Chief, Special Program, Innovation and Regional Production Platform

Overview

Lead and manage innovation in health technology and production ecosystems

You have:

• A university degree in a health-related profession and a master’s degree in public health, health economics, or a related discipline from a recognized institution.
• Thirteen years of combined national and international experience in program development, management, planning and evaluation in the areas of innovation, research and development, and manufacturing practices for medicines.
• Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language; knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset.
• Extensive expertise at a senior decision-making level in public policy in areas of innovation, access, and production capacities of medicines.
• Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational and managerial work in health.

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,403 USD and 214,807 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies Department (IMT) is responsible for promoting, coordinating, and implementing the Organization’s technical cooperation in access to and rational use of quality medicines and other health technologies. IMT works across all categories of medicines and health technologies, including medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, medical equipment, blood products, and organs for transplantation. IMT supports countries in addressing barriers to access, addressing challenges across the medical product full life cycle, strengthening regulatory capacity and supporting evidence-based decision making and rational use through health technology assessment. IMT consolidates action in the development of pharmaceutical and other health technology related services and leads efforts in innovation through the regional platform to advance the manufacturing of vaccines and other health technologies, increasing regional capacity in the research and development of priority health products, and supporting the generation of ecosystems to enable development, production and access to medicines and other health technologies.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Assistant Director (AD), and the direct supervision of the Director, Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies (IMT), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Provide technical, policy, strategic and programmatic direction for the development and management of the Special Program on Innovation and Regional Production Platform; provide technical guidance and lead the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the regional program of work in areas of innovation, technology transfer and strengthening production ecosystems of medicines and other health technologies (pharmaceuticals; medical devices and equipment; blood and plasma derived products; biological products; radiological pharmaceuticals, etc) in accordance with relevant mandates and the PAHO Strategic Plan;

2. Provide programmatic and policy guidance to Member States and senior officials in the organization to implement the resolution CD59.R3 “Increasing production capacity for essential medicines and health technologies”;

3. Provide programmatic and policy advice on topics related to the strengthening of regional capacities for the development and manufacturing of quality-assured vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and other health technologies to improve their equitable access in the Americas. These include supporting the development of concrete R&D and manufacturing capacities, fostering the implementation of multisectoral policies, promoting regional and subregional articulation and dialogue, strengthening ecosystems and enabling functions conducive to increasing local and regional production capacities along the value chain to improve equitable access;

4. Develop, define and establish the objectives, strategy, plan and budget of the Special Program on Innovation and Regional Production Platform (IMT/RP); ensure that Organization-wide approaches, strategies and objectives are aligned with the Organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, strategies and priorities; produce results aligned with the Special Program’s biennial and multi-year plans and adjust as required:

5. Foster relationships and lead resource mobilization with key partners for the activities of the Special Program, with special focus on the development of regional strategies for technology transfer and initiatives for strengthening production ecosystems of medicines and other health technologies; advise Member States and negotiate with representatives of specialized agencies and representatives of multilateral and bilateral donors, and nongovernmental organizations, to mobilize resources and to ensure the coherence, coordination and integration of the technical cooperation process and the effective achievement of related objectives; f) Collaborate in the Organization's response to emergency situations; provide technical expertise in order to facilitate timely response as required;

6. Develop, define and establish the objectives, strategy, plan and budget of the Special Program; ensure an organization-wide approach and strategies and objectives that are aligned with the Organization and IMT Department’s mission, vision, values, policies, strategies, business needs and priorities. Ensure that the results are aligned with the Special Program and Department’s biennial and multi-year plans, including monitoring of activities, adjustments to any deviations, such as redefined objectives or strategies;

7. Formulate and recommend policies, plans, strategies, and budgets, in support of the Governing Bodies’ mandates related to the program of work; report to Governing Bodies, through executive presentations and reports, on the status or results;

8. Collaborate and guide the preparation of the Unit’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP) and HR Plan; administer, allocate and monitor the Special Program’s financial, logistical and staff resources; prepare, and justify program and budget proposals; plan and organize the formulation, development, implementation and control of systems to monitor performance in accordance with the results-based management approach;

9. Promote linkages with external institutions and agencies with projects and activities in the same programmatic areas of work

10. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A university degree in a health-related profession, health economics or a health technology science, and a master’s degree in public health, health economics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or in any other discipline related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

Desirable: Training in public administration /management or pharmaceutical manufacturing would be an asset

If 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) / UNESCO. The list can be accessed through: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience****:

Essential: Thirteen years of combined national and international experience in program development, management, planning and evaluation in the areas of innovation, research and development, manufacturing practices, production ecosystems policy development for medicines or health technologies, including vaccines. Experience should also include resource mobilization and implementation of international development projects, preferably in an international organization.

SKILLS****:

PAHO Competencies:

· Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to PAHO’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

· Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes on such diversity - Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

· Teamwork: Advocates for collaboration across the Organization - Creates and encourages a climate of team- working and collaboration across the Organization; sees cooperation as a key Organizational priority and creates collaborative systems and processes to achieve Organizational goals. Actively identifies and tackles disagreements between internal and external counterparts that compromise the Organization’s goals and mandate; diplomatically facilitates the resolution of conflicts between others and ensures strategic partnerships with a range of key stakeholders; maintains and extends an effective collaborative network of individuals inside and outside the Organization.

· Communication: Share knowledge - Articulates PAHO’s strategic objectives when formulating and delivering information and presentations and adapts presentation methodology to address the needs of different audiences. Shares decisions and directives of senior management and communicates them in a manner that ensures both understanding and acceptance; shares knowledge and best practice at the three Organizational levels (country, regional and global).

· Creating an empowering and motivating environment: Provide direction/Support, motivate and empower - Oversees and provides teams and departments with clear managerial directions which are translated from Organizational strategy. Builds a performance culture in the Organization; contributes to setting Organizational performance goals and standards; monitors Organizational performance against milestones and strategic goals; identifies and nurtures talent as appropriate. Promotes autonomy and empowerment throughout the Organization; inspires enthusiasm and a positive attitude in people towards their work and contribution to PAHO’s success.

· Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well - Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for PAHO.

· Driving the Organization to a successful future: Constructive leadership style/ Set the vision and build commitment - Leads and develops a road map for successfully achieving real progress in the Organization’s mandate, including consultation with key stakeholders; demonstrates respectful, trustworthy, transparent and accountable behavior to develop a reliable and coherent identity for the Organization. Creates a coherent Organizational vision of shared and successful goals; fosters a culture of vision and long- term goals, recognizing and rewarding efforts to maximize the Organization’s value.

Technical Expertise:

· Technical: Extensive expertise at a senior decision-making level in public policy in areas of innovation, access and production capacities of medicines, including considerable familiarity with other fields relevant to the Department’s responsibilities, in managing complex health programs/health systems at both national and international levels. Wide and varied knowledge of public health problems and health management processes, including monitoring and performance assessment in the health or social sector, and disciplines related to strategic planning.

· Managerial: Extensive expertise in senior, progressively responsible positions in the management of a large public or private administration of administrative and technical matters requiring sensitive negotiation, and high-level intervention. Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational, managerial and analytic work in health; resourcefulness, initiative, highly developed judgment and interpersonal skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas. Must further possess a recognized capacity to lead, strategize, and supervise by persuasion and through consensus building. Courtesy, tact, sensitivity to manage confidential information, and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different professional levels, discipline, nationalities, and cultural background.

· Administrative: Skills in resource mobilization (including fundraising and partner collaboration) and financial management for the delivery of expected results.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary****: (Net of taxes)

USD $92,731.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 63.5% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

Candidates will be contacted if considered. A written test and interview will be held. PD is the official documentation.

Potential interview questions