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UNFPA-Public Health/Infectious Diseases Management Specialist-P3/P4-Bunia, DRC
Bunia, IturiPosition Title: Public Health/Infectious Diseases Management Specialist
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Bunia (+20% of time of any travel to other duty stations), Ituri, DR Congo
Duration: 3 months
Language: Fluency in French and English is required
Capacity Development
Partnerships and Coordination
Monitoring and Reporting
Technical leadership
Qualifications and Skills Required
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Bunia (+20% of time of any travel to other duty stations), Ituri, DR Congo
Duration: 3 months
Language: Fluency in French and English is required
Mission Specific Considerations
Remote-Based Deployments (if remote-based please only fill in this table)
Physical deployments (only fill out if you anticipate surge to physically deploy)
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
The escalating outbreak of the rare, fast-spreading Ebola Bundibugyo virus in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is unfolding within a catastrophically fractured humanitarian landscape. Officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on the 15th of May 2025 due to the lack of approved vaccines or targeted treatments, the virus is rapidly expanding from its epicenter in Ituri Province (including Bunia, Mongbwalu, and Rwampara health zones) into urban centers like Goma and across borders into Uganda. However, containing this highly contagious pathogen—which progresses from flu-like fatigue to severe internal and external bleeding—is severely hindered by an active, large-scale conflict.
Since January 2025, intensified clashes between the FARDC and the AFC/M23 have led to the capture of strategic hubs like Goma and Bukavu, precipitating the collapse of local protection systems and a brutal disruption of medical supply chains. This convergence of public health and security crises has created a compounding disaster. The conflict has forced massive population movements toward unstable areas; Ituri alone now hosts roughly 1.11 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The resulting extreme overcrowding in camps drastically amplifies the risk of direct-contact transmission for the Ebola virus. While aid organizations struggle to track the virus across active conflict zones, the broader health system has completely buckled. The sexual and reproductive health (SRH) sector is particularly devastated: emergency obstetric care is virtually non-existent in conflict zones, and systemic stockouts of post-rape kits and essential SRH commodities are rampant. This medical paralysis occurs alongside a terrifying surge in gender-based violence (GBV), with over 163,000 cases documented in 2025—the majority involving sexual violence deployed as a tactic of war. Without immediate, coordinated international intervention to secure vital health circuits, restore the availability of SRH supplies, and establish safe Ebola isolation and treatment channels, thousands of conflict survivors, pregnant women, and infected individuals will remain entirely cut off from life-saving care, exponentially worsening an already historic human toll.
Past outbreaks (such as Ebola, Monkeypox, Covid-19 etc) have demonstrated that the reduction in access and availability of essential sexual and reproductive health services resulted in more deaths than the disease itself. Ensuring the continuity of essential, lifesaving SRH and GBV services under UNFPA’s mandate throughout the outbreak is therefore a priority action. With this fact, the Ebola outbreak response plan was developed, including Case management and the continuity of Essential Services among eleven pillars.Strong coordination and rapid response in the early phases of the outbreak will help UNFPA uphold its mandate across response pillars and activities..
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
1) Armed Conflict: Bunia city itself remains relatively calm compared to surrounding territories, but the security environment is fragile and volatile, with persistent indirect threats. The primary risks stem from armed group activity in Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, pressure from internal displacement, and incidents involving armed state actors within the city.
The situation requires heightened vigilance, particularly for movements outside the urban core and during night hours.
2) Crime: Bunia continues to experience persistent urban crime, largely characterized by nighttime armed robberies, targeted killings (motorists, traders, gold buyers), and attacks linked to criminal networks involving civilians and some security personnel. In January 2026, police confirmed a spike in armed robberies and assassinations, including the killing of a motorcycle taxi driver on 11 January, which triggered intensified operations across several quarters.
3) Civil Unrest: Bunia town remains tense but largely under administrative control, while serious insecurity persists in the surrounding territories (Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi). Civil unrest in the town itself is episodic—mainly protests, arrests of activists, and spillover displacement. The main drivers of instability are the militia violence outside the town, political repression concerns, and regional military dynamics involving the FARDC, MONUSCO.
4) Terrorism: Bunia has not been the direct target of major terrorist attacks, but it is in Ituri Province, which has been heavily affected by violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is a Ugandanorigin militia that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and is considered a terrorist organization.
5) Hazards: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) remain common on major axes throughout the city. Accidents (both fatal and serious) involving motorcyclists (boda boda) remain high in Bunia and UN Personnel are strongly discouraged from using them. Night movements in isolated areas and out of bounds are not recommended due to several fatalities recorded. Other occasional hazards include fire outbreaks in commercial settings, flash floods in the littoral of Albert Lake and riverine Regions, Cholera/Typhoid. M-pox outbreaks in some urban centers, destructive storms during the rainy season and mudslides and landslides in the
province.
Key Profile Information
The ideal candidate is a senior public health leader with a Master’s degree in Public Health or a clinical background specialized in infectious diseases management, combined with at least 5 years of national and international experience in public health emergency settings. Operating within a highly volatile and complex protracted crisis in eastern DRC, the specialist serves as the senior field representative directing UNFPA operational and programmatic activities during active outbreaks. The role demands a proven track record in outbreak management, comprehensive knowledge of humanitarian coordination architectures, and technical expertise in mainstreaming sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gender-based violence (GBV), and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) into joint response pillars. Based in Bunia (Ituri Province) with a tentative 20% travel requirement, the specialist must possess strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and fluency in English, with French language proficiency considered a significant operational advantage
MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Support public health interventions
These activities will include the following:
Remote-Based Deployments (if remote-based please only fill in this table)
| Considerations for remote-based deployments | |
| If the deployment is remote-based, is the country office set up to ensure ongoing communication / team integration and appropriate supervision with the deployee from afar? Please explain. | NA |
Physical deployments (only fill out if you anticipate surge to physically deploy)
| Pre-departure considerations for physical deployments | |
| Does this duty station require candidates to have undertaken SSAFE training? If so, can the office provide training upon arrival? | SSAFE is not required but is encouraged and required in other parts of the East, only recommended. However, UNDSS is conducting SSAFE/IFAK training in Bunia when there are enough participants. |
| Visa Are there any special/new, specific visa considerations that need to be considered? |
A visa is required for any type of passport including UNLP. CO will issue invitation letter to facilitate visa process |
| Equipment Is there any equipment that the Surge should become equipped with prior to travel, e.g. PPE such as masks, gloves, sanitizer, etc? |
Mask, sanitizer, insects repellent cream |
| Is there any other paperwork that the local government authorities require upon entry/re-entry into the country? |
Yes, identification paperwork. The CO will take care of this |
| On mission considerations (for physical deployments): | |
| Accommodation What type of accommodation is available for Surge employees? |
Guest houses, apartments, hotels matching with UNDSS security recommendations |
| R&R | Yes, each 8 weeks |
| Is the duty station on an R&R cycle and if so how often? | Yes, each 8 weeks |
| Medical Treatment Are there any government restrictions or limitations that would adversely impact in-country medical treatment plans or medical evacuation? |
No, nevertheless, the situation can change due to the current Ebola outreach |
| Office arrangement for telecommuting If the Surge needs to telecommute within the country, can the country office demonstrate that the deployee is realistically able to work in terms of remote connectivity, equipment, etc.? |
Yes |
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
The escalating outbreak of the rare, fast-spreading Ebola Bundibugyo virus in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is unfolding within a catastrophically fractured humanitarian landscape. Officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on the 15th of May 2025 due to the lack of approved vaccines or targeted treatments, the virus is rapidly expanding from its epicenter in Ituri Province (including Bunia, Mongbwalu, and Rwampara health zones) into urban centers like Goma and across borders into Uganda. However, containing this highly contagious pathogen—which progresses from flu-like fatigue to severe internal and external bleeding—is severely hindered by an active, large-scale conflict.
Since January 2025, intensified clashes between the FARDC and the AFC/M23 have led to the capture of strategic hubs like Goma and Bukavu, precipitating the collapse of local protection systems and a brutal disruption of medical supply chains. This convergence of public health and security crises has created a compounding disaster. The conflict has forced massive population movements toward unstable areas; Ituri alone now hosts roughly 1.11 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The resulting extreme overcrowding in camps drastically amplifies the risk of direct-contact transmission for the Ebola virus. While aid organizations struggle to track the virus across active conflict zones, the broader health system has completely buckled. The sexual and reproductive health (SRH) sector is particularly devastated: emergency obstetric care is virtually non-existent in conflict zones, and systemic stockouts of post-rape kits and essential SRH commodities are rampant. This medical paralysis occurs alongside a terrifying surge in gender-based violence (GBV), with over 163,000 cases documented in 2025—the majority involving sexual violence deployed as a tactic of war. Without immediate, coordinated international intervention to secure vital health circuits, restore the availability of SRH supplies, and establish safe Ebola isolation and treatment channels, thousands of conflict survivors, pregnant women, and infected individuals will remain entirely cut off from life-saving care, exponentially worsening an already historic human toll.
Past outbreaks (such as Ebola, Monkeypox, Covid-19 etc) have demonstrated that the reduction in access and availability of essential sexual and reproductive health services resulted in more deaths than the disease itself. Ensuring the continuity of essential, lifesaving SRH and GBV services under UNFPA’s mandate throughout the outbreak is therefore a priority action. With this fact, the Ebola outbreak response plan was developed, including Case management and the continuity of Essential Services among eleven pillars.Strong coordination and rapid response in the early phases of the outbreak will help UNFPA uphold its mandate across response pillars and activities..
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
1) Armed Conflict: Bunia city itself remains relatively calm compared to surrounding territories, but the security environment is fragile and volatile, with persistent indirect threats. The primary risks stem from armed group activity in Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, pressure from internal displacement, and incidents involving armed state actors within the city.
The situation requires heightened vigilance, particularly for movements outside the urban core and during night hours.
2) Crime: Bunia continues to experience persistent urban crime, largely characterized by nighttime armed robberies, targeted killings (motorists, traders, gold buyers), and attacks linked to criminal networks involving civilians and some security personnel. In January 2026, police confirmed a spike in armed robberies and assassinations, including the killing of a motorcycle taxi driver on 11 January, which triggered intensified operations across several quarters.
3) Civil Unrest: Bunia town remains tense but largely under administrative control, while serious insecurity persists in the surrounding territories (Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi). Civil unrest in the town itself is episodic—mainly protests, arrests of activists, and spillover displacement. The main drivers of instability are the militia violence outside the town, political repression concerns, and regional military dynamics involving the FARDC, MONUSCO.
4) Terrorism: Bunia has not been the direct target of major terrorist attacks, but it is in Ituri Province, which has been heavily affected by violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is a Ugandanorigin militia that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and is considered a terrorist organization.
5) Hazards: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) remain common on major axes throughout the city. Accidents (both fatal and serious) involving motorcyclists (boda boda) remain high in Bunia and UN Personnel are strongly discouraged from using them. Night movements in isolated areas and out of bounds are not recommended due to several fatalities recorded. Other occasional hazards include fire outbreaks in commercial settings, flash floods in the littoral of Albert Lake and riverine Regions, Cholera/Typhoid. M-pox outbreaks in some urban centers, destructive storms during the rainy season and mudslides and landslides in the
province.
Key Profile Information
The ideal candidate is a senior public health leader with a Master’s degree in Public Health or a clinical background specialized in infectious diseases management, combined with at least 5 years of national and international experience in public health emergency settings. Operating within a highly volatile and complex protracted crisis in eastern DRC, the specialist serves as the senior field representative directing UNFPA operational and programmatic activities during active outbreaks. The role demands a proven track record in outbreak management, comprehensive knowledge of humanitarian coordination architectures, and technical expertise in mainstreaming sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gender-based violence (GBV), and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) into joint response pillars. Based in Bunia (Ituri Province) with a tentative 20% travel requirement, the specialist must possess strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and fluency in English, with French language proficiency considered a significant operational advantage
MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Support public health interventions
-
- Under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Humanitarian Specialist, the Infectious diseases management Specialist will support the overall Ebola outbreak management coordination and MVE case management as part of the public health emergency interventions.
- Strengthen emergency response/resilience and preparedness activities to reduce mortality, morbidity related to direct and indirect impact of outbreak (including disruptions of essential services).
- Advising national and international actors on public health, SRH and GBV issues related to the emergency response.
- Liaising with other outbreak response pillars in providing a coordinated public health, SRH and GBV response to the MVE outbreak
These activities will include the following:
- Together with the country outbreak response team, help identify and prioritize Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) preparedness (in at-risk zones) and response activities (in affected zones), with a focus on SRH and GBV considerations.
- Collaborate with national authorities, health, protection and PSEA partners and humanitarian coordination mechanisms including the Health Cluster as part of a coordinated outbreak response strategy; analyze existing coordination mechanisms, designing and recommending improvements.
- Ensure inclusion of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Gender Based Violence (GBV), and PSEA concerns in joint outbreak response, under WHO leadership, in close collaboration with UNFPA Country office SRH and GBV officers.
- Provide analysis of the public health risks, needs and capacities and advise on priority interventions for UNFPA and partners; challenges and operational course correctors, as applicable.
- Coordinate with and ensure UNFPA involvement in relevant Response Pillars according to its mandate, including SRH and GBV considerations for: infection prevention and control, surveillance, disease case management, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), amongst others.
- Assist the Country Office to adapt UNFPA country programme in their planning, coordination and implementation of MVD outbreak in view of ensuring that life-saving SRH and GBV services continue with the required adaptations.
- Oversee supply chain management to ensure frontline workers have essential medical supplies, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and SOP ( how to use PPE and PCI items, isolation, …)
- Secure information from a broad range of health actors, analyzing such and consolidating health data in trends and trends assessment, with particular attention to surveillance, monitoring and early warning.
- Advise the UNFPA CO and assist in the preparation for and participate in coordination meetings relating to outbreak emergency response, and ensure follow up.
Capacity Development
- Analyze results of monitoring visits and data to identify capacity development needs.
- Support the capacity development of UNFPA and its partners to respond to SRH and GBV related needs in outbreak response.
- Strengthen the capacity of midwives and maternity staff in obstetric IPC and Personal Protective Equipment protocols.. This involves establishing clear Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) triage protocols for differential diagnosis, and guiding the safe management of labor and delivery for infected patients, which includes strict barrier midwifery and the safe disposal of infectious pregnancy-related materials, infant breastfeeding guidelines.
Partnerships and Coordination
- Participation in outbreak coordination meetings; ensure that SRH and GBV considerations are mainstreamed in the response and all actors are upholding minimum standards (e.g. MISP and minimum standards for GBV in emergencies).
- Advocating for the inclusion of SRH and GBV needs within outbreak funding proposals and response plans.
- Advising other sectors (particularly WASH, protection, RCCE) on SRH and GBV considerations.
- Identify areas of collaboration with humanitarian agencies and national counterparts to address SRH, HIV/AIDS, youth, gender and GBV issues in their outbreak response plans, and programmes.
- Contribute in assessments, planning and reporting.
- Monitor and update GBV and SRH referral pathways, determine protocols for triage and referral to these services and propose appropriate needs-based referral mechanisms that are effective in addressing specific issues.
Monitoring and Reporting
- Liaise with UNFPA RO and HQ units to share information on the outbreak, provide necessary updates and seek guidance as necessary.
- Conduct a review of public health response and prevention interventions to crisis-affected populations to ensure that all interventions are in line with guiding principles.
- Produce inputs to regular progress reports and Sit Reps as required.
Technical leadership
- Serve as the senior field representative directing all programmatic and operational activities during active Ebola outbreaks..
- Provide technical updates and training to partners in relevant technical areas related to the emergency response.
Qualifications and Skills Required
- Master degree in public health, clinical background (with infectious diseases management is an asset.
- At least 5 years of relevant experience, at the national and international levels, in public health in emergencies response or health sector coordination.
- Previous experience managing outbreaks is an asset.
- Previous SRH, GBV or Humanitarian coordination with UNFPA SURGE is an asset
- Experience in capacity building, developing and promoting collaborative partnerships.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work within different cultural environments;
- Strong knowledge of humanitarian coordination mechanisms; and strong cultural awareness and sensitivity.
- Relevant work experience in UNFPA or WHO, or other UN agencies, health cluster partners, recognized humanitarian organizations or relevant non-governmental or humanitarian organizations.
- Proficiency in written and spoken French is mandatory, English is required as well.
CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.