Health Specialist

UNICEF Viet Nam is looking for qualified nationals for the following professional post:
Post Title: Health Specialist (Re-advertised)
Location: Ha Noi

Summary of the Post:

- Under the supervision of the Chief of Child Survival and Development (CSD), accountable for the formulation, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Health component of the CSD programme. To ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of management, delivery and accomplishment of health component goals and objectives, with specific focus on social health insurance,
equitable access to MNCH interventions (such as integrated approaches to neonatal care, pneumonia, diarrhoea prevention and care and PMTCT), vaccine security and environmental scanning of non-communicable diseases.

- Direct, lead and manage professional staff to develop, manage and administer the sectoral or inter-sectoral components, with an emphasis on linkages and coordination with nutrition, WASH, education, communications for development and partnerships.

- Lead the identification of inequalities in access to health/MNCH preventive and curative services whilst promoting the use of evidence to eliminate socio economic inequities.

Major duties and Responsibilities:

- Health / MNCH sectoral analysis: inputs, support and collaboration to Situation Analysis and periodic updates for effective programme planning, development and management – 15%.

• Lead timely, regular data-driven situational analyses of equity in the health sector affecting Maternal, Neonatal and Child health, health financing (with a focus on Social Health Insurance), immunisation, integration of packages into primary healthcare (including PMTCT, birth dose hepatitis B and pneumonia and diarrhoea prevention and care) and scanning emerging issues of urbanisation and non-communicable diseases affecting children;
• Promote and adopt appropriate results-based management;
• Support the preparation of the annual Health sector status reports;

- Knowledge management effectively and sustainably promoted at national and sub national levels by provision of technical support focussing on use of evidence used for policy making from monitoring, evaluations, lesson learning and research – 20%

• Provide leadership in data-driven prioritization and evidence based implementation of pro equity child friendly Health strategies and interventions;
• Monitor technical and programmatic developments at the international, regional and provincial levels;
• Translate information/data into knowledge on MNCH and broad health needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups at national and provincial levels.
• Provide technical leadership in the Health sector components of UNDAF and One UN planning processes;
• Provide technical support and guidance to develop and implement country-specific national capacity building strategies including technical, financial and institutional capacity to achieve Health programme goals
• Ensure that the Health sector component of the country programme is fully aligned with national priorities and plans.
• Stimulate the capacity development of national institutions to collect, store, analyse and appropriately disseminate data and information that leads to effective pro equity policy changes
• Provide technical leadership and coordination of relevant operational research, thus contributing to the knowledge base in Health including MNCH.

- Quality of rights-based and humanitarian principles for health / MNCH components effectively promoted, and coherence, synergy and value added to programme management process through results-based management at national and sub-national levels – 15%.

• Conduct field visits to monitor programmes and conduct periodic programme reviews with Government counterparts and other partners with particular emphasis on under-served populations;
• Ensure convergence and coherence of MNCH & other health interventions in focus provinces of the national programme
• Provide in-country leadership on Health & MNCH policies, including advocacy for equity, with a particular focus on maternal, neonatal and child Survival, vaccine security and equitable financing especially with risk-pooling and social insurance approaches;
• Play an active role in broader Health sector strategies and planning;
• Provide oversight for UNICEF’s contribution to national vaccine security
• Continue to scan emerging issues affecting child health such as non-communicable diseases and urbanisation
• Provide in-country technical and operational leadership and guidance on scaling-up key maternal, neonatal and child Survival interventions, learning from approaches at province and sub province levels;
• Ensure UNICEF country office’s readiness to deliver on the Health-related CCCs;
• Ensure corrective action is undertaken to address bottlenecks identified during evaluation exercises;
• Ensure UNICEF, government and non-government staff understand and apply rights-based approaches to programming and humanitarian principles that contribute to pro- equity approaches;
• Promote a rights-based approach to Health programmes through the formulation of programme goals and strategies and approaches, using results-based planning methodology and terminology.
• Bring coherence, synergy and added value to sectoral or programme management processes using a results-based management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

- Leading a team on the Health / MNCH sectoral work plan to formulate, implement and monitor national and sub national activities to ensure alignment with the defined programme strategies and approaches, with special attention to relevant disaggregated socio-economic indicators, including gender – 10%.

• Explore areas and opportunities for staff development, including training and opportunities for cross fertilization with UNICEF staff from other country programmes;
• Effectively manage and coach a team of national professionals to provide detailed inputs into the health / MNCH components
• Advise the Chief of Child Survival and Development on appropriate training and professional development opportunities for health / MNCH staff.

- Health / MNCH component national and sub-national delivery, monitoring and evaluation and reporting carried out efficiently, rigorously and transparently in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures – 10%.

• Takes primary responsibility for the development of the health / MNCH sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for management, implementation and monitoring of assigned project/sectoral activity, in compliance with the defined component strategies and approaches, with an emphasis on promoting approaches to reducing inequities in access to MNCH and health preventive and curative
• services
• Document and disseminate lessons learned;
• Provide support to, and participate in, national participatory monitoring and evaluation activities in the Health sector, including for PRS, UNDAF, SWAp, etc;
• Participate in major evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sector review meetings with government and other counterparts;
• Collaborate with Monitoring and Evaluation officer to timely, efficiently, rigorously and transparently monitor, evaluate and report on Health program effectiveness and impact;
• Ensure programme, sectoral and/or inter-sectoral efficiency and delivery through a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation;

- UNICEF’s global goals effectively promoted through advocacy and policy dialogue in the health / MNCH sector – 10%.

• Coordinate with UNICEF Regional Advisers and HQ Officers to ensure country office strategies are aligned with global and regional strategies;
• Actively engage in national and international policy dialogue in the Health sector.
• Effectively communicate on and advocate for the promotion of UNICEF’s global goals;
• Leverage the strength of UNICEF mission, goals and programmes;
• Reinforce partnerships to further UNICEF global goals;

- Proper and timely UNICEF and Government accountability ensured regarding supply, non-supply and emergency assistance as well as disbursement of programme funds for the health / MNCH sector – 10%.

• Submit transparent and timely reporting to donors and other partners
• Ensure UNICEF, government and non-government staff understand and comply with UNICEF’s financial rules including emergency fast-track procedures;
• In close collaboration with Operations and Supply staff, regularly monitor and report on use of supplies and other resources donated to the government and non-government partners;
• Certify disbursements of funds;
• Collaborate with the Operations Section and Government authorities to establish and maintain sound internal controls supportive of Health programme or sectoral planning and implementation, to coordinate financial and supply management requirements as well as to ensure accountability;
• Monitor and submit financial status reports to management in compliance with the regulations and guidelines;
• Ensure corrective action is undertaken to address bottlenecks identified during the above monitoring

- Effective advocacy, leveraging Government and non-Government partners achieved through partnership, leveraging and collaboration, including assistance to sectoral leadership of various health / MNCH coordination cluster mechanisms to ensure pro-equity approaches used including gender, ethnicity, income and geographic location – 10%.

• Ensure linkages and alignment between health and the office’s other social support under common umbrella of the nation’s social protection framework.
• Advocate for and leverage resources for scaling-up and replication of effective maternal, neonatal and child Survival interventions;
• Collaborate with Communications, Partnership and Communications for Development officers to ensure development of effective communication strategies to support community-based approaches and social mobilization efforts;
• Maintain close working relationships with other UNICEF sections, particularly nutrition, HIV and WASH, partnerships and communication for development to ensure integration of the Health programme with other sectors;
• Establish active and participatory partnerships with key Health sector stakeholders (Government, WHO, other UN agencies, NGOs, bilateral agencies, donors and national and international academic institutions) and interact with them at different stages of Health programme design and implementation;
• Liaise with UNICEF NatComs and other donors as appropriate, to secure programme funding;
• Utilise the partnerships with stakeholders to leverage resources for Health, particularly Child Survival.

Qualifications:

- Educational Qualification: Advanced degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Medicine, Public Health, Pediatrics Health, Health Research, International Health, Health Policy
and Management, Environmental Health Sciences, Family Health, Biostatistics, Socio-medical Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Education, or a field relevant to international development assistance in Health.

- Work Experience: Eight years of relevant professional work experience. Field work experience. Experience in facilitating technical support in health related emergency and humanitarian preparedness. Experience in programme/project management, and UNICEF policies and strategy to address conflicts, natural disasters, and recovery. Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset. Background/familiarity with Emergency.

- Language: Fluency in English. Additional language(s) an asset.

- Competency Profile (For details on competencies, please refer to the “UNICEF Competency Profile.” )

Core Values (Required)

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core Competencies (Required)

• Communication [II]
• Drive for Result [II]
• Working With People [II]

Functional Competencies (Required)

• Analyzing [II]
• Applying Technical Expertise [III]
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [II]
• Leading and Supervising [I]
• Planning and Organizing [II]

Technical Knowledge
a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job)

• Knowledge of office computer and information systems specific to:
• Network management
• Local area networks
• Wide area networks
• Security and emergency telecommunications (fundamental knowledge in non-emergency and advanced in emergency duty stations)
• IT security
• IT operations and service management fundamentals
• Office messaging platforms
• Business process analyses
• Relational Database technology
• Office Telephony technologies
• Power management fundamentals

b) Common Technical Knowledge Required (for the job group)

• Knowledge of the principles, theories, practices and techniques for managing the activities relating to planning, managing and implementing ICT systems and services for the Office.
• Knowledge across multiple technical areas such as ICT administration, system analysis/development methods, database, Web management,, networking and security, operating systems, applications, or business process analysis, as required.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness

c) Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the job)

• ICT policies, procedures and guidelines (including UNICEF Information Security Policy and Standards of Electronic Conduct and equivalent One-UN common agreed documents)
• UNICEF and common One-UN business processes
• Current ICT industry mainstream hardware, operating systems and related software tools and utilities
• PC operating systems, their installation, configuration and setup for secure enterprise environments.
• Database software development environments on Microsoft Windows server operating system platforms.
• Emergency and security telecommunications

Please send detailed resume, cover letter (in English) and a copy of degrees marked “Confidential” to:
Human Resources Specialist
UNICEF Viet Nam
81A Tran Quoc Toan Street, Ha Noi

Closing date for receipt of applications is 27 May 2012.

Only short-listed candidates will be called for test/interview. Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.

UNICEF IS COMMITTED TO GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN ITS MANDATE AND ITS STAFF.

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