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Qualifications

Purpose of consultancy

To contribute to the development of TMC workstreams and technical products related implementation support to WHO Regional and Country offices and monitoring and evaluation to assure quality and impact.

This work contributes to the generation of traditional medicine research and data and translation to policy and practice towards health and well-being of people and the planet with equity and sustainability.

Background

The objective of the WHO Division of Universal Health Coverage and Life Course (UHL) is to support countries to strengthen their health systems by using a Primary Health Care approach towards the realization of universal health coverage (UHC), the improvement of people’s health and wellbeing at all ages and the achievement of all health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Together with WHO regional and country offices, non-state actors, and partners, UHL provides global leadership, policy guidance and technical expertise. Within the UHL division, the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (TMC) is a department that focuses on the generation of evidence, support for translation of evidence to policy and practice, and development of new technical areas of work for the evidence-based, safe, equitable and effective use of traditional medicine towards the health and well-being of people and the planet.  TMC operates within WHO’s General Programme of Work to support functions of the Organization’s Headquarters Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative (TCI) Unit, and aligned with the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Strategy.

There are five main TMC technical workstreams:

1. Traditional Medicine Research and Evidence – Advance TM scientific evidence and strengthen Member States’ capacities to prioritize and conduct robust research.
2. Traditional Medicine, PHC and UHC – Strengthen TM within national health systems, using a data-driven PHC approach towards the realization of UHC.
3. Traditional Medicine Indigenous Knowledges & Biodiversity – Promote equitable and fair access to benefits of Indigenous Knowledges and sustaining biodiversity.
4. Traditional Medicine Digital Health Applications Unit – Use digital health applications to facilitate development and access to TM knowledge, goods and services.
5. Traditional Medicine Global Summit – promote international collaboration on TM, including organization of the biennial global summit, political engagement, and strengthening global networks. For more information, visit: https://www.who.int/initiatives/who-global-traditional-medicine-centre/traditional-medicine-global-summit

Deliverables

• Deliverables 1: Develop and coordinate technical projects.
  • Develop and coordinate comprehensive technical project plans, including objectives, timeline, budget, risk management, resource allocation, and project evaluation, and develop a mechanism for regular review of the projects and update of project planning.
  • Contribute to the implementation and evaluation of projects, ensuring alignment with technical recommendations and project goals.
  • Develop sustainability plans to support continued implementation and stakeholder engagement with the work beyond project timeline.
  • Provide technical inputs to develop comprehensive engagement and dissemination plans taking into account all relevant stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and follow-up actions.
  • Provide inputs to logistical, operational considerations to ensure technical workstreams requirements are met to deliver high-quality, timely technical projects and products.
• Deliverables 2: Organize meetings and consultations, and facilitate follow-up actions.
  • Organize, coordinate WHO TMC technical and stakeholder consultations and technical sessions for the TMC-organized Global Summit.
  • Facilitate the respectful exchange of ideas and facilitate consensus development on key findings, interpretations, and implications.
  • Develop meeting agendas, talking points, speeches, and presentations.
  • Assure the quality of meeting documentation by incorporating technical inputs and feedback and ensuring accuracy and relevance.
  • Organize and facilitate meeting logistics and formats, including developing interactive sessions for active participation and successful meeting outcomes.
• Deliverables 3: Design and implement research projects and manage relevant databases.
  • Contribute to the design of research plans and methods protocols, taking into account ethics considerations and WHO clearances processes.
  • Conduct literature reviews, critical appraisal, and synthesis of evidence, as well as data collection, analysis, and interpretation, using qualitative and quantitative research applications.
  • Ensure the timely sharing of information with relevant stakeholders for review and feedback.
  • Validate findings and contribute to the development of high-quality research reports and scientific publications, maintaining technical accuracy and relevance.
  • Provide specific technical inputs to develop digital applications and set up, use and update databases – including for reference management, as required by the relevant TMC projects.
• Deliverables 4: Facilitate knowledge exchange and knowledge translation, and promote education and capacity building.
  • Facilitate respectful knowledge exchange with all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples, respecting Rights and realizing equitable access to use and benefits.
  • Facilitate knowledge translation for evidence informed TM policies health care, and public utilization.
  • Develop comprehensive education and training programs, including modules and toolkits incorporating evidence-based best practice to enhance learning outcomes and build technical capacities.
  • Implement education programs in focus areas for capacity building among stakeholders and ensure effective delivery of education material and resources.
  • Develop a dynamic platform for networking and collaborative working among stakeholders, to promote continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
• Deliverables 5: Develop technical products, reports, and other publications.
  • Contribute to the writing and editing of editorials and peer reviewed journal article(s), and technical and policy publications and reports.
  • Collate and synthesize feedback from WHO, collaborators and stakeholders on technical products.
  • Draw up statistical progress reports for designated data aggregates to inform (a) a data review on data collection processes, and (b) project outcome against project interventions.
  • Manage publication clearances and conduct targeted media outreach, ensuring technical accuracy and alignment with project objectives.
  • Provide reference management support in maintaining reference databases and the insertion and editing of references and footnotes to the style required, e.g., based on style guides for WHO, UN or different journals.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Band Level B: University degree related to traditional or conventional medicine and/ or public health, scientific research, epidemiology and statistics, biodiversity and environmental sciences, policy science, law, anthropology , other social sciences and other related fields.
• Band Level C:  Advanced university degree related to traditional or conventional medicine and/ or public health, scientific research, epidemiology and statistics, biodiversity and environmental sciences, policy science, law, anthropology, other social sciences and other related fields.

Desirable:

• Band Level B: Advanced university degree in any of the above fields and strong record of scientific publications related to the TMC workstreams.
• Band Level C: A PhD in any of the above fields and strong record of scientific publications related to the TMC workstreams.

Experience

Essential:

• Band level B: 5 to 10 years of relevant professional experience in conducting research and providing national and/or international technical support and policy advice related to the TMC workstreams: Research and Evidence; Health systems, PHC and UHC; Indigenous Knowledges & Biodiversity; and Digital Health.
• Band level C: Over 10 years of relevant professional experience in conducting research and providing national and/or international technical support and policy advice related to the TMC workstreams: Research and Evidence; Health systems, PHC and UHC; Indigenous Knowledges & Biodiversity; and Digital Health.

Desirable:

• Experience working with WHO and/ or other UN agencies.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Experience in providing technical support for research, policies, programmes in low-resource settings.

Skills:

• Expert technical knowledge of one or more of the main WHO TMC workstreams.
• Expert capacities for scientific research, writing and publication.
• Strong organizational skills, including to support TMC in convening of multistakeholder meetings and synthesizing key discussion and action points.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary, multicultural team.
• Capacities to build and sustain strong working relationships with other experts and stakeholders.
• Commitment and ability to deliver high-quality work on time under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively in changing contexts.
• Proven competency in the use of standard Office applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and in research tools (reference and citation databases, statistical and qualitative research applications).

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of other UN languages.

Location

• Off site: Home-based; and/or
• Onsite at the TMC in Jamnagar, India or at any WHO Regional or Country Office as may be determined by business needs.

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B – USD 7,000 – 9,980 per month.
Band level C – USD 10,000 – 12,500 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

Applicable only if posted to locations outside their home country.

Expected duration of contract:

Contract duration varies from 1 to 11 months depending on programme needs.

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce 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.
  The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. 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 for WHO jobs.
  Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected].
• 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 short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
• WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• 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 [email protected].
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For roster VNs:

The purpose of this vacancy is to develop a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in this advertised roster. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) upon conclusion of the selection process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection to a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.