Senior health policy advisor

The WHO country office supports public-health officials to shape national health policy in line with  WHO’s principles and values and advocates for an integrated approach to health development. The senior health policy advisor will provide technical leadership and policy advisory services to the head of the WHO country office and ministry of health to support the development and  implementation of national health policies, strategies and plans (NHPSP), strengthening the country’s  health system and moving towards universal health coverage (UHC)

Duties:

• The incumbent will perform all or part of the following, and other related responsibilities as required by the needs of the office.
• Work in coordination with all technical focal points at regional and headquarters levels,under the guidance of the head of the WHO country office.
• Provide expert policy advice and guidance to the government and national stakeholders on the design, implementation, and evaluation of national health policies for health system strengthening in order to move towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), through:
• strengthening the capacity of national stakeholders to organize and lead an effective health and policy dialogue and reform the implementation process (including by developing strategic intelligence on key health system reform issues and focusing on priority areas of health financing, public health, primary care, health workforce and governance);
• the development of an aligned, service-delivery vision to strengthen public health and primary care services so as to better prevent and control communicable and noncommunicable diseases;
• the transformation of health financing arrangements for universal health coverage, including improving governance and accountability;
• costing and budgeting of national health policies, strategies and plans (NHPSP) (including health-financing situation and macroeconomic analyses, identification of potential resources and costing of different scenarios);
• alignment of other critical system functions, such as human resources, accessible policies for medicines and technologies, and strengthened governance arrangements;
• the improvement and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation framework for health systems strengthening, agreeable to all stakeholders, with health targets for communicable and noncommunicable diseases, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• best-in-class models and innovative approaches to evidence-informed health policy implementation and health systems strengthening to facilitate learning and capacity building in policy making at national level;
• the identification of synergies, building of alliances, alignment of, and networking between the WHO country office and other UN organizations, non-state actors, and international donors towards the implementation of health systems transformation at the country-level;
• Establish and strengthen links with institutions, associations and non-governmental agencies and scientific bodies, for exchange of information, coordination of activities and implementation of sector wide approaches.
• Demonstrate the impact of reforms on health outcomes and universal health coverage, by leading in-depth impact evaluations of health financing, public health, and primary care.
• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

Essential:

• Advanced university degree (master’s level) in public health, health systems/services administration, health policy, health planning, primary health care, public health, health-related social sciences or similar disciplines.

Experience:

Essential:

• A minimum of 10 years of work experience relevant to the position (such as in health-sector policy, strategy development and planning), a significant part of this to have been obtained at the international  level. Specific experience required in health financing. A minimum of five years of experience is required in a governmental institution or international organization serving either (i) resource-limited countries or (ii) middle-income countries.

Skills:

• Expert technical knowledge and skills in
• health policy formulation, strengthening and management.
• planning, monitoring, and evaluating health systems.
• Technical expertise required in
• the areas of primary-healthcare-based health systems, health systems transformation
• and reform.
• health-financing policy analysis for universal health coverage.
• planning, monitoring and evaluating health systems.
• Ability to lead and coordinate multidisciplinary teams, projects and programmes
• Excellent skills to write reports and technical documents and deliver presentations for high
• level audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to provide sound methodological and technical advice and guidance in
• health policy to multiple stakeholders and partners in countries.
• Demonstrated ability to innovate, integrate, synthesize and communicate complex healthpolicy concepts and ideas.
• Ability to plan, analyse data and design studies.

Language Skills:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English

Source:  https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2402361