Technical Officer

Under the technical guidance of the Director, Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity (DHE), the Director, Health Systems and Services (HSS), and the Executive Manager, Comprehensive Immunization Program (CIM), and the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

• Provide technical support, and serve as country focal point for matters related to health promotion, social determinants of health, health equity, including gender and ethnicity, health throughout the life course, as well as climate change and environmental health, human rights, and heath related law; provide leadership to country teams, supporting research, planning development, implementation, and monitoring of policies and strategies in those areas, with a strong focus on local governance for health and well-being, intersectoral action and community participation;
• Provide technical support to national authorities on the development of strategic actions to improve the health over the life-course, and access to health care taking into consideration the multi-ethnic diversity, inequities in health, and the creation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions to foster improved quality of life across the life course;
• Collaborate in the process of, and provide technical guidance on, the development, review and promotion of national policies, programs, and structures for health promotion including for healthy cities and healthy settings;
• Provide support to coordinate multi-stakeholder dialogue and inter-sectoral action to promote health and wellbeing and address social determinants of health and health equity across population groups and the life course, with specific focus on populations in situations of vulnerability;
• Provide technical guidance to national authorities on the development of strategic plans and actions at national and local level to improve maternal and women’s health, their access to health care and quality of care focusing on reducing maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity and promoting neonatal health; promote women’s health strategies and activities within national programs and with gender sensitive and intercultural adaptation of the care services; advise Ministries of Health, public, and private sector organizations to introduce and strengthen women’s health policies for preventive care;
• Provide technical, and strategic advice to address the impact of climate change on public health through mitigation and adaptation measures; provide technical and strategic guidance on environmental health, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), indoor and outdoor air quality, waste management and chemical safety;
• Support capacity assessments and evidence reviews on health inequities across populations, the life course, and public health conditions, including gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and other variables, using both qualitative and quantitative analysis;
• Promote actions to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live; support the activities related with the Decade of Healthy Aging for the Americas, by ensuring the development of successful proposals, actions, interventions, and partnerships with critical and leading partners and stakeholders. Provide technical assistance for building age[1]friendly environments in cities and communities, and the development of Long-Term Care policies, plans and strategies;
• Create and enhance partnerships and networks to strengthen multidisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration to address social determinants of health and health equity, including gender and ethnicity;
• Lead the process of documenting lessons learned and best practices in addressing social determinants of health, health equity, including gender and ethnicity, as well as maternal and child health, and health throughout the life course, and sustainable development goals at country level;
• Support and develop health policies, action plans and projects aimed at increasing equitable access to health and health care in groups in a situation of vulnerability (Afro descendant, children, adolescents and women, older adults, LGTBI, informal workers); identify inequities in care and causes of exclusion in health care services in order to identify best options for the achievement of the objectives and goals of the family and community health area;
• Provide technical and strategic guidance for the integration of health equity, including gender equality and ethnicity, into the work of the country office; m) Provide technical and strategic guidance on health-related law, human rights and health, workers’ health and social protection and other related matters;
• Serve as the CIM focal point to provide technical advice and support in programming and evaluating national plans and strategies for national immunization programs, including but not limited to vaccination macro and micro planning, vaccination campaigns, vaccine preventable disease surveillance and outbreak response, delivery of vaccines and related supplies, cold chain procedures, development and monitoring of systems for reporting immunizations administered, vaccine safety and related matters;
• Participate in the formulation and negotiation of, and consultation on, project proposals funded by external agencies; collaborate in the implementation, monitoring and reporting of those projects; contribute to the preparation of the Representation´s Biennial Work Plan (BWP) and the execution of international cooperation, including the analysis of political, technical and socioeconomic realities;
• Perform other related duties, as assigned.

Required Qualifications :

Education:

Essential:

• A university degree in a health or social science or in any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

Technical Expertise:

• Theoretical and practical expertise in all aspects related to technical cooperation projects and activities that address the social determinants of health, health promotion, community participation, intersectoral action and policies in local and social development programs.
• Strong knowledge of public health, family health programs, and the determinants of sexual/reproductive health, using a life course approach.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of essential interventions to support the health, growth and development of all members of a family with a life course approach.
• Strong knowledge on heathy setting approach and strategies conducive to improvement of social determinants related to well-being.
• Technical expertise in translating social determinants of health theory into practice at national and local levels and ability to analyze social determinants of health and the capability to develop and plan innovative and appropriate solutions.
• Technical expertise in local participatory planning and evaluation methodologies, especially working with multiple sectors, and government, community and academic institutions.
• Knowledge of environmental health and climate change and health; practical expertise on environmental resilience and sustainability of health systems.
• Research capabilities in applying quantitative and qualitative methodologies to document situations, outcomes and lessons learned.
• Managerial skills for the development, implementation and analysis of technical cooperation programs and activities, including budget programming and control.
• Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
• Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

• Very good knowledge of English. A working knowledge of Spanish or French would be an asset.

Source: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2403309