Public Health Officer

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 Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe. The 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.

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.

Job Purpose

The Public Health Officer will ensure the effective implementation of planned activities by providing both technical and operational oversight, ensuring the quality and consistency of field interventions, and strengthening coordination among the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the IFRC, national authorities, and humanitarian partners in order to maximize the impact of the response.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Advice and Supervision

• Provide technical guidance to the DRC Red Cross on the five Movement intervention pillars for this response, namely: Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), Safe and Dignified Burials (SDB), Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).
• Ensure the quality of services through supervision, quality assurance, and regular monitoring of public health activities.
• Advocate for the role of the Red Cross/Red Crescent in the public health response, both internally and externally at the local level.

Management and Implementation of Interventions

• Assess the public health needs of communities affected by Ebola 17.
• Provide technical support for the implementation of community-based interventions (SBC, RCCE, SDB, IPC).
• Manage and support the timely collection and submission of reports.

Coordination and Integration

• Facilitate coordination with local authorities, humanitarian partners, and locally deployed Public Health Emergency Response Units (ERUs).
• Ensure that interventions complement the national health system and IFRC clinical ERUs.
• Maintain secure and confidential data management systems for monitoring and supervision purposes.

Community Engagement and Capacity Strengthening

• Engage regularly with communities through health committees and gather community feedback.
• Promote community participation in all aspects of health programming
• Strengthen the capacities of National Society volunteers through standardized training, mentoring, and technical support
• Other duties assigned

Education

A master's degree in Public Health, Health Sciences, or another health-related field is required

Experience

Required

• A minimum of 3 to 5 years of professional experience in the humanitarian or development sector is required, with a focus on global health, epidemiology, surveillance, and community health programmes
• Experience in epidemic response
• Experience with health information and surveillance systems

Preferred

• Experience in coordination and representation within a multicultural environment
• Experience working with a National Society and/or the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and/or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Knowledge of public health and experience in applying this knowledge to policy development, programme implementation, and strategic positioning
• Strong communication skills and the ability to maintain positive professional relationships within the team
• Demonstrated sound judgment and the ability to work with integrity and maintain confidentiality at all times
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary environment
• Fluency in spoken and written French
• Good command of English, both spoken and written

Preferred

• Ability to be proactive and persuasive
• Experience collaborating and working effectively with remote colleagues

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Accountability, Diversity, Teamwork, Communication, Innovation, Trust building, Empowering others and National Society Relations

This position will be based in Beni, Butembo, Mungwalu and Goma, République Démocratique du Congo kindly indicate your preferred location in your application.