Team Lead (Governing bodies, Country support & Partnerships)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Governing bodies, Country Support and Partnerships promote leadership of both WHO and Member States, strengthens governance and accountability, and fosters partnerships, collaboration with countries, the UN systems, and other partners and stakeholders in order to fulfil the vision of WHO for highest attainable standard of health for the population of the Region. The overall objective is to ensure the efficient and effective development, implementation and evaluation of the collaborative programmes of WHO in SEAR, to promote and contribute to strengthening of country focus for greater impact of WHO technical cooperation at the country level and to coordinate and provide technical support and advice to all activities relating to the development and strengthening of partnerships, interagency coordination, governance and resource mobilization in support of WHO regional health development priorities and the implementation of WHO’s biennial programmes.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of Chef de Cabinet and broad guidance of Regional Director, and in collaboration with Director Programme Management (DPM), Department Directors, WHO Representatives (WRs) and other organizational entities, the incumbent will perform the specific duties:

1. Lead and provide the coordinated support to WHO SEA Region, in relation to governing bodies matter, resource mobilization, partnership management, and support to WRs and WHO Country Offices, in order to foster inter-programmatic and inter-office collaboration on WHO’s Global Programme of Work (GPW) and Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Coordinate and represent WHO SEARO in collaboration with UN system, intergovernmental bodies and supra-national/regional integrations, especially UN ESCAP, SAARC, ASEAN, SIDS; and with other WHO Regional Offices on the issue related to governing bodies, resource mobilization and partnership.

3. Coordinate WHO SEARO’s corporate-level strategic partnership relations and alliances with governmental and non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector, including WHO Collaborating Centres, by identifying strategic opportunities and promoting effective engagement of philanthropic, development, academic and implementation partners in WHO program of work, at all levels, aligned with the WHO Framework for Engagement of Non-State Actors.

4. Leading effective coordination between WHO Country Offices, the Regional Office and Headquarters in developing and implementing joint actions to mobilize resources and collaborate with bilateral and multilateral development agencies, public and private sector partners, civil society organizations for WHO programme implementation and coordinated support for national health development in the Region.

5. Lead effective monitoring, risk-surveillance and report mechanisms of the funding and implementation in the regional and country offices and enhance the effectiveness of the instituted measures to coordinate Regional Resource Mobilization Network of resource mobilization focal points from Regional technical units and country offices.

6. Lead the support to WR and Country Offices, in coordination with internal and external partners as appropriate, in the development and implementation of country cooperation strategies (CCS) in accordance with global guidelines, as well as key WHO transformation activities at country level, and coordinate monitoring and progress reporting activities for senior management.

7. Lead synergized and coordinated support to SEARO and SEAR Member States in relation to WHO governing bodies, statutory, partnership, intergovernmental and other meetings, including in monitoring and following up meeting outcomes, to ensure efficient integration of management process into the planning processes and compliance framework; as well as strengthen collective capacity and promote leadership and prominent roles of SEAR Member States in the WHO Governing body meetings, and strategic global events.

8. Lead the coordination for the implementation of the annual work plans for country support, governance and resource mobilization and provide clear and consistent updates, analyses and reports with actionable recommendations.

9. Under the guidance of senior management, represent the Organization inter-agency, international and national meetings, as appropriate, providing the recognized authoritative advice to external partners and Member States on WHO’s country focus policy and strategies that expand the organization’s opportunities to better support the country needs and capacities for coordinating international cooperation in health and resource mobilization through liaison and collaboration.

10. Perform any other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Relations, Public Health, or related fields.
Desirable: PhD/Doctoral degree in Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Relations or related fields.

Experience

Essential: Minimum of 10 years of professional experience working at senior levels in management of international development cooperation or partnerships building, including at least 5 years of experience at international level; experience in policy formulation and strategy development. Good working knowledge of WHO/UN procedures and experience of working in WHO/UN at the headquarters, regional or country level.
Desirable: Specialized knowledge and experience in working in the WHO/UN organization and/or key donor agency. Experience in representing an organization at senior level in international forums and/or coordinating with member states, partners, and the major donors, including bilateral, multilateral, UN system agencies, and foundations is an asset.

Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to forge and maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders involved in country cooperation at national, regional, and global level. Skills to organize and manage partnerships and health data for analysis, and a capacity to dialogue and negotiate with other parties. Broad knowledge of the dominant issues in the field of international public health, both past and current, which could include policy development, planning and programme management at a global, regional, or country level.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of UN language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 92,731 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 3609 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• 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. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications 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/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

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