Technical Officer, Health Promotion, Life Course and Determinants

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity Department (DHE) leads intersectoral, strategic and collaborative efforts at the regional, subregional, country and local levels, enabling countries to reduce health inequities, promote health and well-being, address social determinants of health - including its commercial, economic, political dimensions - to integrate equity, human rights, gender and interculturality into the public health agenda, and to address the threats of climate change, to create healthy environments and to prevent disease by addressing environmental risk factors. In addition, this post covers strategic and collaborative work in health throughout the life course, including the integrated health and development of children and adolescents, health of aging populations, maternal and neonatal health, immunization across the life course, and the development of policies, plans and strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of populations living in conditions of vulnerability.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the technical guidance of the Director, Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity (DHE), the Director, Health Systems and Services (HSS), and the Executive Manager, Comprehensive Immunization Program (CIM), and the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative (PWR), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a)Provide technical support, and serve as country focal point for matters related to health promotion, social determinants of health, health equity, including gender and ethnicity, health throughout the life course, as well as climate change and environmental health, human rights, and heath related law; provide leadership to country teams, supporting research, planning development, implementation, and monitoring of policies and strategies in those areas, with a strong focus on local governance for health and well-being, intersectoral action and community participation;

b)Provide technical support to national authorities on the development of strategic actions to improve the health over the life-course, and access to health care taking into consideration the multi-ethnic diversity, inequities in health, and the creation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions to foster improved quality of life across the life course;

c)Collaborate in the process of, and provide technical guidance on, the development, review and promotion of national policies, programs, and structures for health promotion including for healthy cities and healthy settings;

d)Provide support to coordinate multi-stakeholder dialogue and inter-sectoral action to promote health and wellbeing and address social determinants of health and health equity across population groups and the life course, with specific focus on populations in situations of vulnerability;

e)Provide technical guidance to national authorities on the development of strategic plans and actions at national and local level to improve maternal and women’s health, their access to health care and quality of care focusing on reducing maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity and promoting neonatal health; promote women's health strategies and activities within national programs and with gender sensitive and intercultural adaptation of the care services; advise Ministries of Health, public, and private sector organizations to introduce and strengthen women's health policies for preventive care;

f)Provide technical, and strategic advice to address the impact of climate change on public health through mitigation and adaptation measures; provide technical and strategic guidance on environmental health, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), indoor and outdoor air quality, waste management and chemical safety;

g)Support capacity assessments and evidence reviews on health inequities across populations, the life course, and public health conditions, including gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and other variables, using both qualitative and quantitative analysis;

h)Promote actions to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live; support the activities related with the Decade of Healthy Aging for the Americas, by ensuring the development of successful proposals, actions, interventions, and partnerships with critical and leading partners and stakeholders. Provide technical assistance for building age[1]friendly environments in cities and communities, and the development of Long-Term Care policies, plans and strategies;

i)Create and enhance partnerships and networks to strengthen multidisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration to address social determinants of health and health equity, including gender and ethnicity;

j)Lead the process of documenting lessons learned and best practices in addressing social determinants of health, health equity, including gender and ethnicity, as well as maternal and child health, and health throughout the life course, and sustainable development goals at country level;

k)Support and develop health policies, action plans and projects aimed at increasing equitable access to health and health care in groups in a situation of vulnerability (Afro descendant, children, adolescents and women, older adults, LGTBI, informal workers); identify inequities in care and causes of exclusion in health care services in order to identify best options for the achievement of the objectives and goals of the family and community health area;

l)Provide technical and strategic guidance for the integration of health equity, including gender equality and ethnicity, into the work of the country office; m) Provide technical and strategic guidance on health-related law, human rights and health, workers’ health and social protection and other related matters;

m)Serve as the CIM focal point to provide technical advice and support in programming and evaluating national plans and strategies for national immunization programs, including but not limited to vaccination macro and micro planning, vaccination campaigns, vaccine preventable disease surveillance and outbreak response, delivery of vaccines and related supplies, cold chain procedures, development and monitoring of systems for reporting immunizations administered, vaccine safety and related matters;

n)Participate in the formulation and negotiation of, and consultation on, project proposals funded by external agencies; collaborate in the implementation, monitoring and reporting of those projects; contribute to the preparation of the Representation´s Biennial Work Plan (BWP) and the execution of international cooperation, including the analysis of political, technical and socioeconomic realities;

o)Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A university degree in a health or social science or in any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

During the competition you may be asked to provide copies of your degrees. PAHO/WHO only considers qualifications obtained from institutions found in the following links: http://www.whed.net/;http://www.chea.org/search/default.aspandhttps://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator.

Experience:

Essential: Seven years of national professional experience in technical cooperation programs and projects that address the determinants of health and heath equity, including gender and cultural diversity, health throughout the life course, or community-based solutions and policies in local and national social development programs, as well as on environmental health, climate change, immunization programs.

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

·Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

·Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others/Deal effectively with conflict - Creates team spirit; promotes collaboration and open communication in the team; proactively supports others; welcomes team responsibilities and drives team results; promotes knowledge sharing in the team.Proactively identifies conflicts and facilitates their resolution in a respectful manner; tactfully resolves conflicts between or with others and takes action to reduce any possible tension; effectively builds a rapport with individuals and teams, establishing good personal and professional relationships, as well as minimizing risk of potential conflict.

·Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences:Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity - Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

·Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Listen/Write effectively/Share knowledge - Foresees communication needs of audience and targets message accordingly.Facilitates open communication; encourages others to share their views openly and takes time to understand and consider their views.Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures.Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

·Producing Results:Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results/Take responsibility - Prioritizes work, monitors own progress against objectives and adapts plans as required; communicates adjustments as necessary. Acts proactively and stimulates action as needed; handles problems effectively and constructively. Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs. Works independently to produce new results and sets own time lines effectively and efficiently.Shows awareness of own role and clarifies roles of team members in relation to project’s expected results. Makes proposals for improving processes as required and takes responsibility for own work and/or actions, as necessary.Demonstrates positive attitude in working on new projects and initiatives. Demonstrates accountability for own success, as well as for errors; learns from experience.

·Moving forward in a changing environment: Propose change/Adapt to change - Actively supports Organizational change initiatives and demonstrates personal commitment to them, including when faced with new demands; proposes workable solutions to challenging situations.Engages in positive responses to a changing environment and promotes workable solutions to achieve own and team’s results.Welcomes, and actively seeks to apply, new ideas, approaches and working methods and technologies in order to improve own and/or team’s work processes and results; demonstrates commitment to Organizational change initiatives.

Technical Expertise:

-Theoretical and practical expertise in all aspects related to technical cooperation projects and activities that address the social determinants of health, health promotion, community participation, intersectoral action and policies in local and social development programs.

-Strong knowledge of public health, family health programs, and the determinants of sexual/reproductive health, using a life course approach.

-In-depth knowledge and understanding of essential interventions to support the health, growth and development of all members of a family with a life course approach.

-Strong knowledge on heathy setting approach and strategies conducive to improvement of social determinants related to well-being.

-Technical expertise in translating social determinants of health theory into practice at national and local levels and ability to analyze social determinants of health and the capability to develop and plan innovative and appropriate solutions.

-Technical expertise in local participatory planning and evaluation methodologies, especially working with multiple sectors, and government, community and academic institutions.

-Knowledge of environmental health and climate change and health; practical expertise on environmental resilience and sustainability of health systems.

-Research capabilities in applying quantitative and qualitative methodologies to document situations, outcomes and lessons learned.

-Managerial skills for the development, implementation and analysis of technical cooperation programs and activities, including budget programming and control.

-Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.

-Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English. A working knowledge of Spanish or French would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

TT$569,189.00

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Local Recruitment)

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates to fill other similar fixed-term professional positions, at the same grade level.

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this position as a form of screening.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

PAHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

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

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Candidates must hold a permanent local working visa or be citizens of a country from CARICOM to apply.

apply.