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 so as 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 country office works with the National Authorities to achieve the highest standard of health as a fundamental human right, based on equity and on SDGs principle of leaving no one behind. WHO actions are engrained in the WHO 13th General Programme of Work with its 3 prong objectives of promoting healthier populations, keeping the world safe through addressing health emergencies, and protecting the vulnerable through Universal Health Coverage. WHO's mandate revolves around six core functions: (i) providing Global Health leadership; (ii) shaping the health research agenda; (iii) setting norms and standards; (iv) articulating evidence-based policy options; (v) providing technical support to countries; and (vi) monitoring and assessing health trends. The WHO Country Office is an integral part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Its main role is to facilitate and coordinate all WHO activities at country level and to implement the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 –“United Action for Better Health in Europe” which sets out a vision of how the WHO Regional Office for Europe can better support countries in meeting citizens’ expectations about health.
WHO at the country level delivers this through practical, actionable, and country-focused solutions to health challenges, keeping in perspective that achieving health and well-being is a whole-of-society endeavour. This is done through facilitating the implementation of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement with the country and its corresponding workplan. The WHO Country Office maintains good working relations and ensures information exchange between the country and WHO, policy and strategic guidance on Health issues to all national and international partners in the country, provision of direct technical expertise when needed and aims at more community engagement and participation, and to promote health equity.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Work environment: The incumbent will work in the WHO Country Office in Kyiv under the supervision of the Health Programme Lead. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with other WHO staff at the country office and is in daily communication and correspondence with officials of relevant programmes at the Ministry of Health, other health authorities and key agencies responsible for non-communicable diseases in the country. S/he is also expected to collaborate with staff from other divisions of WHO Regional Office for Europe. WHO prioritizes teamwork, the composition of which may vary in line with the requests made by the Member States.
Role of the individual within the team: As - member of the WHO Country Office in Kyiv, the incumbent will be expected to work independently but in a coordinated manner in line with WHO’s support strategy for Ukraine and follow the policy directions of the WHO Regional Office. S/he advocates for the incorporation of a human rights and gender equality in policies, workshops, activities and other as appropriate by the partners normally involved in policymaking.
Guidelines: WHO policy guidelines, including the resolutions of the World Health Assembly, Executive Board and Regional Committee related to health services delivery the European Health 2020 policy framework; The Sustainable Development Goals; The Tallinn Charter: Health Systems for Health and Wealth; WHO General Programme of Work and Programme Budget; WHO Staff Rules and Regulations; WHO Manual; and other WHO basic documents.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
To support the Ministry of Health and relevant health authorities in Ukraine with the aim of developing strategies and actions towards improvement of health services delivery in Ukraine with a focus on primary and specialized care, health workforce, access to medicines and health products, and tackling anti-microbiological resistance.
Under the supervision of the Health Emergencies & Programme Lead and with guidance from the WHO Representative and the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems in the WHO regional office for Europe, the incumbent will assume the following responsibilities:
This revised list focuses on leadership roles, strategic decision-making, and a broader scope of responsibility, highlighting a higher level of involvement in policy, coordination, and stakeholder engagement
1. Lead strategic oversight and coordination of technical support to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Public Health Center, National Health Service of Ukraine, and other national partners for the development, implementation, and evaluation of national health strategies and policies at both national and subnational levels.
2. Provide expert guidance and leadership to the MOH in revising and adapting health strategy/policy guidelines and tools, ensuring alignment with regional and global WHO guidance and best practices.
3. Oversee and lead the organization of joint actions with MOH counterparts, such as working groups, roundtables, and meetings, to advance policy dialogue and implement health strategies effectively at all levels, while ensuring the documentation of experiences for future reference.
4. Direct WHO support to MOH for aligning with the EU accession health-related areas, overseeing the alignment of national regulatory and normative documents with EU norms and standards.
5. Lead the evaluation and monitoring of strategy/policy implementation and its impact on population health, ensuring the use of data-driven insights for continuous improvement.
6. Manage a team of experts to offer comprehensive technical support to MOH and other public agencies, guiding the assessment of training needs and the organization and implementation of training programs related to health systems and governance.
7. Oversee technical support for enhancing policy dialogue at higher levels, including engaging Parliament, other sectors, and stakeholders in critical health policy discussions.
8. Chair technical discussions, offer high-level advice on governance and health issues, and oversee the alignment between national health strategies/policies and other strategic documents, including tracking developments.
9. Coordinate the planning and execution of missions for WHO staff and external consultants focused on health strategy and public sector capacity building in the country, ensuring thorough support during missions and meticulous follow-up.
10. Lead the facilitation of partner and stakeholder coordination in health policy and strategy, fostering a collaborative approach to health improvement.
11. Spearhead initiatives for fundraising to support health strategy development, monitoring, and implementation, identifying and seizing new funding opportunities.
12. Direct support for cross-Divisional and intercountry activities upon request, emphasizing strategic alignment and synergy.
13. Assume additional leadership duties as required, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to advancing public health goals and strategies.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education Qualifications
Essential: First University degree (Bachelor’s level) in medicine and/or public health and/or management.
Desirable: Specialized certification in primary or specialized healthcare, and/or health workforce, and/or access to medicines, and/or tackling anti-microbiological resistance and/or infection prevention and control.
Experience
Essential: At least 5 years’ experience in health policy and public health work focused on health services delivery.
Desirable: Demonstrated experience in the management of public health projects in the WHO European Region. Experience in team supervision. Relevant work experience with(in) UN, NGOs or organizations/institutions.
WHO Competencies
1. Teamwork
2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
3. Communication
4. Ensuring the Effective use of Resources
5. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
Functional Skills and Knowledge:
Demonstrated knowledge of public health, epidemiology and particularly of health services delivery. Ability to design and implement studies, to conduct effective planning, to analyse data and to write concise reports. In depth knowledge of country context and health systems.
Skills to plan, implement and evaluate public health interventions and improve performance on a continuous basis. Management skills in leading and supervising a team and assigned budget.
Ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same.
Use of Language Skills
Essential: Expert knowledge of English and Ukrainian.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of any other Official WHO languages.
REMUNERATION
Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 52 930 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
2. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
3. A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
4. In the event 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. 5.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.
6.Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and E-Manual.
7.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.
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 8. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
9. 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 short-listed candidates.
10. WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
11. 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.
12. The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
14. 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.
15. 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. 16. In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click this link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates This position is no longer open.
