Technical Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The goal of the Department of UHC/Health Systems (HSD) is to support advances in Universal Health Coverage and other health related SDG targets in SEAR Member States, through providing data, evidence and actionable guidance. This includes improving the completeness, timeliness and quality of data produced from multiple sources, analyzed, interpreted, communicated and used to review progress and performance against agreed national priorities and support evidence informed action.The Health Information Systems (HIS) unit has following broad functions:1.To reinforce and back-stop WHO Country Office support to Member States in the review and improvement of their national information and accountability platforms based on the latest available tools, approaches and evidence.2.To support SEA Region Member States to coordinate and harmonize activities of multiple stakeholders related to strengthening the production, management, analysis and use of data for national, regional and global reporting.3. To work with colleagues within SEARO, and with other international agencies, to improve, harmonize and align their efforts to strengthen national health information platforms and improve institutional data, analytics and delivery for impact capacity.4. To promote technical cooperation between Member States as well as capacity building in Member States related to strengthening health information platforms for the monitoring, evaluation and review of the national health strategies/policies/plans, including assessment of the health situation and trends analysis.5. To ensure the quality and consistency of data published by WHO, including the routine review and validation of data and indicators from WHO and other authoritative United Nations sources in accordance with the SEARO publication policy and procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Technical Officer, (Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation), reporting to the Regional Advisor for HIS, provides expertise to support health data and statistics, monitoring and evaluation for UHC and the health related SDGs, and regional and national HIS strengthening activities in SEAR as follows:

To design and to conduct country assessment to evaluate the implementation of the regional strategy for strengthening the role of the health sector for improving CRVS (2015-2024). To update / revise the regional strategy with focus on improving the measurement and use of mortality statistics in decision and policy making. To serve as the focal point for all activities related to enhancing the role of the health sector in strengthening the national CRVS systems, in close collaboration with UN agencies specially with UNESCAP, UNICEF, UNHCR and other regional partners. To build national institutional capacities in monitoring and evaluation of the health and health-related SDGs using CRVS data (specifically all indicators related to birth and death registration and cause of death). To develop and contribute to the development of technical tools and advocacy materials to assess and strengthen the role of the health sector in improving CRVS data. To represent SEARO in international conferences and provide expert opinion for strengthening CRVS systems as well as health facility data systems responsible for the production of mortality and cause of deaths statistics. To promote and support the implementation of ICD-11 and family of classifications in SEAR Member States, ICD-11 compliant medical certification of death (MCCD) and underlying cause of death validation for improved mortality and morbidity reporting in health facility data systems. To promote and support the use of the WHO Verbal Autopsy methods to capture deaths occurring in communities without medical certification. To build national institutional capacities for data quality assessment and cause of death analysis (ANACoD3) mortality estimations as well as the production of vital Statistics reports at the national and sub-national levels. To promote, advise and collaborate with inter-programmatic activities in priority areas related to health information systems and data management, including vital and health statistics. To engage effectively with expert and knowledge management networks in support of vital and health statistics, including the exchange of experiences among countries and inter-country cooperation. To perform other duties as assigned by the Regional Adviser-HIS and Director, Department of UHC/Health Systems. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential : Advanced university degree in public health, biostatistics, demography, epidemiology, management Information system with strong background in statistics and quantitative methods

Desirable : A doctorate degree in public health, biostatistics, demography, epidemiology, management information systems would be an added asset.Proven knowledge and experience in the implementation of a CRVS improvement plan/framework with a particular focus on the health sector contributions.Proven expertise and understanding of population health needs in low income and resource constrained settings.Experience in working and interacting with Ministries of Health and other national health authorities in the design of results-based interventions.Proven experience in engaging with global CRVS development partners (such as United Nations Statistics Division, the World Bank Group, Philanthropies, NGOs, amongst others).

Experience

Essential : At least seven years' experience, including experience obtained in an international context, in advanced data analytics, data systems, including performance-based monitoring and evaluation.

Desirable : Proven experience in technical assistance to countries on the health-related areas of CRVS. Experience of working with WHO or other UN agencies would be an asset. Good understanding of the inter-agency collaboration on strengthening CRVS systems in countries would be an asset.

Skills

Analytical thinker, capable of rigorous analysis of data producing strategic reports with clear and influential presentation. Demonstrable understanding of the dynamics of health information systems strengthening and the public health needs of developing countries; Proven knowledge of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and related classifications; Good knowledge of Verbal Autopsy methods, cause of deaths analysis, data quality assessment and mortality estimations; High level of public credibility and proven track record of establishing and maintaining effective relationships with multiple stake-holders; Experience in areas related to the work of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS). Strong statistical, informatics and epidemiological skills and to keep abreast of new developments. Sound computer skills and their application to statistical and epidemiological work including proficiency in GIS, word processing and relevant software packages. Ability to coordinate and monitor, advise, cooperate with the national authorities and associated partners and donors in timely reporting, capable of imparting training and good understanding in monitoring and evaluation. Strong interpersonal skills: ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diverse cultures.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond Ensuring the effective use of resources

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 77,326 (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 2423 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.

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