Organizational Context

This position is part of the Colombia Country Delegation (CD), which in turn, is part of the CCD for the Andean countries team, member of Americas Regional Office (ARO) team and has mandate for policy, operational and programmatic support to the members through Country and Cluster delegations, and directly when required. The CD provides coordination in disaster management, high level representation of the IFRC, advocacy and communications, National Society capacity building, and resource mobilization, Country Operational Plan, resourcing, partnership development in Colombia. These are some of the essential elements to ensure an effective membership coordination and management of strategic partnerships and resources that support the work and increase the influence of IFRC and National Societies in the region.

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.

On 10 August 2026 at 07:34 local time, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, with its epicentre near the municipality of San José del Palmar in Chocó

- Department, at a depth of 96 km. The earthquake was followed by multiple aftershocks and was felt across much of the country, affecting densely populated urban centres and rural communities alike. The departments most severely impacted include Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, and Quindío, while significant impacts were also reported in Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Huila, Boyacá, Tolima, Cauca, Putumayo, Sucre, and Santander. As of 18 August, the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) reports indicated impacts across 15 departments and 472 municipalities,2 while the earthquake was felt across much of Colombia and reported in Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.

Right after the onset, the Colombian Red Cross and the IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal (EA) for CHF 10 million, and Federation-wide up to CHF 25 million. Immediately, the IFRC regional and integral Surge system enabled the deployment of Rapid Response personnel to the IFRC’s country delegation. Longer-term posts are now required to ensure the stabilisation and continuity of immediate response and subsequent recovery efforts within the National Response Plan defined by the Colombian Red Cross, with support from the International Federation.

These posts form part of the extended team which, both in Bogotá and in the affected departments, will be supporting the planning, implementation and monitoring of the actions set out in the International Appeal and the CRC’s National Response Plan.

The position seeks to be in Bogotá, Colombia with frequent travels to the earthquake most affected areas in the Departments of Risaralda, Quindío, Caldas, Chocó and Valle del Cauca. The position reports directly to the Ops. Coordinator for the Earthquake Emergency Appeal.

Job Purpose The Health Senior Officer will accompany and identify any regional or global support the National Society (NS) may require in defining strategic directions for health programming, managing the health and care component of the IFRC Appeal, identifying health gaps, and strengthening the health information systems.

This involves managing health data, overseeing budget, procurement of medical equipment and expenditure, and producing regular reports. Additionally, coordination, cooperation, and collaboration efforts include joint agenda setting with all in-country IFRC member National Societies, quality assurance of health programming (including primary level health services, community-level health promotion and, where necessary, psychosocial support), building relationships with partners, ensuring effective partnerships with external organizations, and representing IFRC in technical and leadership discussions. In response to a health emergency, the health senior officer is responsible for setting the overall technical direction of the operation in close coordination and with the help from the regional colleagues.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

Planning and programme management

- Adapt response activities according to the progression of the health-related situation. Identify needs to scale up, scale down, increase scope,



or relocate operations based on its evolution in the different identified areas for intervention (Departments of Risaralda, Caldas, Quindio, Valle del Cauca and Choco). Incorporate community feedback and other sources of earthquake intelligence into ongoing situation analysis. Coordinate with other actors to ensure effective earthquake intelligence.

- Contribute to the definition of objectives, locations, and technical approach/activities of the earthquake response. Ensure that all plans and approaches are harmonized with the overall response strategy, in coordination with the MoH and cluster/pillar partners. Oversee development of responses to meet the health and humanitarian needs expected to arise due to the earthquake or the response to it (e.g. health systems, livelihoods, shelter).
- Support the NS on identifying response components that have meaningful impact; identify response components that have meaningful impact; ensure that the prioritized geographic areas and affected health facilities for interventions are adequate avoiding overlap and maximizing efficiency among actors; identify gaps in coverage; identify and promote NS technical capacity to respond; identify specific value add of NS and contribute to report on these through the IFRC emergency appeal tools.
- Contribute to dentify at-risk population’s information needs and habits.

Identify barriers and enablers for health-seeking behaviours and access to health care. Identify the impact of age, gender, disability and other dimensions of diversity on vulnerability to the earthquake disease. Identify non-health needs expected to arise due to the earthquake or the response to it (e.g. livelihoods, shelter).

- Support the NS in defining strategic directions in health programming and implementation of the Health Department’s current strategic plan.
- Support NS in development of health strategies and timely responses to evolving health needs.
- In health emergencies, support the NS Health and Disasters departments to set the overall technical direction of the response, including site selection,
- Manage the health and care component of the IFRC Appeal, including emergency-related healthcare provision and community health activities, ensuring alignment between NS strategic and operational priorities and IFRC and PNS capacities to support, and revise the Appeal focus and scope accordingly.
- Support NS to identify health need gaps and support the implementation of enhanced community-based health interventions as feasible.
- In the absence of a designated delegate for WASH and/or MHPSS, liaise and support community hygiene actions taken within the WASH department of NS and ensure the proper implementation of MHPSS activities according to the developed plan.
- Manage the IFRC’s health budget, expenditure, and procurement especially of medical equipment and supplies together with NS and IFRC finance and logistics colleagues.
- Produce regular, timely and accurate reports, briefing notes, contextual analysis for Federation and donors.
- Identify and implement opportunities to strengthen and improve programme/project effectiveness and efficiency through technical and managerial input.

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)

Quality assurance

- Establish minimum standards, technical key performance indicators, and quality assurance plan, including technical supervision, especially for healthcare provision, in-kind support for health facilities, and community health. Coordinate with regional and global emergency health focal points.
- Ensure single shared quality standards across all responding members. Develop clear targets and milestones for response activities, and methodology for routine monitoring of these standards and adaptation of approaches based on this data.
- Establish minimum quality standards for health programming, and ensure system to regularly collect, analyse and react to quality-related data on health programmes is in place.
- Carry out supervision and quality assurance visits to programme sites as the situation allows providing technical input into quality service and upholding MoH, WHO,



IASC and IFRC standards.
- Using available resources, manage, analyze, and strategically use health data received from NS operations and improve health data through efficient implementation and monitoring plans and reliable indicators.
- Support NS to strengthen existing health information management systems to generate and analyse reports for efficient implementation and monitoring.

Duty of Care (in The Assigned Area Of Operations And Responsibility)

- Identify and assess the foreseeable risks to the EA personnel and operations as guided by the Ops.

Coordinator.

- Implement mitigation measures to eliminate, avoid, or reduce foreseeable security risks to the EA personnel, assets, and the overall organization as guided by the Ops. Coordinator
- Implement contingency measures to react to and manage security incidents as guided by the Ops. Coordinator

- Ensure personnel are informed of the risks and processes in place to deal with those risks.
- Ensure personnel receive the necessary training, practice and instructions to manage and respond to the foreseeable risks relating to their activities and work environment.
- Contribute to identify risks and mitigation measures put in place to safeguard all the components listed above are working as intended.

Coordination In accordance with the IFRC’s Way of Working in regard to the Emergency Appeal:

- In regard to the EA, contribute to a common planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting framework.

Support a single data collection mechanism and promote a common accountability framework.

- Work with the Emergency Appeal Ops. Coordinator to develop, implement and review contingency planning for identified threats in operational areas, as well as the development of capacities within the NS for emergency response.Support NS to establish a Movement or Membership Health Working Group, which will facilitate Movement/Membership coordination mechanism/s that keeps all parties up to date on policy and programming developments, including mapping of Movement/external actors’ partnership with NS in health.To support the NS in leading technical (health) coordination, both internally and externally (for example, meetings with the Ministry of Health, the WHO, the Health Cluster, the response pillars and technical partners) and to ensure that the actions set out in the appeal comply with the global commitments established for humanitarian assistance.

Education

Degree level in health (required)

Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, or other relevant public health subject. (Preferred)

Experience

IMPACT or equivalent knowledge. (Preferred)

Required

At least 3-5 years of progressive experience in the management of health systems and health programmes, including supervision of healthcare provision and facility strengthening

Experience in training, mentoring and/or leading staff, and capacity building.

Experience in strategic planning and implementation in health programming.

Experience of working in public health in emergencies/armed conflict situations.

Experience in preparing and monitoring project plans, writing reports and developing project proposals.

Experience working within different components of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. (Preferred)

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Knowledge of good practices in participatory methods, programme planning and design, monitoring and evaluation, learning, and accountability.

Proven organisation and planning skills.

Excellent analytic and computer skills (Ms Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint).

Skilled in training, mentoring and coaching individuals and groups as appropriate.

Capable of influencing and obtaining cooperation of individuals not under supervisory control, as a member of multinational team, and managing remote relationships to achieve results.

Highly motivated self-starter able to lead a process, engage others and create ownership.

Flexible and willing to deal with ambiguity, changes and challenges.

Able to prioritise work, multi-task and meet deadlines.

Willing to travel and operate in a demanding working environment.

Languages

Fluent spoken and written Spanish

Good Command Of English.(Preferred)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity

- Integrity
- Professionalism
- Accountability.

Core competencies: Communication

- Collaboration and teamwork
- Judgement and decision making
- National society and customer relations
- Creativity and innovation
- Building trust.

📌 Senior Officer, Health (Emergency Appeal Colombia) (Bogotá)
🏢 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - IFRC
📍 Bogotá