OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The overall objectives of the Office of the Regional Director (ORD) is to support the Regional Director in the efficient delivery of his/her mandate and in the provision of effective leadership and coordination of the work of WHO in the African Region, ensuring that the Region’s needs and priorities are taken into account in WHO global policies, strategies and actions, including partnerships within and beyond the UN system, and collaboration with countries, cooperation with and support to the UN system, international organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and other stakeholders. The Office coordinates the Regional Director’s engagement and collaboration with Member States, the African Union Commission, development partners, donors and other stakeholders. It is responsible for coordinating the preparation of policy, technical and managerial briefs on relevant health matters to facilitate the decisions of the Regional Director and in the development of strategic initiatives. The Office ensures the contributions of the programmatic/technical clusters and the management units under GMC cluster to the execution of the functions of the Regional Director and assists in monitoring compliance in the implementation of specific executive decisions and recommendations. The Office supports RD’s role as the prime communicator with stakeholders and partners for information sharing and advocacy. The Office also develops specific partnerships, mobilizing capacities in the region in the pursuit of its objectives and contributes to cross-Cluster resource mobilization in order to achieve universal coverage for significant improvement in health outcomes using Primary Health Care as a delivery vehicle. The Director ORD’s Office is also responsible for developing, leading, monitoring and evaluating the work of the ORD Teams and coordinating its action with WHO Headquarters, Clusters, and partner agencies and institutions. The Office of the Regional Director also coordinates the following teams – WHO Country Office/Inter Country Support Teams (WCO/IST); Country Focus and Coordination (CFC); Ombudsman (OMB); Polio Eradication Programme, including Polio transition (PEP); External Relations, Partnerships and Governing Bodies (EPG); Transformation Agenda Initiatives (TAI); and Communications (COM). The goal is to enable countries in the WHO African region to ensure evidence-based policies and strategies are in place to achieve universal access to high-quality integrated health services, increase coverage and quality of effective interventions and to create mechanisms to measure the impact of those strategies and interventions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The incumbent will be expected to perform the following duties: Under the direct supervision of the ORD Director and in collaboration with the CFC Unit WCOs, develop policy briefs on global, regional and country public health developments that will impact on the work of the Regional Director;  Contribute to the initiation of research, analysis and synthesis of materials in the preparation of policy briefs and briefing notes for the Regional Director; In coordination with the Senior Writer to the RD, support the preparation and review of technical documents, papers and reports as required for RD or ORD review;  In consultation with the Director of ORD, Initiate substantive, public-health related correspondence emanating from the Office of the Regional Director, as needed; Oversee the information flow of the Regional Director’s e-mail correspondence, extracting high priority and strategic matters for attention;  Attend meetings with the Regional Director; whenever necessary, prepare minutes and ensure timely and efficient follow up on implementation of ensuing actions; Follow-up and monitor implementation of decisions of the Executive Management Team and action points from GPG meetings under the direction of Director ORD; Follow up and collate feedback on actions arising from the Regional Director’s interactions with Member States, donors and partners; Report on the implementation of the Transformation Agenda for ORD monitoring; Establish or enhance systems to strengthen the capacity of the Office in monitoring compliance in the implementation of specific technical and managerial recommendations including RD’s circulars;  Continually contribute in cross-Cluster work and task teams to achieve organizational results; Perform other related responsibilities as assigned in his/her area of expertise, including replacing and backstopping others as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Medical Degree or Health related degree with an advanced university degree in public health, or international relations.
Desirable:

Experience

Essential: At least seven (7) years’ experience at national or international level in public health, monitoring and evaluation of health-related programmes;
Desirable: Experience in policy development and executive -level office-management at the national level, would be an asset;

Skills

Demonstrated ability to write technical and scientific reports

Ability to negotiate and engage new partnerships

Excellent analytical and writing skills

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Moving forward in a changing environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of French.
Desirable: The above language requirements are interchangeable.

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 77,326 (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 3583 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.

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• 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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