Qualifications

1.      Background

South Sudan faces recurrent humanitarian crises, including conflict, displacement, and flooding, which severely disrupt access to health services. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and cancer are increasingly recognized as critical health needs in emergencies. WHO is committed to supporting the Ministry of Health (MoH) in strengthening the national health systems in South Sudan to integrate Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) services into emergency preparedness and response, ensuring continuity of care and building resilient primary and secondary healthcare systems.

2.      Purpose of the Position

The National Professional Officer (NPO) will provide technical leadership and operational support for integrating NCDs into emergency preparedness and response in South Sudan. The role ensures alignment with WHO guidance, strengthens national capacity, and facilitates coordination among stakeholders.

3.      Key Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following duties:

Technical Support & Coordination

•                     Provide direct technical support to the Ministry of Health (MoH) on NCDs in emergencies.

•                     Contribute NCD expertise to the country-level Health Programs, including procurement and deployment of NCD and trauma kits (TRK).

•                     Coordinate and provide technical assistance to implementing partners

•                     Offer technical input and share lessons with WHO Regional Office and Headquarters focal points to ensure global–local coherence.

Capacity Building & Knowledge Sharing

•                     Contextualize and adapt guidelines and training materials for South Sudan

•                     Identify opportunities to strengthen rehabilitation and NCD care as part of national EMT capacity.

•                     Identify, mentor, and train national capacity to sustain interventions on NCDs in emergencies.

•                     Provide technical contributions to national and regional events.

Monitoring, Reviews & Evidence Generation

•                     Manage reviews and develop post-review implementation plans.

•                     Track and report on implementation status of the project

•                     Develop case studies documenting best practices, challenges, and lessons learned.

•                     Conduct assessments of NCD needs in emergencies.

4.      Expected Deliverables

•                     Technical reports and policy briefs for MoH and partners.

•                     Training materials adapted to South Sudan’s context.

•                     Case studies and lessons learned shared

•                     Review reports and implementation plans.

5.      Qualifications

•                     University degree in medicine, public health, or related field.

•                     At least 3 years of relevant experience in NCDs, emergency health response, or health systems strengthening.

•                     Experience working with government, UN agencies, NGOs, and humanitarian partners.

•                     Strong analytical, coordination, and communication skills.

•                     Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is an asset.

6.      Competencies

•                     Teamwork and collaboration.

•                     Moving Forward in a Changing Environment

•                     Producing Results

•                     Fostering Integration and Teamwork Across Boundaries

•                     Communication and knowledge sharing

Language Skills

Excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of Arabic

Additional Information (For HR use only):

·         This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

·         The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce 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 workforce. 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 for WHO jobs.

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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. 
• WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• 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.
• 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 the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates.