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Job Profile Summary The Head of the WHO Country Office represents the Director-General and Regional Director at country level and serves as WHO’s senior representative, trusted adviser, advocate, and accountable leader for health. As the strategic leader of WHO’s country presence, the incumbent positions WHO as a leading and trusted health authority through policy dialogue, high-level advocacy, effective negotiation, and engagement with government and partners. They promote Health in All Policies and whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, applying strategic vision, political acumen, and foresight to navigate evolving health, geopolitical, financing, and partnership environments. As WHO’s lead diplomat, the incumbent builds trust, forges consensus among diverse stakeholders, and safeguards WHO’s neutrality, credibility, scientific integrity, and technical mandate. As the principal strategic and technical adviser, the incumbent provides authoritative, evidence-based guidance and mobilizes WHO expertise, networks, and innovation to support Member States in advancing national health priorities. They translate global standards and scientific knowledge into country-led action and coordinate partners, collaborating centres, and experts to deliver tailored solutions. As Head of Office, the incumbent ensures sound stewardship, compliance, risk management, resource management, and results-based delivery. They lead, develop, and retain a high-performing workforce through effective leadership, performance management, succession planning, and talent development, while fostering an ethical, respectful, inclusive workplace and ensuring zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, discrimination, fraud, retaliation, and other misconduct. Through this leadership role, the incumbent unites global, regional, and country capacities, enabling WHO to operate as One Organization and support Member States in achieving sustainable health outcomes and measurable impact.
Job Functions
- Provide strategic leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy to advance national health priorities and position WHO as a trusted partner and authority in health.
- Advise governments and partners on health policy, Health in All Policies, and whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches.
- Coordinate technical cooperation aligned with country priorities, WHO norms and standards, and the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS).
- Convene governments, partners, civil society, communities, and other stakeholders to build consensus on complex health issues, including emergencies and humanitarian crises.
- Mobilize resources, strengthen partnerships, and support sustainable health financing and delivery.
- Lead the WHO Country Office, ensuring effective planning, implementation, compliance, risk management, communication, staff management, and a respectful workplace with zero tolerance for misconduct.
- Promote health priorities within the UN Country Team and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
1. Strategic Health Leadership, Diplomacy and Advocacy
Purpose: Represent WHO, advise governments, and advance national health priorities through evidence-based policy dialogue, diplomacy, and advocacy.
- Advise and negotiate with governments and partners to advance health policies and national priorities.
- Provide authoritative guidance on WHO norms, standards, and Member State commitments.
- Lead policy dialogue and support the development and implementation of national health strategies, including emergency preparedness and response.
- Represent WHO, convene stakeholders, and strengthen partnerships to promote coordinated action.
- Lead the development, implementation, and review of the Country Cooperation Strategy.
- Ensure health is effectively integrated into UN country planning and coordination processes.
2. Country-Led Technical Cooperation and Partnerships
Purpose: Mobilize WHO expertise and partnerships to support implementation of national health priorities and sustainable health impact.
- Support Member States in implementing WHO norms, standards, guidance, and evidence-based interventions.
- Coordinate expertise across WHO and external partners to provide integrated, country-specific support.
- Build strategic partnerships and coordinate technical cooperation across governments, UN agencies, development partners, academia, civil society, and communities.
- Strengthen partner coordination, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery efforts.
- Enhance national capacities in health data, evidence generation, monitoring, and reporting.
- Support resource mobilization, sustainable health financing, and national capacity development.
- Promote collaboration across WHO and South-South, triangular, and regional cooperation.
3. Operational Management and Accountability
Purpose: Ensure effective governance, stewardship, and management of the WHO Country Office.
- Lead the management of human, financial, technical, operational, and logistical resources in compliance with WHO policies.
- Oversee results-based planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and resource management.
- Ensure strong governance, transparency, accountability, compliance, and risk management.
- Build and sustain a high-performing, diverse, and inclusive workforce through leadership, performance management, succession planning, and staff development.
- Foster an ethical, respectful workplace with zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, discrimination, fraud, retaliation, and other misconduct.
- Provide strategic analysis and country intelligence to WHO senior leadership.
- Lead WHO communications and visibility at country level.
- Ensure the safety, security, and well-being of personnel and eligible dependents.
4. Other Duties
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
Education
Essential:
Advanced university degree in public health, health sciences, health systems, or a medical-related field.
Desirable:
First university degree in health sciences, a medical degree, or a doctorate in a relevant public health or health-related field.
Knowledge and Skills
- Broad knowledge of public health, health systems, and global health priorities.
- Knowledge of WHO and/or United Nations system strategies, policies, programmes, and operational frameworks.
- Demonstrated political acumen and ability to lead high-level advocacy and policy dialogue on health-related Sustainable Development Goals, including engagement with Ministries of Finance, non-traditional partners, United Nations Country Teams, and Resident Coordinators to advance health priorities through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
- Demonstrated ability to provide authoritative, evidence-based advice across health systems and public health programmes.
- Excellent diplomacy, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Proven management skills, including strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and management of human and financial resources.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with tact and diplomacy in diverse, multicultural, and politically complex environments.
- Ability to recognize limitations, seek support when required, and promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Experience
Essential:
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive relevant international experience in health-related fields.
• At least two years of relevant country-level experience, including engagement with governments and external partners.
Desirable:
• Experience working across multiple countries or regions, particularly in health systems strengthening or reform.
• Experience leading or managing programmes in field locations.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets and mobilizing resources.
• Experience engaging with United Nations Country Teams and Resident Coordinators to advance health priorities through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
• Experience in humanitarian health response in emergency settings.
Languages
Essential:
Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable:
Working knowledge of another official WHO language, depending on duty station and region.
Remuneration
WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position(s) comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 103,165 (P5); USD 117,953 (D1); and USD 130,477 (D2) (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.
Additional Information
- Candidates who are already on the Roster need not apply.
- Successful candidates will normally be expected to be available for a minimum of five years before mandatory retirement age.
- Special selection procedures will apply.
- It is mandatory to submit a covering letter with your application.
- Successful candidates will be added to the roster from which individual WR vacancies will be filled.
- Candidates for the post of internationally recruited WR in Country, Territory or Area will be considered only if they have successfully completed a formal assessment.
- 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 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 eManual.
- 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 (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 final candidates.
- WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
- WHO also offers a 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. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
- For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int
- Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to a fixed-term position in the International Professional category (Grades P1-D2) are eligible for Geographical Mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
- 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.
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