Regional Program Specialist - Philippines

Job Title: Regional Program Specialist - Philippines

Project: Local Engagement and Response Network (LEARN)

Location: Philippines

Reports To: LEARN Deputy Chief of Party

Travel: Up to 25-35% domestic and international travel, as required

Employment Type: Full-Time

This is a staff position with a fixed-term contract for 1 year with a possibility of extension, based on site in Manila.

Project Description

The Local Engagement and Response Network (LEARN): Strengthening Localized Multi-Sectoral Readiness and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Humanitarian Settings is a global capacity-strengthening initiative that supports local and national NGOs (L/NNGOs) to prepare for, coordinate, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

LEARN works to strengthen locally led preparedness and response systems through organizational capacity strengthening, multi-sectoral coordination, development of community response mechanisms, and enhancement of technical outbreak response capabilities. In the Philippines, LEARN directly supports local and national NGO partners and collaborates closely with government, humanitarian, and health sector stakeholders. The position will also contribute to LEARN's regional work in Southeast Asia through coordination and collaboration with consortium partner Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and partners working across Thailand and Myanmar.

Job Summary

The Regional Program Specialist will serve as LEARN's primary programmatic focal point in the Philippines, providing leadership and support for the implementation of project activities, partner engagement, capacity strengthening, and technical infectious disease preparedness and response initiatives.

The position combines strong program management responsibilities with technical expertise in public health emergency preparedness and outbreak response. The Specialist will work directly with participating L/NNGOs, supporting organizational development, training, mentoring, emergency preparedness planning, and strengthening multi-sectoral readiness and response systems for infectious disease threats.

The Specialist will provide technical support across areas such as Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), Community-Based Surveillance (CBS), Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in outbreak response, community preparedness, and health emergency coordination. The role will also support implementation of LEARN's regional activities in partnership with ADPC and other regional stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be a relationship-oriented professional with strong partnership management capabilities, practical experience supporting outbreak preparedness and response activities, and the ability to work effectively across diverse cultures, organizations, and time zones.

Main Responsibilities

Program Management and Coordination

• Serve as LEARN's primary focal point for program implementation in the Philippines.

• Support planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of LEARN activities and deliverables.

• Coordinate closely with International Medical Corps (IMC) LEARN Team, IMC Philippines country office team, consortium partners, and participating L/NNGOs to ensure timely and high-quality implementation.

• Support development and monitoring of workplans, activity budgets, procurement plans, and project tracking systems.

• Facilitate regular coordination meetings with L/NNGO partners and key stakeholders such as the Philippines Department of Health.

• Maintain strong communication and collaboration with LEARN headquarters, regional teams, and country stakeholders.

• Contribute to donor reporting, success stories, technical documentation, and project deliverables.

• Support monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptive management processes.

Partnership and Capacity Strengthening

• Lead engagement with participating Philippines L/NNGOs and support development of strong, collaborative working relationships.

• Support the facilitation of organizational capacity assessments and implementation of partner capacity-strengthening plans.

• Support L/NNGOs’ development of community and organizational preparedness and response plans.

• Strengthen partner engagement with national and sub-national health emergency coordination mechanisms.

• Support L/NNGOs in strengthening relationships with government agencies, humanitarian actors, and health sector coordination platforms.

• Promote locally led approaches and facilitate peer-to-peer learning among partner organizations.

Technical Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Support

Working closely with the Senior Manager, Technical Coordination and the Technical Team:

• Provide technical support for infectious disease preparedness and response activities across LEARN's areas of focus.

• Support development, adaptation, and delivery of training materials and learning activities related to outbreak readiness and response.

• Assist in developing and facilitating trainings, workshops, simulations, tabletop exercises, and peer-learning events.

• Support application of community-based approaches to outbreak preparedness and response.

• Contribute technical expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)

• Community-Based Surveillance (CBS)

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Community Health Emergency Response Planning

• Support contextualization of technical tools, training materials, and response approaches to local risks and operational environments.

• Assist L/NNGO partners in integrating infectious disease preparedness and response considerations into community response plans and subnational response systems.

• Ensure technical approaches align with WHO guidance, national policies (Department of Health (DOH)/National Government), donor requirements, and humanitarian best practices.

Regional Collaboration and Representation

• Coordinate with ADPC and regional stakeholders supporting LEARN activities in Thailand and Myanmar.

• Participate in regional technical exchanges, workshops, planning meetings, and learning events.

• Support cross-country learning and sharing of promising practices.

• Represent LEARN, as delegated, in relevant coordination forums, technical working groups, conferences, and stakeholder engagements.

• Support engagement with Department of Health, humanitarian coordination bodies, donors, clusters, and civil society organizations.

Operational Support

• Support effective implementation of procurement, logistics, compliance, and financial processes.

• Assist in managing agreements, subawards, contracts, and partner documentation as needed.

• Ensure adherence to IMC policies, donor regulations, safeguarding requirements, and operational procedures.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Global Health, Health Sciences, International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, Social Sciences, or a related field required.

• Master of Public Health (MPH) strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian assistance, public health, health systems strengthening, emergency preparedness, or international development programs.

• Minimum three (3) years of experience supporting program implementation and partner engagement.

• Demonstrated experience working directly with local and national NGOs, civil society organizations, or community-based organizations.

• Experience supporting infectious disease preparedness, outbreak response, health emergency programming, or related public health initiatives.

• Experience facilitating trainings, workshops, mentoring, or capacity-strengthening activities.

• Experience working with donor-funded programs, particularly U.S. Government-funded projects, preferred.

Technical Competencies

Required

• Strong partnership management and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Demonstrated experience supporting capacity strengthening of local organizations.

• Practical experience related to infectious disease outbreak preparedness and/or response.

• Strong understanding of humanitarian coordination and public health systems.

• Experience supporting project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.

• Ability to work effectively with international teams across multiple time zones and geographic locations.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Strong facilitation, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

Preferred

• Experience engaging Ministries of Health, public health institutions, and donor representatives.

• Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)

• Community-Based Surveillance (CBS)

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• Public Health Emergency Preparedness

• Community Health Programming

• Experience supporting outbreak response efforts involving diseases of epidemic or pandemic potential.

• Experience working in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand, and/or Myanmar.

• Familiarity with National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS), DOH action plans on health (National Objectives for Health 2023-2028), International Health Regulations (IHR), and health security frameworks.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking and problem solving.

• Strong organizational and project management skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent relationship-building and diplomacy skills.

• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability.

• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.

• Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment.

• Commitment to humanitarian principles and locally led development approaches.

Ethical Conduct at International Medical Corps

As part of a global, humanitarian team dedicated to saving lives, easing suffering, and building self-reliance, International Medical Corps staff are responsible for adhering to our Code of Conduct and Ethics and for knowing and abiding by International Medical Corps policies and standards. All staff play a vital role in preventing violations of our Code of Conduct and Ethics, including conflicts of interest, fraud, corruption, and any kind of exploitation or abuse. International Medical Corps is also committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment free of harassment, bullying, and other misconduct, enabling staff to build and maintain professional, respectful working relationships.

International Medical Corps prioritizes safeguarding the populations with whom we work from exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children and adults at risk, and/or any form of trafficking in persons. International Medical Corps is committed to engaging members of crisis-affected communities to participate in meaningful ways in a crisis response, including making informed decisions about the assistance they receive, mitigating potential risks, and holding us accountable for the commitments we make. All staff are expected to support International Medical Corps’ culture of accountability toward our stakeholders, particularly the crisis-affected communities and individuals we serve.

As part of International Medical Corps’ commitment to a speak-up culture and as one of the primary ways we collectively hold ourselves accountable for complying with the ethical principles and standards of conduct outlined in the Code of Conduct and Ethics, all staffare required to report suspected or actual misconduct or violations of organizational policies. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics and Whistleblower Policy prohibit any form of retaliation against whistleblowers or individuals who report a concern in good faith. Staff who violate these protections may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contractual relationship with International Medical Corps.

Equal Opportunities

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.