Project Officer (Quality of Care)

Contract

This is a NO-B contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education. More about NO-B contracts.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Division of Country Health Policies and Systems (CPS) assists countries in the Region with the design and implementation of appropriate health policies and systems to strengthen universal health coverage. It works to strengthen data-driven, evidence-informed, contextually tailored health policy development and implementation at national, regional, and local levels, taking an inclusive approach across the life course. The Division advocates strengthening of public health leadership, focusing on implementing policies that are people centred, promote health, prevent illness, and address the social and economic determinants of health, while fostering leadership on equity, human rights, and gender mainstreaming in health. It focuses on building capacity for health systems innovation to enable the sustainable delivery of high-quality primary health and community services that are effectively linked to hospitals, and mental health, public health, and social care services. To do so, CPS supports country efforts to facilitate access to leave nobody behind, to improve financial protection, to strengthen the health workforce, to increase access to affordable medicines and technologies, and to promote the uptake and implementation of digital technology.

The WHO European Centre of Excellence for Quality of Care and Patient Safety located in Athens (Athens Quality of Care Office/QoC), works to achieve the highest level of well-being, health, and health protection in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Its main aim is to support the Member States in the European region, with Position description (Technical Officer, Health Systems, P3, QoC, CPS, Athens) Page 2 a special focus on southern European countries, in building safe, qualitative, effective, and resilient health systems at the core of post-COVID-19strategies. The Athens Office acts on the following major areas: The WHO Country Office supports the Member State to shape its health policy in line with WHO's principles and values and advocates for an integrated approach to health development. By means of a single, unified and functionally integrated country representation, WHO facilitates the implementation of the GPW13 and particularly BCA with the Member State and its corresponding country work plan. WHO helps the country to improve its health system, facilitates policy dialogue and provides technical support as necessary. The WHO country office administers, consolidates, manages, and enhances WHO collaboration in the country including all resources deployed in the country permanently or temporarily to maximize WHO impact. The Country Office also has are presentational, fund-raising and resource steering function, as needed.

1. Country support, national strategies and frameworks and sharing lessons to scale up successful interventions. This involves inter alia documenting and collating practices and country-specific assistance for strengthening quality of care and patient safety. 2. Quality of care and patient safety innovation and knowledge synthesis. This includes the creation of an innovation hub to share novel quality of care and patient safety approaches. 3. Policy analysis in the sphere of quality of care and patient safety. This stream of work aims to systematize evidence on quality of care and patient safety to inform national health policies. 4. Network building, alliances, and stakeholder engagement. Under this pillar partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as leading academic institutions and think tanks are developed and scaled up.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

To provide technical support and scientific expertise in the development and timely implementation of key QoC activities supporting the Member State in: (1) the implementation of sound QoC and PS approaches, and (2) health systems capacity development and strengthening for increased quality of care and patient safety at country level.

Key duties 1. Provide technical advice and support to national counterparts through targeted trainings and direct technical guidance in the selection of cost-effective, evidence-informed health systems interventions/activities as part of national plans and programmes. 2. Contribute to the assessment of the quality of services and deliver targeted training, tools, guidance to national counterparts, and the adaptation and translation of WHO Guidelines at the Regional and National levels. 3. Collaborate with colleagues across the three level of the organization in the development of annual work plans and related projects and activities, including communication activities. 4. Contribute to the EPW's priority countries, by assisting member states as part of the team of the QoC Office in the development of National Plans and Roadmaps around Quality of Care and Patient Safety as requested. 5. Collect relevant data to be used for monitoring progress in Quality of Care and Patient Safety in the country by contributing to the implementation of studies and surveys around QoC in Member States. 6. Collaborate in the drafting process of policy briefs on National policies in Quality of Care. 7. Assist the team with technical knowledge to the development of policy analysis in the sphere of quality of care and patient safety. 8. Support with any other related work within the above areas, as relevant and needed by the QoC Office.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree (Bachelor's level) in medicine, nursing, public health, social science, or another field relevant to the position. Desirable: Postgraduate education/certifications in Public Health or similar.

Experience

Essential: At least two years of relevant experience in public health, health systems and/or patient safety and Quality of care. Desirable: Proven experience in public health programmes. Relevant experience within WHO, the United Nations or other international organizations.

Skills

Demonstrated knowledge of health systems issues, with emphasis on quality of care and patient safety approaches. Strong communication skills. Demonstrated knowledge of stakeholder engagement notably with patient representatives, governmental organizations, private sector, and other non-state actors. Demonstrated knowledge of the mandate of WHO and the UN. Computer literacy in advanced presentation programs, and the use of database and statistical software would be an asset. Ability to identify and manage one's own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same.

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. Expert knowledge of Local Language. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Russian.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at EUR 50,665 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• In the event that 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)/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.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• 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 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 final candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.