Consultant – Innovation and Research

The Innovation and Research Unit (INR) under the Data, Strategy and Innovations (DSI) group at WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) is seeking a consultant to provide technical support for the research and innovation functions of the unit on a part-time basis.

The Data, Strategy and Innovation (DSI) Group was set up in 2019 in the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) with a focus to support Member States to harness the power of data, digital technology, science and innovation; and accelerate health systems transformation and futureproofing towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC).

The INR team aims to leverage advances in technology and progress in social innovation to promote health equity in the Western Pacific Region. This goal is achieved by employing various methodologies to enhance the adoption of evidence-based solutions, using sandboxing and experimentation to discover new approaches for problem-solving, and facilitating regional networks to provide resources and expertise to Member States. This support helps in building local capacity for finding innovative solutions to chronic problems.

In 2023, the Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific was endorsed at the 74th session of the Regional Committee Meeting. Starting this year, a series of activities have been planned to implement the Strategy in key areas of action, including strengthening governance and financing, developing innovation capacity, and evaluation of health innovation. Activities included in this Terms of Reference are intended to support countries in developing project-based innovation capacity.

Output 1: Engage stakeholders, identify entry points for an innovation sand box in selected Member States.

Deliverable 1.1: Stakeholder engagement completed with at least 1 Member State to raise awareness on the principles of innovation sandbox.

Deliverable 1.2: One identified entry point utilized to create innovation sandbox innovation in one member state.

Output 2: Develop a proposal for further scaling up the innovation sandbox and share with funding agencies.

Deliverable 2.1: Funding agencies with interest in the proposed innovation sandbox identified

Deliverable 2.2: Grant proposals on research and innovation capacity building developed and disseminated for funding consideration

Output 3: Develop the outline for a case study based on the innovation sandbox.

Deliverable 3.1: Outline for the case study on the innovation sandbox developed.

Essential: First university degree in social science or public health from a recognized institution

Desirable: Advanced university degree in social science, public health or epidemiology

• At least five years of work experience in designing, developing, and deploying healthcare technology innovation
• Experience in engaging public sector research institutions in the Region to gather data and insight
• Experience working in the government sector in WPR Member States
• Experience in developing innovation sandbox in developing country contexts with both state and non-state actors

Previous work experience with WHO, other international organizations and/or major institutions in the field of public health innovation

• Product design and development
• Strong project management skills
• Strong writing skills
• Research and Analytical Skills
• Communication and Reporting Skills

Knowledge of the regional funding landscape for healthcare innovation

Expert knowledge of English

Off site: Home-based

The consultant is expected to travel to Member States for stakeholder engagement.

Remuneration: Band level B: USD 350/day

Expected duration of contract: 5 months, 13 May to 19 September 2024

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.

•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.