Technical Officer (Health Taxes)

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 169,113 USD and 218,037 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.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO's UHC/Healthier Populations Division is to contribute to reducing health inequalities and reducing preventable disease and injury caused by environmental, social and economic determinants of health. This is achieved through a coordinated inter-sectoral approach aimed at enabling all people to enjoy better health and well-being, in line with the Organization's 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) and the Sustainable Development Goals.Within the Division, the Department of Health Promotion (HPR) works to reduce risks associated with tobacco use, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity, thereby contributing to better population health, through cross-cutting normative, fiscal and legal measures to enhance wellbeing, health literacy and engage multi stakeholders through settings approach and community engagement strategies.Within the HPR Department, the Fiscal Policies for Health (TAX) Unit provides strategic leadership, capacity building and specialized technical assistance in the field of fiscal measures for health, particularly on excise taxation on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverage products. In addition, the TAX Unit leads on the development of tools which provide guidance on how to use fiscal measures, in particular taxation of tobacco, alcohol and SSBS to reduce health care costs and generate a revenue stream for development.

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DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Unit Head of HPR/TAX, the Economist (Taxation) provides advice, expertise, direct technical assistance and follow up in the development of innovative tax policy and legislation including, but not limited to, increases of excise taxes on alcohol and sugar beverage products, taxation structure, administration and enforcement.

Under the supervision of the Unit Head, HPR/TAX, the Economist:

1. Provides advice, expertise, direct technical assistance and follow up in the development of innovative price and tax policy including, but not limited to the introduction and/or increases of excise duties on alcohol and SSBs; changes in the taxation structure for those products as well as their administration;

2. Provides technical expertise to WHO Regions and Member States on: national price and taxation, policy and regulation on alcohol and SSBs that will facilitate their adoption and implementation of these cost effective noncommunicable diseases prevention measures;

3. Strengthen the capacity of WHO Regions and Member States to develop, adopt and implement health taxes, particularly on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages;

4. Develop new and expand existing best practice guidelines and strategies for implementing and evaluating alcohol and SSBs price and taxation policy and regulation that will enable WHO Regions and Member States to share experiences and assess the impact of these demand reduction measures;

5. Research and compile price, taxation, and economic data and statistics that will be used to develop the business case for higher excise taxes on health harming products deemed risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, particularly alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs);

6. Provide inputs to the relevant WHO unit towards the regular monitoring and reporting on the implemention of fiscal and economic measures that are being used to reduce the consumption of harmful products deemed as risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, and make recommendations accordingly;

7. Support the Unit Head, HPR/TAX in managing the development of WHO global goods related to tobacco, alcohol and SSB taxation;

8. Perform all other related duties as assigned.

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced level university degree in Economics from a recognized university. Desirable: Phd in economics. Specialization or training in an area related to excise taxation of tobacco, alcohol or SSB products.

Experience

Essential: At least 7 years of work experience in the area of economic analysis, tax policy analysis, revenue modeling, excise taxation of tobacco, alcohol or SSB products in national and international context. Demonstrated experience at the international level. Desirable: Experience working with Governments, UN agencies or academia in the field of excise taxation, tax policy development and tax reform.

Skills

1. Extensive technical knowledge and skills in economics, excise tax policy and/or law.

2. Strong knowledge in the excise taxation of harmful products deemed as risk factors for noncommunicable diseases such as tobacco, alcohol and SSB.

3. Proven excellent writing and drafting skills.

4. Ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity, including gender balance.

5. Ability to be a cooperative team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

6. Ability to work under tight deadlines and on a results-oriented basis.

7. Ability to develop innovative approaches and solutions.

WHO Competencies

1. Teamwork 2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences 3. Communication 4. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond 5. Producing results

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French.

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 75,602 (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 5172 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.

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.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• 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.

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.