Technical Officer (Medicines and Health Products Policies and Standards)

The Technical Officer supports WHO leadership in developing and implementing policies and standards to improve access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable medicines and health products. The role involves coordination, policy analysis, project management, and stakeholder engagement to promote equitable access and strengthen health product governance.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and executive support to HPS leadership and WHO senior management through preparation of policy briefs, normative guidance, technical documents, talking points and analytical materials on priority cross-cutting issues related to access to health products, including governance of the pharmaceutical ecosystem.
• Coordinate the development, revision and implementation of departmental strategic framework and organization-wide strategic documents, including research, analysis, and collation of inputs to ensure technically sound, coherent and aligned outputs with WHO priorities.
• Take a lead role in coordination and communication across the three levels of WHO, monitor key developments related to access to health products and support inputs into organizational strategies and plans.
• Analyze and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the workflow of the department's initiatives and policies and recommend adaptations or new approaches as required.
• Facilitate the management of projects, consultations and working groups involving WHO technical units, regional and country offices and external partners, including planning, timelines, deliverables and documentation of outcomes.
• Support WHO governance and institutional processes related to engagement with non-State actors, including coordination of FENSA-related activities and provision of technical support to staff.
• Serve as a point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, responding to queries and facilitating coordination across the Organization to promote policy coherence, effective governance practices and coordinated actions.
• Keep abreast of developments in access to medicines and health products and contribute to informed decision-making; respond to complex and non-routine requests by collecting, analyzing and synthesizing information and coordinating inputs.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of departmental objectives.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (master's level) in business administration, management, pharmacy, medicine, biomedical engineering or closely related field.
• A minimum of seven years professional experience working in development of policies and strategies and/or project management as related to access to medicines and other health products.
• Experience in managing complex projects and working with a range of stakeholders.
• Experience with WHO or another organization of the UN system.
• International exposure in areas directly relevant to the position.
• Experience in supporting management decision-making or providing support to management on access to medicines and other health products (desirable).
• Understanding of WHO policies, the UN system and general managerial practices.
• Up-to-date knowledge in the fields of access to medicines and other health products throughout the value chain.
• High level skills in organization, effective oral and written communication including drafting and editing concise reports.
• Skills in working independently and in coordinating and managing complex schedules and multiple projects.
• Capacity to exercise sound judgment and discretion.
• Ability to anticipate risk/problems and take preventive or remedial action as required.
• Concrete skills working independently in multi-tasking situations and in the coordination of large-scale meetings; strong skills in project management and developing presentations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Personal attributes include integrity, tact and discretion.
• High level of judgement, responsibility and initiative.
• Expert knowledge of English; intermediate knowledge of French and an intermediate knowledge of a UN language (desirable).

Skills

• Policy Development
• Strategy Development
• Project Management
• Access to Medicines
• Health Products Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• WHO Policies
• UN System Knowledge
• Organizational Skills
• Report Writing
• Oral Communication
• Editing Reports
• Risk Management
• Meeting Coordination
• Presentation Development
• Multi-tasking Skills
• Decision Support
• International Exposure
• Pharmacy Knowledge
• Biomedical Engineering

Languages

English, French