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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME The vision of the Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care (PPC) is to advance health for all by anticipating change and integrating promotion, prevention and care across all health and disease are as to address today's greatest health burdens and tomorrow's challenges.Within PPC Division, the Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration (ECO) aims to reduce the global disease burden caused by unhealthy environments by 25% within the next decade, by igniting health-centric decisions in public policies, informing them with data, scientific evidence, norms & standards, and catalysing support to protect the most vulnerable.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Within the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:
GENERAL
- Receive visitors and telephone calls with tact and discretion and acts according to the nature and urgency of each, including redirecting as appropriate.
- Provide background information for appointments with official visitors and/or staff members.
- Monitor requests for goods and services, including receipt, payment and inventory requirements.
CORRESPONDENCE
- Draft general or administrative correspondence on own initiative or on the basis of instructions; finalize correspondence/reports for signature/clearance.
- Verify that outgoing correspondence is presented in accordance with WHO and department styles and checking language, grammar and accuracy prior to submitting for signature and clearance.
- Analyze incoming correspondence and requests in the light of background material, instructions, policies and precedents, researching, obtaining and attaching background information in anticipation of the responsible officer's needs or redirecting them as appropriate; identify and highlight incoming documents and attach background information and identify areas requiring action by professional staff, drawing their attention to specific items.
- Ensure that technical reports and documents are in line with WHO standards, rules, practices and procedures, editing and correcting them as necessary prior to their submission for signature or clearance of relevant authority.
- Using appropriate tracking tools, follow-up on and ensure that target dates and deadlines are met, and that correspondence and queries are responded to in a timely manner.
HUMAN RESOURCES
- Ensure the timely appointment/renewal of contracts, initiating requests for temporary and fixed-term staff in the HR Action Plan.
PROCUREMENT
- Initiate, through Oracle/GSM procurement module, contracts for consultants, Agreements for Performance of Work (APW), and other contract modalities.
- Monitor and record receipt of deliverables and initiate and monitor payments as needed.
- Initiate, through Oracle/GSM procurement module, requisitions for goods procurement, and monitor and receipt of deliverables.
BUDGET & FINANCE
- Assists in the monitoring and progress review of projects and tasks in the GSM/Oracle work plan.
- Provides team members with timely information on project and task budget ceilings, award budgets, expenditure, and funds available, as required.
- Monitors income and expenditures for planning purposes.
- Promptly follows-up on financial, budgetary and any outstanding issues concerning the team/department, including ensuring timely processing of committal documents.
- Assists in the preparation of financial and technical progress reports to donors.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
- In close collaboration with other support staff, create and/or maintain filing systems; continual review of filing system to ensure information is up to date and effectively and efficiently used.
- Obtain documents and information from in-house and external sources as required; perform information searches (library, internet) as requested.
MEETING ADMINISTRATION
- Arrange, coordinate and lead administrative preparation for meetings, seminars, workshops, including letters of invitation, costs calculation and travel requests; assisting with preparation of documents, dispatching of materials and liaising with participants and others involved.
- Prepare presentations using PowerPoint and other software packages on own initiative or on the basis of instructions.
- Schedule weekly team and ad hoc meetings, according to schedules and need; taking and preparation of minutes.
- Obtain briefing and background materials for meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. to be attended by the team's professional staff, checking their availability and ensuring they have the appropriate briefing files and documents.
TRAVEL
- Using GSM/Oracle, prepare travel requests for official WHO travel.
- Make flight and hotel reservations, prepare travel files and deal with other related matters as requested or on own initiative.
OTHER DUTIES
- Perform other related duties as required or instructed, including providing support to other areas of work.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Essential: Completion of secondary school education or equivalent.
Desirable: -
Experience
Essential: A minimum of 5 years of experience in secretarial or administrative positions
Desirable: Relevant experience in WHO or another UN agency an asset. Experience in Oracle-based or other ERP systems an asset.
Skills
Strong skills to work independently.
Strong organization and office skills, as well as skills in note taking and minute writing.
Sound knowledge and skills using a variety of office and computer packages.
Sound knowledge of WHO and/or UN administrative rules and regulations, procedures and practices.
The ability to multitask and work under pressure.
The ability to exercise discretion at all times in judging the importance, urgency and confidential nature various issues and tact when dealing with staff and external partners.
WHO Competencies
Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Moving forward in a changing environment
Use of Language Skills
Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of French.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of another UN language.
The above language requirements are interchangeable.
REMUNERATION
WHO offers staff in the General Services category an attractive remuneration package, which for the above position includes an annual net base salary starting at CHF 79,603 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Staff members who have been separated as a result of the 2025 Prioritization and Realignment Process will be given special consideration.
- The contractual status of the selected candidate and the responsibilities of the position will determine whether a fixed-term or temporary appointment is offered.
- 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 and/or an asynchronous video assessment 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.
- According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
- Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
- The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.
- WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. WHO recruits and employs staff 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.
- WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. 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.
- Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.
- 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 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.
- For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
- WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
- The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
- 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 shws@who.int.
- This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.
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