rollout of implementation activities across participating health facilities, including coordination of training, mentoring, supervision, and facility-level engagement. This includes working closely with service providers, subnational coordinators, trainers, and data collection teams to ensure smooth implementation and measurement activities in the country.
The Specific tasks will be to:

1.    Coordinate ACTxBEC initiative intervention and research activities with WHO multi-country focal point and headquarters teams; 

2.    Undertake regular visits to the health facilities participating in the initiative for oversight, support and data management purposes;

3.    Facilitate the contracting of, and liaison with, service providers, and facility-group data mentors to support implementation and data collection activities; 

4.    Provide support for contracting and coordination of subnational and local ACTxBEC coordinators, BEC trainers and initiative data collectors in collaboration with the Implementing Partner;

5.    Provide direct technical support for the implementation and data collection activities in the country; 

6.    Monitor & troubleshoot intervention/research progress at facility and facility group level;

7.    Ensure regular and adequate facility-level data reporting on a weekly basis in collaboration with the Implementing Partner;

8.    Contribute to the development & submit national research ethics proposal;

9.    Provide support to the national governance structures for oversight of the initiative; 

10.    Support mandatory reporting to ensure that timely national reports are filed as required and submitted to the funders and other stakeholders; 

11.    Provide support to the Ministry of Health and Implementing Partners to identify and enrol facilities and coordinate facility readiness assessments;

12.    Ensure compliance with national research governance and ethics requirements;

13.    Provide support for the research, and development of, technical documents and scientific articles on the initiative; and  Perform all other related duties as assigned.

5.    Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
    
Educational Qualifications:   
Essential: 

-    A University degree in Medicine, Nursing or other related fields.
-    Formal training in Public Health, data management, biostatistics, epidemiology or related discipline.

Desirable: Post graduate degree in public health, epidemiology or a related discipline.

Experience  
Essential: 

-    Minimum 5 years of experience working clinically.
-    Demonstrable experience in health-related data management

Desirable: 
-    Training and experience in public health and epidemiology.
-    Scholarly publications in the area of emergency and trauma care.
-    Working experience with WHO.

Skills/Knowledge: 
Extensive knowledge of clinical emergency and trauma care. Excellent written and spoken English, including the ability to write documents in a clear and concise manner tailored to the needs of the intended audience, including scientific publications. Ability to work with partners within and outside WHO. Ability to work effectively as part of a team. Results orientated. Knowledge of public health and epidemiology.

Other Skills(e.g.IT)
•    Good computer literacy and up to date knowledge on Information and communication technology. Good knowledge of statistics. 
•    Good organizational and coordination skills. 
•    Excellent analytical and writing skills to prepare a variety of documents, guidelines and briefing materials. 
Good communication skills, both oral and written ability to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary settings.

Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):
Essential: Excellent knowledge of English 
Desirable: Working knowledge French

6.    Location

The duty station of the SSA will be based in Kigali, Rwanda at WHO country office, but working on daily basis with counterparts.

7.    Travel 
N/A

8. Remuneration and budget 
Remuneration:  Monthly salary will be on Grade NOC and 30 days of annual leave per year.
a.    Expected duration of contract: 12 Months