Advisor, PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH)

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Department of Health Systems and Services (HSS) is responsible for promoting, coordinating, and implementing the Organization’s technical cooperation in health systems and services development to achieve Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage (Universal Health), based on the Primary Health Care approach. HSS promotes evidence-based policies, strategies and plans to transform national health systems to improve equity and resilience, as health systems move towards the achievement of Universal Health, strengthening governance and stewardship, increasing and improving health financing and social protection, and supporting the development of integrated networks of health services based on a highly resolutive first level of care. HSS strengthens national capacity in the organization of people-centered health services, integrating the healthy life course approach, ensuring quality of care and patient safety, and the effective deployment and management of human resources.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director, Health Systems and Services (HSS) and the direct technical supervision of the Chief, Special Program PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a)Design the guidelines of the VCPH’s educational strategy for health in the Region, based on scientific evidence and international quality standards, including a diversity of educational modalities within the framework of continuing education and lifelong learning;

b)Guide, supervise and monitor the management and evaluation of educational programs, proposals and activities presented on the Campus by the educational institutions of the Region, the country nodes and the technical areas of the Organization related to the processes of continuous training and e-learning in public health;

c)Coordinate the development of learning pathways, articulating with all technical areas and country nodes, to guide and organize the training offer around the priorities defined by the organization;

d)Provide advice and guidelines for the use of technologies simulation, gamification, immersion, artificial intelligence and others in the educational processes of health teams;

e)Provide technical support to VCPH country nodes;

f)Coordinate the development of open educational resources, learning networks, and collaborative projects that promote the acquisition of competencies in health teams and facilitate the production and exchange of learning resources;

g)Contribute to improving the online education capacities of public health educational institutions and faculty development to deliver quality, innovative, and accessible programs designed to change current practices toward resilient health systems;

h)Promote and support the production of evidence in the fields of continuing education and online health education, with a special focus on training evaluation, competency-based programs, and the educational use of diverse technologies;

i)Develop quality standards for the VCPH’s educational proposals, aligned with international standards on lifelong learning (including WHOAcademy) and online education, that favor the recognition and accreditation of VCPH courses in academic institutions, ministries of health, and other platforms, and produce guides to contribute to the design of educational proposals based on these criteria;

j)Systematize and analyze information in order to identify access gaps and good training practices in conjunction with the organization’s technical areas, country advisors, and Collaborating Centers to increase the health workforce access to the VCPH;

k)Coordinate and articulate with the campus technology team the development, interoperability and updating of content and learning management systems for a better inclusion and dissemination of educational proposals of the Virtual Campus for Public Health;

l)Lead and coordinate, in close coordination with Country Offices and HSS focal points, the formulation, execution and evaluation of program and budget plans for the biennium; participate and develop common strategies with other professionals of the country offices on all aspects related to health education, competency and capacity development;

m)Collaborate on global and regional alliances and networks in support of the strengthening of the first level of care, including the exchange of best practices and experiences among countries; promote the development of regional networks building the necessary expertise and knowledge in the field of work, and promote and manage collaborating centers in this area;

n)Mobilize resources, financial, technical and human, for the strengthening of healthcare service delivery in Member States, through the development of projects and initiatives that promote improved access to health care services; liaise and coordinate with international financing institutes and agencies in the development and implementation of joint projects;

o)Participate in the preparation of the Project’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP), budget and technical evaluation reports;

p)When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities;

q)Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in education, social sciences, psychology, technology or a health science and a complementary master’s degree in education and/or a social science and/or public health related to the functions of the post from a recognized university.

Desirable: Specialization in virtual education would be an asset.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.PAHO, only considers official degrees obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience:

Essential: Nine years of combined national and international experience in the field of human resources development for health with emphasis on virtual education, at the graduate or postgraduate level, continuing education or in-service training.

Desirable: Experience in the management of educational platforms with diverse projects and a large number of participants.

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

·Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

·Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences:Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity – R Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

·Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others – Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.

·Communication: Write effectively/Share knowledge – Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

·Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results – Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.

·Ensuring effective use of resources:Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well – Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives.Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

·Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond:Develop networks and partnerships and encourage collaboration – Builds and negotiates strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure Organizational results and success.Creates innovative opportunities for promoting synergies inside and outside the Organization to improve Organizational success.

Technical Expertise:

–Strong theorical knowledge and technical expertise in virtual education planning, development, evaluation, and research.

–Strong experience in planning and development virtual educational proposals in coordination with planning, regulation, and management of human resources.

–In-depth understanding of the link between health systems and permanent education in the framework of the lifelong learning perspective with special focus on e-learning strategy.

–Strong skills and thorough knowledge of virtual educational planning, educational psychology, adult education, and teaching.

–Strong skills in management of virtual educational platforms.

–Strong awareness of the contribution of communication to e-learning

–Strong recognition of the diversity in the recipients of educational proposals and, consequently, knowledge about localization strategies

–Strong theoretical knowledge of the use of diverse technologies for the design of virtual educational projects.

–Strong public health and strategic thinking background showing resourcefulness, initiative, leadership qualities, skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas; demonstrated ability to identify, assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendations on key political and technical issues.

–Ability to establish and maintain results-oriented productive relationships with key actors, ensuring product delivery and reporting.

–Strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of Spanish or English with working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential. Demonstrated ability to effectively use of LCMS.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $77,326.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment:45.8% of the above figure(s).This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post.The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.