Special Services Agreement (SSA) - Health Programme Officer, Papua New Guinea

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Qualifications

Objective of the Position

The objective of the position is to provide technical assistance, operational coordination and field-level support to the Provincial Health Authorities. The SSA’s work will focus on strengthening primary health care through two equally important and complementary pillars: (1) immunization and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance; and (2) integrated primary health care.

Background

Papua New Guinea faces a persistent burden of communicable diseases, alongside low routine immunization coverage that increases the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. Sub-national health systems require consistent, hands-on operational support to improve Primary health care/MCH service delivery, particularly given the challenges of managing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), which accounts for nearly 87% of the burden in the WHO Western Pacific Region. The country also continues to face a high burden of HIV/AIDS and malaria, and NTDs, which remain in major public health challenges. Furthermore, reaching rural and remote populations with primary health care services (MCH, nutrition) through integrated outreach and mobile service delivery outlets require close coordination at the district and facility levels.

Summary of Assigned Duties

The incumbent will work closely with the WHO Country Office, National Department of Health, provincial and district health authorities, and other relevant partners to support effective delivery of health interventions at sub-national and facility levels, particularly in rural and remote settings.

Pillar 1: Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance

Support the designated PHA officers to improve vaccination coverage, surveillance and response by:
Turning evidence into provincial action: Help PHA immunization and surveillance officers analyze coverage including zero-dose and dropout, surveillance indicators and supply data; identify priority districts and facilities; and agree practical corrective actions.
Applying national and WHO standards: Help teams use approved guidance for microplanning (including for routine immunization, PIRI, and other campaigns), surveillance, specimen handling, supervision, AEFI, cold-chain and vaccine management.
Convening action around bottlenecks: Ensure relevant PHA, districts, and facility staff, communities and partners are brought together regularly to identify and resolve gaps affecting outreach, reporting, referrals, vaccine availability and surveillance performance.
Mobilizing technical support and building capacity: Identify technical competency gaps among PHA officers and facilitate strategic linkage with relevant NDOH and WHO teams, and strengthen operational capabilities through supportive supervision, coaching and practical on-the-job learning.
Tracking agreed improvements: Maintain a simple action tracker with responsible PHA officers, monitor provincial milestones, document effective local practices, and escalate unresolved constraints through established channels.

Pillar 2: Integrated Primary Health Care

Support designated PHA programme, district and facility officers to improve access to coordinated essential services by:
Using evidence to identify PHC gaps: Help PHA teams analyse service availability, utilization, referral, workforce, outreach and commodity information to identify underserved populations and priority operational gaps.
Supporting integrated provincial planning and implementation: Help existing programme officers translate identified gaps into practical district, facility and outreach plans for the essential PHC package, without taking over programme management.
Convening programmes and partners around agreed results: Facilitate joint planning and problem-solving among PHA programmes, districts, facilities, communities, government authorities, partners and WHO teams, with clear actions, identified responsible officers and review dates. 
Promoting consistent standards and integrated delivery: Help teams apply national and WHO guidance to organize coordinated facility, outreach, referral and follow-up services for maternal and child health, nutrition, TB, HIV, malaria, NTDs and health promotion.
Catalyzing solutions to implement bottlenecks: Help responsible PHA officers analyze and address problems involving missed services, weak referrals, incomplete reporting, medicine and commodity shortages, and other delivery constraints; mobilize specialist support and escalate issues that cannot be resolved locally.
Monitoring results and sharing local learning: Track agreed service improvements with PHA officers, document workable provincial solutions, and share lessons with NDOH, WHO and other PHAs.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Essential: A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) or a diploma in Public Health, Nursing, Medicine, Health Management, Social Sciences, or a related discipline from a recognized institution. Candidates with strong academic standing (e.g. upper second class/top quintile GPA) are strongly encouraged to apply.
Desirable: A postgraduate qualification (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Public Health, Health Management, Epidemiology, Health Systems, Development Studies, or a related health discipline.

Experience

Essential: Candidates may qualify through either of the following pathways:

Pathway A (Emerging Leaders): A recently completed bachelor's degree (within the last 3 years) with strong academic standing, demonstrated leadership in student, community, or volunteer health activities, and a clear motivation to serve rural and provincial communities in Papua New Guinea.

Pathway B (Experienced Practitioners): At least three years of relevant work experience in public health, community health, or development programme implementation, preferably at the provincial level, including exposure to programme coordination, field logistics, or facility-level support.

For both pathways, candidates should demonstrate the ability to work with PHAs, health facilities, or partners, and familiarity with basic data or reporting tools.

Desirable: For recent graduates: internships, attachments, or volunteer engagements with PHAs, NDOH, UN agencies, INGOs, or community health programmes will be considered equivalent to formal work experience.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Strong organizational, coordination and time management skills
• Ability to monitor implementation progress and follow up on multiple actions simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to maintain excellent interpersonal working relations and work collaboratively with government, WHO teams, and other stakeholders
• Data and technical literacy (proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) 
• Demonstrated motivation, energy, and commitment to contributing to health system improvement in Papua New Guinea.
• Willingness to be mentored and to work in a twinned arrangement with a Technical Staff or International Affiliate of WHO

Desirable:

• Familiarity with the structure, workflows, and reporting lines of the PNG National Department of Health (NDOH) and PHAs.
• Basic understanding of, or exposure to, routine health information and logistics tools used in PNG, such as eNHIS
• Foundational knowledge of routine immunization guidelines, vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) surveillance markers, or primary health care priorities (TB, HIV, malaria).

Languages

Essential: Expert knowledge of spoken and written English (written and spoken).

Duty Station / Location

The position will be based in the six provinces, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, East Sepik Province, Madang Province, Southern Highlands Province, Eastern Highlands Province, and the National Capital District (with extensive travel within the province as well as to other provinces).

Remuneration and Duration

Remuneration: PGK 9,000 – 10,000. Placement within the salary range will be based on qualification, experience, and demonstrated competencies during selection process. The salary range may be reviewed as needed.

Duration: The assignment is expected to run for a total of twelve (12) months, with a six-month initial probation from the date of contract signing, subject to satisfactory performance, need, and availability of funds.

Additional Information:

• 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.
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  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.
• SSAs 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 SSA. The SSA shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the SSA in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the SSA 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.
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