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Qualifications

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 Director, Health Systems and Services (HSS), and the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Human Resources for Health (HSS/HR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a) Define technical cooperation activities related to the creation of evidence, information, and knowledge to inform public policy and support programmatic activities with respect to strategies in the area of Human Resources for Health (HRH);

b) Utilize systems thinking methods to analyze the health systems and Human Resources for Health (HRH) requirements in the region;

c) Provide technical cooperation to Member States and subregional entities to improve the development and use of HRH information systems for monitoring, assessment, and planning;

d) Develop and maintain a framework for HRH information, including the consolidation of a core set of health workforce data with annual reporting to the national health workforce accounts, relevant information and indicators, evidence from the literature on relevant topics, policy briefs, policy documents, and directories of medical and nursing schools, among others, in order to strengthen the availability, quality, and completeness of HRH information and evidence;

e) Coordinate technical cooperation with Member States and WHO in the production, collection, analysis, and dissemination of health workforce data and its articulation with National Health Workforce Accounts and broader health information systems in general to support policy and decision-making;

f) Support the development and use of information and evidence for the elaboration of a regional agenda of human resources for health and to facilitate technical cooperation between countries in priority areas of common interest and the related methodologies for monitoring and evaluation;

g) Promote and coordinate the development of research studies to guide HRH analysis in the Region, address ongoing concerns, and enhance the capacity for evidence-informed planning and decision-making in HRH, such as inflow and outflow of the health workforce, international migration of health workers, and healthy working environments, among others;

h) Advocate for and provide support to increase country engagement and participation in the WHO Code of Practice for the Recruitment of Health personnel, monitoring trends in health workforce mobility throughout the Region, and producing an analysis of trends that guides policy development;

i) Leverage countries’ capacity to develop, use, and disseminate HRH research in topics relevant to national policy and programs;

j) Drawing on themes critical for the achievement of Universal Health and the development of HRH, coordinate with a network of collaborators within and outside the Organization, including WHO Collaborating Centers, subregional integration mechanisms, national health authorities, academic centers, professional associations, and international and bilateral organizations, to implement strategies, tools, and methodologies and to mobilize high-level expertise to increase the quality of technical cooperation projects;

k) Guide Member Countries on the relevance and utility of evidence-informed decision-making, monitoring, and assessment of HRH to improve access and resilience of national health systems;

l) Organize and promote partnerships with key stakeholders, including policymakers, research funders, knowledge brokers, advocacy organizations, research centers, researchers, bilateral and multilateral organizations, and WHO involved in generating knowledge for public policy and health systems, especially in themes related to HRH;

m) 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;

n) Collaborate in the preparation of biennial programs and budgets (BWP), semiannual workplans and periodic evaluations for assigned projects; participate in the annual performance evaluation of the entity;

o) Collaborate in the Organization’s response to emergency situations; provide technical expertise in order to facilitate timely response as required;

p) Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in a health-related profession or information management/systems and a master’s degree in public health, health systems, information management, or in any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized university.

Desirable: A PhD in a related field is highly desirable.

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 working in the area of health systems and services, human resources for health, health policy research, information management, monitoring and evaluation, statistical analysis, or program evaluation. Experience in developing, designing, and carrying out technical cooperation programs on human resources for health and related strategies to strengthen informed decision-making for health systems transformation.

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 – Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes on such diversity. 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:

– Extensive progressive expertise in Human Resources for Health (HRH) policy, planning, information and management; in-depth understanding of the relationships between human resources policies, the development and organization of health systems and services and the broader social, political and economic environment. Wide and varied knowledge of public health problems and health management processes, including monitoring and performance assessment in the health or social sector, and disciplines related to human resources management and strategic planning processes.

– Excellent analytical skills and competencies in the areas of public health, health policy, health systems and services, information management, research methods, and analysis of health systems, among others.

– Advanced knowledge of organization and management of national health systems and health care services in countries of the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

– Demonstrated expertise in a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research techniques.

– Excellent knowledge of advanced methods for analyzing survey data to measure, evaluate and monitor health systems performance including human resources for health.

– Ability to plan activities and prepare proposals, reports, and publications relevant to technical work; ability to gather, analyze and disseminate information to guide strategic decisions.

– Strong writing skills in English and Spanish, including the development of technical documents and publications to peer review journals.

– Expertise in project management and development.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish 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, as well as SPSS or similar statistical software.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $77,326.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment: 70.2% 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.