OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

With a view to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, the goal of the WHO support in the area of health through the life course is to help India better confront the changing epidemiological and further strengthen and improve services in the areas of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health through the development of evidence-based health policies and strategies. Through policy and technical support at National and State level, the activities of the WHO Country Office more specifically aim at helping the Government of India (GOI) to:

– further develop and improve pre- and in-service training and capacity building for relevant staff

– further develop and implement an integrated quality assurance system for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services

– further support the definition and implementation of strategies to address childhood malnutrition and early childhood development

– improve the management of reproductive maternal, newborn child and adolescent health services.

Underlying Values and Core Functions of WHO

WHO’s mandate revolves around six (6) leadership priorities specifying (i) advancing universal health coverage; (ii) health related sustainable development goals; (iii) addressing the challenge of noncommunicable diseases and mental health, violence and injuries and disabilities; (iv) implementing the provisions of the International Health Regulations (2005); (v) increasing access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products; (vi) addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.The South-East Asia Region (SEAR) of WHO is made up of 11 countries, with over 1 .9 billion people, with India’s population of 1.3 billion. All the Member States of WHO/SEAR (Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Thailand) share the common value of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right. All of WHO actions are based on this and rooted in the underlying values of equity, solidarity and participation.The mission of WHO India is to improve quality of life of the 1 .3 billion people in India by supporting the government in eliminating vaccine preventable and other communicable diseases, reducing maternal and neonatal mortalities, promoting healthy lifestyles, addressing determinants of health, preparing and responding to health emergencies and strengthening health systems for universal health coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of Deputy Head of WHO Country Office and direct supervision of Team Leader (RMNCAH), with a view to help achieve the expected results set out in the relevant WCO-lndia biennial workplans in accordance with WHO’s Country Cooperation Strategy with India, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

1. Provide evidence-based technical advice to the Government of India in the best approaches for accelerating reduction in newborn and child mortality in their national programmes.

2. Facilitate prioritization, development, introduction, implementation monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based intervention packages, guidelines and tools for high impact approaches and improving the quality of care for reduction of newborn and child mortality.

3. Provide technical input and support to design and perform in-depth situation analyses on health system response and capacity to improve newborn and child health care services.

4. Facilitate development and adaptation to the country context of WHO’s normative work in the area of Newborn and Child Health (including the development and/or adaptation of materials and guidelines).

5. Strengthen partnerships and collaborate with donors and development partners (UN and bilateral), Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society to harmonise recommendations on policies and strategies related to new-born and child health and mobilize resources to improve new-born and child health and development.

6. Facilitate and support generation and application of evidence to contribute to informed policy level decisions by government and provide cutting edge policy advice.

7. Prepare administrative and technical reports, contractual proposals, and/or make recommendations to the supervisor regarding WHO’s support to newborn and child health related initiatives.

8. Collaborate with the Government of India in identifying newborn and child health related priorities for research and action including undertaking gap analysis; support capacity building in this area of newborn and child health to ensure that priorities are fulfilled. Build research capacity and document successful interventions and synthesizing lessons learnt for wider dissemination.

9. Support information brokering/exchange function of WCO India through contributions to the health information repository at the WCO India by collation, analysis and sharing of relevant health information and statistics pertaining to Child Health and Development and related areas.

10. Undertake any other tasks as may be assigned by the supervisors.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in medicine (MBBS) from a recognized university.
Desirable: Postgraduate degree in pediatrics / community medicine / public health management equivalent to an advanced university degree.

Experience

Essential: At least five (5) years of professional experience at national level in the development and implementation of health interventions in the field of newborn and child health.

Desirable: Field experience in implementing newborn and child survival strategies, public health research, data analysis and management will be an asset. Working experience with inter-governmental agencies, the UN Agencies or WHO at the national and international level will be an advantage. Recognized expert in the field with abilitv to lead and guide technical groups in newborn and child health.

Skills

The incumbent should identify with the core values of the World Health Organization.
Thorough and broad knowledge of the situation in India with regard to Newborn and Child Health with good understanding of country’s needs and priorities, of issues and policies in various aspects of New-born and Child Health within the context of health systems, main stakeholders and actors. Good knowledge of WHO policies, programmes and guidelines in the related areas.
Proven capacity to set strategic direction goals and indicators and accurate evaluation, analysis and measurement of newborn and child health outcomes. Sound technical and policy advisory skills, based on evidence. Modern management skills (planning and evaluation, etc.). Leadership skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively with government and colleagues in a team setting at national and international levels, to share information and data and make oral and written presentations on technical issues.
Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to promote consensus and new approaches. Very good ability to build and maintain relations and network with national authorities and other stakeholders across relevant sectors. Understanding of the potential motivating factors within national context and ability to adjust to new approaches in an increasingly complex environment.
Capacity to convey information and options in a structured and credible way; ability to speak and write clearly. Ability to draft reports and capacity to prepare terms of reference and to prepare, monitor and manage the implementation of contractual agreements. Proficiency in computer applications.
Knowledge of WHO /UN agencies programmes and practices will be an advantage.

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. Knowledge of Hindi.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at INR 3,454,746 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

To apply for this job please visit careers.who.int.