OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Division of Country Health Policies and Systems (CPS) assists countries in the Region with the design and implementation of appropriate health policies and systems to strengthen universal health coverage. It works to strengthen data-driven, evidence-informed, contextually tailored health policy development and implementation at national, regional, and local levels, taking an inclusive approach across the life course. The Division advocates strengthening of public health leadership, focusing on implementing policies that are people centred, promote health, prevent illness, and address the social and economic determinants of health, while fostering leadership on equity, human rights, and gender mainstreaming in health. It focuses on building capacity for health systems innovation to enable the sustainable delivery of high-quality primary health and community services that are effectively linked to hospitals, and mental health, public health, and social care services. To do so, CPS supports country efforts to facilitate access to leave nobody behind, to improve financial protection, to strengthen the health workforce, to increase access to affordable medicines and technologies, and to promote the uptake and implementation of digital technology. The WHO Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office located in Athens (Athens Quality of Care Office/QoC), works to achieve the highest level of well-being, health, and health protection in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Its main aim is to support the Member States in the European region. The Athens Office acts on the following major areas: The WHO Country Office supports the Member State to shape its health policy in line with WHO’s principles and values and advocates for an integrated approach to health development. By means of a single, unified, and functionally integrated country representation, WHO facilitates the implementation of the GPW13 and particularly BCA with the Member State and its corresponding country work plan. WHO helps the country to improve its health system, facilitates policy dialogue and provides technical support as necessary. The WHO country office administers, consolidates, manages, and enhances WHO collaboration in the country including all resources deployed in the country either permanently or temporarily to maximize WHO impact. The Office also has a representational, fund-raising and resource steering function, as needed.

1. Country support, national strategies and frameworks and sharing lessons to scale up successful interventions. This involves inter alia documenting and collating practices and country-specific assistance for strengthening quality of care and patient safety.

2. Quality of care and patient safety innovation and knowledge synthesis. This includes the creation of an innovation hub to share novel quality of care and patient safety approaches.

3. Policy analysis in the sphere of quality of care and patient safety. This stream of work aims to systematize evidence on quality of care and patient safety to inform national health policies.

4. Network building, alliances, and stakeholder engagement. Under this pillar partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as leading academic institutions and think tanks are developed and scaled up.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

To facilitate the establishment and staffing of the Office as well as and the full and timely implementation of the agreed activities. The incumbent also contributes towards building a strong identity and both external and internal visibility of the Athens Office as centre of expertise in Quality of Care and Patient Safety within the European Region and particularly with Member States around the Mediterranean basin and South-eastern Europe.

 Key duties:

·         Developing annual work plans and reports in relation with the work of the Athens Quality of Care Office.

·         Contributing with senior technical advice and expertise towards developing the Office’s strategies in line with the EPW – European Programme of Work – and specifically: development of overall strategy and workplan (including detailed results and indicators, possible sub-regional strategies and focus countries), partnerships and communication strategies.

·         Contributing to the EPW’s priority countries, by developing internal and external partnerships including transversal cooperation with programmes and with WHO Country Offices as well as to enhancing and facilitating partnerships with regional and sub-regional stakeholder relevant organizations.

·         Providing technical leadership to the Athens Quality of Care Office activities around country support, National strategies and frameworks and sharing good practices with countries and stakeholders to scale-up successful interventions.

·         Ensuring through sustained advocacy efforts among other that innovation and knowledge synthesis around quality of care and patient safety elevates the Athens Quality of Care Office to become a centre of excellence within the European Region.

·         Coordinating the development of policy analysis in the sphere of quality of care and patient safety mainly for countries in the South-eastern European and the Mediterranean basin part of the WHO European Region.

·         Building broad and multisectoral networks and alliances and promote stakeholder engagement in Quality of Care and Patient Safety Establishing and maintaining close and effective contacts with high level officials in Member States, at ministerial level, and international partners, representing WHO/EURO as and when requested by the from the Regional Director and in agreement with the respective Directors and WHO Country Representatives.

·         Other tasks as requested by the Divisional Director

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree (Master’s level) in public health or in a field relevant to the position.
Desirable: PhD inthe field of Quality of Care and/or Patient Safety, or in a related area.

Experience

Essential: At least 10 years of demonstrated experience with gradual increasing responsibilities at national and international level in a technical coordination role and management of health programmes, within a public health context. Demonstrated experience working with national counterparts and relevant agencies and stakeholders at country level. Demonstrated experience in translating evidence into actionable policies options. Experience in leading teams and projects. Demonstrated experience in public health with focus on any or several of the following areas: implementation, evaluation, health management, governance, policies, health systems and integrated services, health determinants, health literacy and behavioural change interventions as well as information systems and evidence-based policies.

Desirable: Demonstrated work experience on policy and strategy development and implementation of health programmes at country and regional levels. Relevant work experience within WHO and/or other UN agencies or other entities in countries of the WHO European Region.

Skills

1. Strong leadership and organizational skills
2. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with all stakeholders, both internal and external, including diplomacy, tact, empathy, and an ability to deal with and communicate effectively with senior level officials, multiple stakeholders, and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
3. Demonstrated ability in conducing successful high-level policy dialogue
4. Excellent oral, written, and presentational communication skills.
5. Demonstrated knowledge of WHO European Region political context and public health settings.
6. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.7. Demonstrated emotional awareness: ability to identify and harness one’s emotions and apply them to tasks; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and helping others to do the same. 

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Creating an empowering and motivating environment
Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Russian.

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 3400 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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