Technical Officer (Primary Health Care)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objectives of WHO’s emergency programme are to design and implement programs that prepare the health sector to deal with emergencies and improve health during and after crises.
Within the emergency program, the objectives of WHO’s emergency response team are to support Member States by:
1. Promptly assessing the health needs of populations affected by the crisis, identifying priority causes rehabilitation plans. This includes providing prompt, credible health information and ensuring the continuity of essential health services.
2. Coordinating and monitoring emergency health relief efforts under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Health Cluster, of which WHO is the lead agency.
3. Ensuring that critical gaps in the health response are rapidly identified and filled.
4. Revitalizing of ill-health and death, preparing damage estimates, and developing emergency response.
5. Building the capacity of national health systems to deal with preparedness, mitigation, and response.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIEES

In the context of the current emergency, the incumbent will play a key role in supporting the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) & Secondary Health Care (SHC) activities and the Integrated Health Service Networks (IHSDNs). During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified based on the technical needs of the program requirements.

The incumbent will perform the following duties:

1. Provide technical support to strengthen the disrupted health system, reduce fragmentation, and promote a coordinated and integrated health service delivery approach in line with the WHO Gaziantep Field Presence’s strategic plan.

2. Facilitate and provide technical assistance in assessing PHC and SHC needs, resources, and capacities, including non-communicable diseases (NCD), Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), and Nutrition.

3. Develop and/or adapt Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), data collection tools, and reporting forms for integrating planned functions, including NCD, EPI, and nutrition.

4. Collaborate with the health cluster and implementing partners to coordinate and implement PHC response activities as part of the health cluster’s strategic response plan.

5. Lead/Coordinate the Primary Health Care technical working group and subgroup meetings with all relevant partners, producing and circulating minutes, related decisions, and tracking the latter, recommending improvements to current and future field operations based on lessons learned.

6. Collaborate with technical staff to secure sources of information and recommend work plans for short-, medium-, and long-term goals.

7. Prepare regular reports and updates on the implementation of the 1) Primary Health Care programs and activities. 2) Secondary Health Care with focus on Surgical care and Stabilization Centers.

8. Draft and revise technical documents, briefing notes, meeting reports, information products, and content as appropriate.

9. Proactively participate in the development of project proposals to mobilize resources.

10. Provide input to communications and information products (Situation Reports, health cluster bulletins, outbreak bulletins, etc.) as required.

11. Manage and supervise staff and consultants, including task assignment, performance evaluation, and professional development.

12. Coordinate team activities, ensuring effective collaboration and communication within the team.

13. Contribute to project cycle management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the WHO Gaziantep Field Presence health projects.

14. Ensure compliance with IASC principles and the Humanitarian Programme Cycle in delivering WHO’s health response.

15. Perform any other related incident-specific duties as required by the functional supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in medicine or any health-related field from an accredited/recognized institute.
Desirable: An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in public health and/or Post graduate studies or specialized training in PHC, emergency response or disaster management in the context of public health.

Experience

Essential: At least five years, including at the international level, of progressive and related experience in areas related to health services delivery in emergencies, extension of health care services to underserved population/areas, and developing strategies to overcome barriers to accessing health care services, including essential medicines.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of WHO mandate and goals in Health Action in Crises or experience in UN organizations/agencies. Experience in capacity building programme planning/development, project management, monitoring and evaluation.

Skills/Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of public health programmes with focus on primary health care, health system, and Referral system.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of operational management of health aspects/consequences of humanitarian crises in field settings.
• Demonstrated skills in capacity building, proposal and report writing, knowledge of and experience with needs assessments in emergency settings, strategic information analysis and planning.
• Managerial skills for the development, implementation and analysis of technical cooperation programmes and activities, including the development of programmatic indicators.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Ensuring effective use of resources
Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Working knowledge of Arabic.

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 64,121 (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 2255 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.

• 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.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• 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.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.

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