Strategic Health Information Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

To facilitate evidence-baseddecision making in planning, implementing and monitoring health systems andservices interventions through a primary health care approach, that will aidmovement towards universal health coverage and other health related SDGtargets.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the WHO Representative, and inclose coordination with the technical team in the regional office, theincumbent will be responsible for the following:1.Supports the development of required capacities togenerate needed data and statistics. This involves strengthening of systems forroutine health facility data collection, birth death and cause of death,surveillance data, facility and community-based surveys including demographicand health surveys. It also involves the development of norms and standards,regular country capacity assessments to identify gaps and provision of supportto address these gaps, and regularly provide status updates through scorecards,statistics atlas and other methods to consolidate the country status.2.Leads work with technical experts on analysis of existingdata and statistics to discern trends and patterns, plus build attribution andprediction models for the direction of health in the country. These analyticsare at facility, sub national, and national levels. The emerging information shall beconsolidated in periodic publications that will need to be produced, such asstate of health in the country or for specific program analyses. In addition,the he/she will support sector monitoring and evaluation processes in thecountry and support multisectoral orientation of strategic information forpolicy and practice.3.Supports the generation of evidence to guide decisionmakers, through development of health policy briefs, documentation of good /best practices, writing health blogs on key events, and other methods forevidence sharing.4.Support the timely and high-quality collection, analyses,production, and dissemination of data/information. This includes responsespecific information (who, what, where, how many, how quickly, current status),internal and external situation reports (SitReps), surveillance bulletins,rapid needs assessments, health risk assessments, and the Public HealthSituation Analysis; and health inputs into strategic response plans (SRP).5.Contribute information to the drafting of all relevantplanning documents including project proposals, appeals, reports, dashboards,etc.6.Perform basic geographic analysis for maps and otherreports (such as dashboards, Sitreps, etc.).7.Aggregate and maintain country information from WHO andpartners including contact lists, performance monitoring, health indicatordata, health situation data, health response data.8.Provide ongoing technical guidance and training, to theteam members, department of health, partners involved in the planning anddata/information management process; on data gathering and analysis, qualityassurance, performance monitoring, information dissemination and management.9.Supports the generation of research agendas and coordinationof health research in the provinces and the country at large. This shall bethrough collaboration with the African Advisory Committee on Health Researchand Development, plus other research associations / consortia that WHO is partof.10.Support the country in carrying out of strategic nationalhealth surveys across the different clusters through in planning, resourcemobilization and in the generation of policy and advocacy briefs from thesesurveys to improve the health system and wellbeing of the citizens.11.Supports the work on innovative approaches to ensuringstrategic health information is available in country, sourced from healthobservatories in the sub-region, and harmonizing the work on digital health.12.Periodic monitoring and evaluation of the national healthinformation system mechanism for purposes of improvement and revision of theindicators.13.Facilitates strengthening of governance of healthinformation systems, particularly in assessing state of health informationsystems, and supporting initiatives to address gaps in the capacity togenerate, analyse and use of health information for decision making;establishment and supporting data collaborates for better use of existinghealth information resources’ and mobilizing resources for health information.14.Guide the generation of institutional data, analyticaland knowledge products relating to the work of WHO and partners in countriessuch as SDG monitoring, Global Action Plan status, and performance on the WHOGlobal Program of Work impact framework within the country.15.Performs all other related tasks as assigned by thesupervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: A university degreein a health-related field, which includes training in biostatistics, demographyand/or epidemiology. Postgraduate degree/qualifications in a public health fieldor in health statistics and information systems.
Desirable: Trainingor specialization in Monitoring & Evaluation systems, preferably as relatedto health. Training in health informatics.

Experience

Essential: At least five (05) years of practical experience working ingenerating and using strategic health information, specifically in generatinghealth data / statistics, analysis of data including conducting of sector wideMonitoring and Evaluations, development of knowledge products such as healthpolicy briefs. Proven ability to document strategic health information such asthrough production of country statistical abstracts, sector review reports,health policy briefs, best practice documentations, and others.
Desirable: Experience in generating and using strategic healthinformation. Experience in policy formulation and quality management, strategicand policy planning and policy as well as facilitating consultations.

Skills

•Proven ability to identify and apply modern ICTmethodologies to health information systems and to the use of variousmechanisms including for health observatories and scorecards for theimplementation of best practices in the region. •Proven track record in the implementation of internationalnorms and standards on information systems with effective reporting systems. •Excellent communication and presentation skills withability to write clear and concise documents and give technical advice andguidance in resource-limited contexts. •Participate in resource mobilization and advocacy activities. •Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to promoteconsensus, communicate progress and results, and resolve issues in a proactivemanner, while ensuring effective work practices and ethics. •Diplomacy, tact and courtesy.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable:

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 64,121 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 1539 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an 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.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff 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 staff. 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.

• 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 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 final candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• 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.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

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• For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.

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