Deadline: 18 January, 2022

Location: Brazzaville, Congo

World Health Organisation (WHO) is seeking to fill the role of Team Leader, Research.

The primary role of WHO is to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and manage the research unit in developing and implementing the research agenda and associated strategies for the region with the objective of achieving results that impact the region
• Lead the research unit and coordinate the development of regional research policies, strategies, programmes and activities in collaboration with other WHO technical clusters, and partners, in an integrated manner in the context of universal health coverage, ensuring people-centered approaches across the life course
• Coordinate the region’s work stream on cross-cluster/cross-cutting activities and coordination of regional research activities, ensuring an integrated working approach for these activities in the regional office and at country office
• Oversee activities to support strengthening of national research governance infrastructure and standards in counties
• Provide secretariat functions for the WHO Afro African Advisory Council on research and development
• Oversee the provision of coordinated support for the adaptation and implementation of the WHO policies and strategies on related service delivery models at primary care level
• Oversee the collaborative and proactive support to countries in the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation policies and strategies
• Identify research needs and priorities aimed at improving country performance and universal access to comprehensive health services at country level, including promotion and strengthening of research capabilities, and support the addition of new knowledge and technologies into country health systems
• Establish collaboration networks with research institutions and support technical assistance to country research programmes, including promoting the use of technical resource networks and leveraging in-country institutional capacities to enhance sustainability
• Conduct high-level advocacy and policy dialogue and establish/strengthen partnerships, including with academia, professional associations, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations and institutions, for the harmonisation and alignment of actors and resources in the formulation and implementation of national action plans
• Develop and manage implementation of strategies and programmes related to WHO Afro library services
• Develop and manage the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of work plans and budgets within the framework of WHO staff rules and regulations, financial rules and Afro accepted procedures, while promoting integration of similar approaches and interventions in the research team
• Provide leadership to and manage staff
• Ensure their (staff’s) performance, continuous development, and engagement, promoting a culture of working across boundaries, and integrity in accordance with the organisation’s policies, rules, procedures, and values
• Facilitate collaboration of team members on cross-cutting issues, especially those related to integration of research-related interventions with other relevant clusters and programmes
• Drive the team members’ collaboration with other clusters and programmes to ensure that research unit interventions are integrated in strategies on universal health coverage, primary health care, sexual and reproductive health, and communicable disease and non-communicable disease programmes
• Support the cluster director in communicating the achievements and results of the work of the research programme in collaboration with the communication and planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation units
• Contribute to resource mobilisation for the ARD cluster programmes, including, but not limited to, drafting proposals and proactively participating in resource mobilisation campaigns in collaboration with other technical clusters, the external partnership team and country offices
• Provide expertise and technical advice to the regional director, the cluster director and senior management in the areas of research development and in the application of evidence by countries
• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned

Requirements

• Advanced degree in a public health field or a related field
• Ph.D or additional qualification in areas related to health research or social sciences
• Ten years, minimum, of experience in research management, leadership, and capacity building and strengthening, including experience in the area of health policies and strategies
• Country work experience in Africa or other low- and middle-income countries
• Demonstrated experience in managing human and financial resources
• Experience in management and coordination of diverse groups of stakeholders in the field of health research and working at the international level
• Experience in research, generation of evidence for policymaking, and publication of scientific papers
• Experience in managing projects, policy formulation, and strategic planning for health systems
• Strong skills in the area of developing and establishing policies and strategies
• Excellent skills and ability to manage diverse teams and financial resources
• Expert knowledge of English
• Intermediate knowledge of French

To apply and for more information, click here.

Photo source: WHO