Health Workforce Training and Education Officer

Volunteering Admin Medical & Health

Overview

Support expansion of health professions education for population health needs

You have:

• Health science or health professions education background is required.
• Experience in health professions curriculum development/reviews is required.
• Proven skills in coordinating with senior leaders are needed.
• Computer literate with relevant software for word processing, presentations, etc.
• Ability to synthesize scientific evidence is necessary.
• Additional years of experience in responsible roles is desirable.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations Public Health Organization established in 1948. The objective of the World Health Organization shall be the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. World Health Organization achieves its goals by performing its essential functions: 1. Take a leadership role in key health issues and create partnerships when joint action is needed; 2. Set research priorities and encourage the acquisition, application and dissemination of useful knowledge; 3. Setting standards and criteria and encouraging and monitoring them; 4. Develop ethical and evidence-based policies 5. Provide technical support, be an agent of change and build institutional capacity in a sustainable way; 6. Monitor health status and assess health trends.

Under the direct supervision of the Health Workforce (HWF) Team Leader, the incumbent supports the HWF team to provide technical guidance and support to Member States to expand and transform their health professions education to be competency-based and responsive to population health needs. The specific tasks include the following: 1. Contribute to the adaptation of global competency-based curriculum framework for community health workers to the regional and countries’ context, including supporting countries to professionalize their community health workers (through standardised training, certification, regulation and remuneration). 2. Contribute to the evaluation of health worker training programmes in terms of relevance and capacity for scaling up required numbers, including curriculum needs assessment, development/reviews and benchmarking, as appropriate. 3. Assist the team in providing technical support to countries to develop national integrated (master) HWF training and education plans aligned with labour market evidence and health system capacity and needs. 4. Assist the team in providing technical support to countries for development/review and benchmarking of professional scopes of practice. 5. Contribute to technical support for countries to conduct training needs assessment (TNA) to inform the development of comprehensive continuous professional development (CPD) programmes. 6. Assist in the development of regional competency-based curriculum frameworks for pre-service health professions education, including a primary health care approach to abortion services and comprehensive SRHR. 7. Support the technical team to develop regional prototype curricula for competency-based specialists training and education. 8. Assist in organizing a regular African Health Professions Education dialogue, in collaboration with partners. 9. Support the strengthening of accreditation mechanisms of training institutions in countries, including facilitating the dissemination and/or adaption of the global guidelines and technical products on health workforce regulation. 10. In collaboration with relevant teams/experts, organize blended skills laboratories to deploy clinical guidelines and clinical decision aides to the relevant health workers to enhance their productivity and quality of their services. 11. Contribute to development of briefing notes, talking points, presentations and evidence-based policy briefs, reports and manuscripts on various aspects health workforce education and training to strengthen policy and practice. 12. Support the team leader in resource mobilization, including proposal development and donor reports. 13. Perform any other official duties assigned by the team leader.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

• Professionalism; • Integrity ; • Teamwork and respect for diversity; • Commitment to continuous learning; • Planning and organizing; • Communication; • Flexibility: • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement.

Health science or health professions education. Experience in health professions curriculum development/reviews, stakeholder engagement, and established skills in coordinating with senior leaders.

Desirable: Additional years of proven experience in responsible roles in the above-mentioned areas of work

Other Skills (e.g. IT): Computer literate (at least being able to use relevant software and applications for word processing, presentations, scheduling, virtual meetings, etc), and ability to synthesize scientific evidence.

The Republic of Congo is a low-middle income country, located in Central Africa sub-region. The country shares boundaries with Gabon in the South-West, Cameroon and Central Republic Africa in the North and Northeast, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the East, Angola and Atlantic Ocean in the South. Since 2014, the Republic of Congo is experiencing an economic downturn, affecting the economic growth (-5 per cent in 2017). Because of the persistent drop in the price of oil, this situation drove to the decline of the gross domestic product per capita, from $3,196 in 2013 to $1,658 in 2017. Nevertheless, the country is globally stable and safe in the main urban and rural areas. Frequent disruptions are recorded in the electricity supply, particularly in Brazzaville (political capital) and Pointe-Noire (economic capital). The living cost is relatively affordable, but some concerns with the cost of decent housing should be noted. The population enjoys dressing in style and loves music both profane and religious. According to United Nations security standards, life and travel in Brazzaville and in the other areas major are secure. The Republic of Congo is a unique country. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in harsh and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org