Programme Operations Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The office of the Regional Director (RDO) has the overall responsibility for planning, execution and evaluation of WHO health programmes at the regional level as well as for the direction and management of the supporting administrative services.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of Chef de Cabinet (CDC) and also under the overall supervision of the Regional Director, the incumbent will perform the following specific functions:

• Scrutinize, analyze and interpret, from an administrative standpoint, issues contained in the proposals/documents presented to the CDC, with a view to providing correct, relevant and valid information, along with solution-oriented suggestions to enable informed decision-making.
• Ensure that information submitted to the CDC and Regional Director is complete in all respects; conforms to the existing rules, procedures and processes in vogue in the organization. If needed, call for additional information from the Department Directors and WHO Representatives and other support units.
• Independently handle prescribed protocol issues befitting the Head of the Organization, while dealing with other Regional Offices, UN Agencies, International and Intergovernmental Organizations, Non-governmental Organizations, Donor agencies and other stakeholders in relation to correspondence emanating from the CDC and Regional Director, and during the CDC’s and Regional Director’s visits to countries, and for meetings with national and international dignitaries.
• Accompany CDC during country visits/other official duty travels, as directed, and take charge of all the administrative formalities to facilitate such visits; ensure follow up actions up to the implementation of the decisions made during the CDC’s meetings with the high-level dignitaries in the countries.
• Support Administrative Officer / RDO to supervise the day-to-day functioning of the Regional Director’s office and provide guidance on complex and complicated administrative issues to the support staff, to ensure smooth and expeditious implementation of all planned activities in a timely manner.
• Prepare concise and precise briefs, with a high degree of independence and exercising good judgement, on specific issues and matters of sensitive and classified nature, as required by the CDC, focusing on the possible implications of these issues to the Organization as a whole.
• Intervene and act as a go-between, on urgent and specific pending matters/issues, particularly of complicated and complex nature, involving various technical/support units and WHO Country offices, to facilitate resolving any problems/impediments hampering smooth and expeditious implementation ofactivities.
• Provide administrative and programmatic support on specific and important matters as assigned by Director, Programme Management (DPM).
• To provide assistance to the Chef de Cabinet and Regional Director, from time to time, on any other matters not explicitly included in the above duties.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Essential: University Degree in administration, social sciences, business, education, or other related fields.
• Desirable: Post-graduate degree/diploma in business/public administration or related fields

Experience

• Essential: At least two years’ experience in general administration areas as well as coordination and monitoring of programme implementation. Experience of working with WHO, other UN Agencies or other international organizations.
• Desirable: Knowledge of WHO procedures, policies and practices in the field of management of general administrative and support services

Use of Language Skills

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Source: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2407712