International Consultant - AI-assisted age friendly environment

Overview

Support the WHO-Kanagawa Partnership on Healthy Ageing and NCD.

You have:

• A university degree and background in natural or social sciences with a demonstrated strong academic background.
• At least two years of experience working in public health and/or with qualitative or quantitative data analysis.
• Expert knowledge of English.
• Intermediate knowledge of Chinese or French (if applicable).
• Previous experience in management consulting.
• Previous experience in coordinating with diverse teams (both national and international).
• Previous experience in managing research and quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Purpose of consultancy

To support the Division of Data, Strategy, Innovation (DSI) in advancing the WHO-Kanagawa Partnership on Healthy Ageing and Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) in the Western Pacific, including provision of partnership secretariat functions. The consultant will also support the development of WHO’s work on AI-assisted age friendly environment by translating the conceptual framework into practical, country-relevant guidance, research questions, and pilot-ready options. Collectively, this work will strengthen prevention-centred, integrated approaches and accelerate the shift from treatment-heavy systems toward community-enabled health and wellbeing across the life course.

Background

The Western Pacific Region is ageing rapidly, with approximately 270 million people aged 65 years and above and this figure projected to double by 2050.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly four in five deaths in the Region. Demographic transition, multimorbidity, and fiscal constraints are increasing pressure on health systems that remain predominantly treatment-oriented. There is an urgent need to shift toward prevention-centred, community-based, and system-integrated approaches that sustain functional ability, resilience, and well-being across the life course.

In response, the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office is strengthening its strategic and innovative agenda on healthy ageing and NCDs. This includes partnerships to co-create priority research areas, generate policy-relevant evidence, and translate findings into pilot initiatives and practical policy options for Member States. It also includes advancing innovative approaches - such as the strategic use of artificial intelligence - to enhance age-friendly communities, improve prevention and early risk identification, strengthen built-environment and community-level insights, and support evidence-informed decision-making.

The consultant will contribute to this broader strategic agenda by supporting research prioritization, evidence synthesis, innovation scanning, and knowledge translation to inform regional and country-level action.

Deliverables

Under the supervision of the technical officer in DSI, the consultant will produce the following outputs:

Output 1: Secretariat support to the WHO-Kanagawa Partnership on Healthy Ageing and NCDs in the Western Pacific

Deliverable 1.1: Providing technical notes (meeting materials, notes, and follow-up records) and/or inputs into documentations relating to partnership functions.

Deliverable 1.2: Concept notes, briefing notes, and presentations to support partnership planning, decision-making, and programme development.

Output 2: Regional gap analysis on healthy ageing, NCDs, and age-friendly communities, with identified priorities for research and innovation

Deliverable 2.1: Literature reviews, background analyses, and evidence mapping to assess existing knowledge and identify gaps.

Deliverable 2.2: Horizon scanning on emerging technologies, service models, and policy developments relevant to ageing societies and community-based prevention.

Deliverable 2.3: Identification and articulation of priority research and innovation areas, including AI-enabled approaches, to inform research calls.

Output 3: Practical, country-relevant guidance on AI-enabled age-friendly environments

Deliverable 3.1: Translation of the AI-enabled age-friendly environment conceptual framework into actionable research questions.

Deliverable 3.3: Background papers and technical documents supporting pilot design and policy dialogue.

Output 4: Evidence briefs and analytical products supporting the Division's strategic agenda

Deliverable 4.1: Evidence briefs on selected priority topics aligned with the Division's Theory of Change

Deliverable 4.2: Analytical inputs supporting research calls, evidence-to-policy translation, and prevention-centred, integrated approaches.

Deliverable 4.3: Contributions to the design of pilots and policy options for Member States, and other technical tasks as requested by the supervisor in line with the objectives of the assignment.

Output 5: Contributions to the strategic and responsible use of AI within the organization

Deliverable 5.1: Internal engagement and knowledge exchange activities (e.g., briefings, learning sessions, written products) to advance staff understanding and uptake of AI-enabled approaches.

Deliverable 5.2: Analytical inputs on AI-enabled approaches that connect organizational innovation objectives with technical programme areas.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Education:

Essential: A university degree and background in natural or social sciences with a demonstrated strong academic background.

Desirable: A master’s level university degree or doctorate in a relevant field.

Work Experience:

Essential: At least two years of experience working in public health and/or with qualitative or quantitative data analysis.

Desirable:

• Previous experience in management consulting
• Previous experience in coordinating with diverse teams (both national and international)
• Previous experience in managing research and quantitative and qualitative analysis

Language:

Essential: Expert knowledge of English

Desirable: (if applicable) Intermediate knowledge of Chinese or French

Functional/Technical skills and knowledge:

• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent analytical, planning, and organizational skills
• Commitment to delivering results
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work respectfully across diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work in a team as well as independently, with limited supervision
• Ability to work under pressure

Location:

The contractual partner will be working on-site at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines.

Travel:

The Consultant is expected to undertake no travel (mission) as part of this assignment.

The travel arrangements (to/from Manila) will be made by WHO. WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO.

Visa requirements: It is the Consultant’s responsibility to fulfill visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

• Pay band level A - (USD 300 daily) USD 6,000 per month
• Living Expenses - USD 2,100 per month
• Contract period of 11 months

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level. • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted. • A written test may be used as a form of screening. • If your candidature is retained for 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)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review. • For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int. • The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics. The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected] • An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice. • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates. • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. • WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO. • Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected]. • In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates.

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Added 5 hours ago - Updated 5 hours ago - Source: who.int