Deputy Director, National Preparedness and Readiness

-Family Group: Administration

(This role will be hired under the Ministry of Health)

As the Deputy Director of National Preparedness and Readiness in the Communicable Diseases Group in MOH and future Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), you will lead a dedicated team in developing comprehensive policies and plans to anticipate, prevent, and respond to communicable disease outbreaks and epidemics. Your responsibilities will encompass forward planning, overseeing multi-sectoral pandemic responses, and conducting post-event reviews to strengthen the nation's preparedness and readiness posture. Your pivotal role will involve uniting the efforts of various government agencies to enhance overall preparedness through a cohesive and comprehensive approach to large outbreaks, at the Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society level. This includes fostering collaboration with key sectoral partners to ensure effective response strategies, facilitate operational plan development and mitigate preparedness and response gaps. Your adept leadership and relational skills will be essential in fostering communication channels between agencies, coordinating joint training exercises, and aligning strategies for a unified response.

**Responsibilities**:
Your key responsibilities will include the following:

- Strategic Planning: Develop and implement strategies for disease preparedness and readiness, including pandemic planning, readiness framework, and response strategies
- Policy Development: Synthesize information from a wide range of sources in a complex environment to provide rigorous analysis to guide decision-making and plans for response as needed
- System Architecture design: Map the whole of government interconnected and interdependent system, considering factors such as functionality, performance, scalability, and interoperability. Ensure that system architecture aligns with preparedness plan requirements and addresses the needs of stakeholders.
- Readiness posture assessment: Validate capability readiness of agencies through scenarios postulation and exercises. Identify gaps and work with stakeholders to co-create solutions (e.g. technical, procedural).
- Coordination and Collaboration: Work with ministries and agencies across multiple sectors to ensure a coordinated and effective response to infectious disease threats when needed. This includes through engagement efforts and operationalization of pandemic preparedness strategies.
- Research and Innovation: Stay informed about emerging infectious diseases, novel pathogens, and advancements in disease detection and control, integrating research findings and innovative approaches into preparedness efforts.

**Job Requirements**:

- At least an Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, infectious diseases, or a related field. Additional certifications or training in emergency management or disaster response preferred.
- Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in public health, infectious disease control, or emergency preparedness, with progressively increasing leadership responsibilities. Experience in pandemic planning and response highly desirable.
- Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams, build partnerships, and foster collaboration across diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to develop long-term objectives and plans and translate them into actionable goals and objectives.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze situations and data, assess risks, and develop evidence-based recommendations. Demonstrate strong ability to breakdown complex issues, identify patterns and develop innovative solutions to address the challenges.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate complex information to diverse audiences, including policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, demonstrating flexibility, resilience, and adaptability to changing circumstances and priorities.
- Commitment to upholding ethical standards, confidentiality, and professional integrity in all aspects of work.