Technical Officer, Hospitals Quality and Patient Safety

Overview

Provide technical advice to improve hospital quality and patient safety.

You have:

• University degree (Master’s level) in a health science such as, but not limited to, medicine, pharmacy, nursing or midwifery or allied health.
• At least 7 years of professional experience in a clinical hospital environment with demonstrated experience of implementing quality assurance programmes, accreditation programmes.
• Fluency in English required. Working/intermediate knowledge of either French, Russian or German is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge of political systems, social and health systems in the WHO European countries.
• Strong skills in data management and analysis for reporting.

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 158,652 USD and 204,549 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 and of the immediate Strategic Objective:

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 so as 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 Health Workforce and Service Delivery (HWD) unit will provide strategic direction, technical assistance and tailored support to countries to improve access and quality for health and long-term care services delivered by a competent and sustainable workforce. It will engage with professional bodies and patients to support the design and transformation of services which are geared to improve: patient experience of care across the health and social sector; health of the population, health care efficiency and the experience and engagement of the health and care workforce. In order to deliver these objectives aligned with the European Programme of Work and GPW 13 the unit will focus on supporting countries through the development of policies, strategies, tools and capacities in the areas of health workforce, (including nursing and midwifery and the public health workforce) to improve working conditions, retain and motivate the existing workforce; and align the education, training and production of the future workforce with population health needs, promote integration in service delivery to better bridge the divide between health systems and social care across the whole continuum of care, as well as supporting Member States efforts to put people at the centre of services.

Summary of Assigned Duties:

To provide technical advice and support Member States in improving the performance of hospitals by focussing on implementation of clinical governance systems for quality of care and patient safety. The incumbent will be expected to support countries will capacity building for clinical leadership and innovations in hospital planning and operations to better link hospitals with other elements in the health system and to support them with uptake of innovations in service delivery as a means to improve universal health coverage. The incumbent will also engage with partners and stakeholders in the hospital and clinical sector and foster the building of networks to support hospitals to link up with centres of excellence across the Region. The incumbent also provides technical and managerial support to the Division’s health systems strengthening effort with a particular focus on improving universal health coverage and coordinating country level engagement and support. The incumbent will also support high-level strategic work on health systems investment and reforms for the European Region.

Key duties:

1. Provide expert technical and operational guidance on hospital performance, to improve UHC from a services delivery perspective; 2. Provide direct technical assistance and support to Member States by preparing and leading country missions relating to policies, strategies and frameworks to improve hospital quality and performance; 3. Lead the design and preparation of policy dialogues, multidisciplinary policy support missions, and implementation support packages using a network of strong national team and international experts; 4. Manage, synthetize and build the evidence base for disseminating key Regional achievements in the hospital sector as a contribution to furthering universal health coverage 5. Promote and advocate for building networks of hospitals to improve access and quality for highly specialised services with a focus on the Eastern part of the Region 6. Promote and develop collaborative activities with alliances, networks, professional and academic organizations aimed at disseminating and advancing the health systems-related UHC agenda, with particular reference to the hospital sector 7. Provide technical and operational support for the high-level strategic work on health systems investment and reforms for the European Region in the light of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; 8. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Competencies:

1) Teamwork 2) Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences 3) Communication 4) Moving forward in a changing environment 5) Producing Results

Functional Knowledge and Skills:

Demonstrated broad knowledge of the hospital sector. Demonstrated knowledge of political systems, social and health systems in the WHO European countries. Ability to work within significant uncertainties, as well as availability for frequent operational travel. Ability to interact appropriately with high-level stakeholders, including ministers. Ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same. Strong skills in data management and analysis for reporting. Strong computer skills (word processing, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentations. Strong oral and written communication skills, including report writing. Ability to work comfortably in a fast-paced environment.

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: University degree (Master’s level) in a health science such as, but not limited to, medicine, pharmacy, nursing or midwifery or allied health

Desirable: Additional post-graduate qualification or specialization in any of the above fields; qualifications in quality management systems.

Experience:

Essential: At least 7 years of professional experience in a clinical hospital environment with demonstrated experience of implementing quality assurance programmes, accreditation programmes.

Desirable: Senior management experience within a tertiary referral hospital or within a Ministry of Health in relation of hospitals quality and performance, standards or regulation. Relevant experience within WHO, the United Nations or other international organizations.

Languages: Fluency in English required. Working/intermediate knowledge of either French, Russian or German an asset.

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 73,516 (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 3786 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's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice. • 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.

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