Senior Technical Officer - Health Systems Development & Strengthening

Mission and objectives

Who we are Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. What we do WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage. We direct and coordinate the world’s response to health emergencies. And we promote healthier lives – from pregnancy care through old age. Our Triple Billion targets outline an ambitious plan for the world to achieve good health for all, using science-based policies and programmes.

Context

South Sudan continues to face overlapping public health and humanitarian emergencies. These include the risk of importation and local transmission of Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD), as well as recurrent outbreaks and events such as cholera, measles, mpox, malaria, hepatitis E, poliovirus events, meningitis, floods, conflict-related trauma, population displacement, malnutrition and disruption of essential health services. The operating environment is characterized by high population movement, porous borders, weak health-service capacity, insecurity, seasonal access constraints and limited logistics and laboratory coverage. WHO supports the Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute, state ministries of health and county health departments to strengthen preparedness, readiness and response through the national Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and Incident Management System. For BVD, the response uses a county-centered, hub-and-spoke model with operational hubs supporting clusters of priority counties. The same field platform will also support other ongoing and emerging health emergencies to avoid parallel structures and ensure efficient use of personnel, logistics and information systems. Objectives.

• Ensure rapid detection, verification, investigation and reporting of BVD and other priority public health alerts.
• Strengthen county and hub readiness across surveillance, rapid response, IPC, case management, laboratory referral, contact tracing, risk communication, points of entry and logistics.
• Coordinate operational delivery across assigned counties and ensure that gaps are escalated and addressed promptly.
• Generate timely, accurate and decision-oriented epidemiological analysis, situation reports and performance monitoring products.
• Support continuity of essential health services during outbreaks, conflict, floods, displacement and other emergencies.

Task Description

The Technical Expert – Health Systems Development & Strengthening will provide field-level health systems strengthening, operational, and coordination support for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD ) readiness and response and for other priority public health emergencies. When designated as Hub Lead, the incumbent will additionally coordinate World Health Organization (WHO)-supported operations across the hub catchment area, consolidate county needs, deploy technical and logistics support, and maintain a clear link between counties, states, and the national Incident Management System. Background: 1. Provide technical guidance and support in the development and implementation of robust national and state health strategies and plans, ensuring alignment with programme-level policies and plans. 2. Advise and collaborate on the development, implementation, and evaluation of technical cooperation programmes in the areas of health governance, health policy and systems development, health services organization, and management. Support the establishment of standards for the design, organization, and functional health programming and operation of health systems based on primary healthcare, supporting continuous quality improvement, access to quality essential medicines; blood transfusion services; public health laboratory infrastructure and services. 3. Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to design an essential health service package, taking into consideration the social and cultural aspects for the effective use and access to services. 4. Contribute to the identification and targeting of health inequities and the inclusion of vulnerable groups to ensure equitable access to quality health services. 5. Contribute to the development, planning, and training of human resources in health aimed at increasing the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the workforce; organize, conduct, or facilitate capacity-building activities. 6. Disseminate up-to-date knowledge and findings in the various areas of specialization; advise on the introduction and transfer of experiences and technologies through capacity-building processes. 7. Support the development and consolidation of the health information system to assist in decision-making processes; monitor performance; provide information on the health situation, status, and trends pertaining to the effective and efficient management of health services. Results/expected outputs: 1. As an active WHO team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support deliverer, the UN Volunteer (UNV) should demonstrate an understanding of: Deliverable minimum content timing 2. Inception and deployment plan, validated contacts, reporting lines, priority sites, routes, surveillance gaps, partner map, and 30-day workplan. Within 3 working days. 3. County/hub epidemiological profile: Priority diseases, population movement, high-risk locations, sentinel facilities, surveillance blind spots, and referral pathways. Within 7 days; update monthly. 4. Alert and response records: Updated alert log, investigations, line lists, contact information, actions, and escalation records. Real-time/daily during activation. 5. Health Systems Strengthening and operational update: Trends, risks, response performance, key gaps, decisions required, and next actions. Daily during activation; weekly otherwise. 6. Readiness and supervision report: Assessment findings, drill results, data-quality issues, and corrective-action tracker. At least monthly and after each exercise. 7. After-action report: What occurred, timeline, performance against standards, bottlenecks, lessons, and corrective actions. Within 72 hours after a major event or exercise. 8. End-of-assignment report: Achievements, outstanding risks, status of deliverables, handover actions, and recommendations. Before contract completion. Performance indicators Performance will be assessed against the officer's contribution to the following team and programme targets, taking account of access, security, and available resources. Indicator: Expected standard:

• Alert notification: At least 90% of alerts were notified through the agreed pathway within 2 hours of detection.
• Alert verification: 100% of credible alerts verified within 24 hours; aim for 6 hours in reachable locations.
• Investigation quality: Complete and internally consistent investigation records for all suspected cases and priority events.
• Line-list and database quality: Updated daily during activation, with discrepancies corrected promptly.
• Contact tracing support: Contact identification initiated promptly and daily follow-up performance analyzed and reported.
• Reporting: Daily/weekly reports submitted on time and include analysis, operational implications, and actions required.
• Readiness verification: At least one functional or end-to-end drill supported in the assigned area within the first 30 days.
• Corrective actions: At least 80% of high-priority corrective actions are closed by the agreed deadline.
• Partner coordination: Clear mapping of responsibilities and documented follow-up of critical gaps.
• Data protection and conduct: No unauthorized disclosure of personal data and full compliance with WHO standards of conduct.
• Perform any other incident-specific related duties, as required by the functional supervisor.

Competencies and values

a) Teamwork.

• Communication
• Producing results
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
• Moving forward in a changing environment b) Functional competencies
• Field epidemiology and surveillance
• Planning and organizing
• Analytical thinking
• Knowledge sharing
• Quality assurance
• Sound judgement and decision-making under pressure

Living conditions and remarks

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.