Specialist - Health Worker Career Pathways
Dhaka
- Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
- Location: Dhaka
- Grade: LICA 10
-
Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Human Resources
- Closing Date: 2025-12-01
General Information
Job Highlight
About the Country/Multi-Country Office
Since 1972 WHO has been a key partner of the Government of Bangladesh and provided technical advice and support for the development and improvement of the health of the country’s population.
The organization has been supporting the Government, and working in collaboration with other partners, for the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all. It has been providing support for the development and strengthening of the country’s public health systems. Currently WHO support is guided by a broad framework known as the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) for 2014-2017.
Job Specific Context
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is implementing a range of reform measures to strengthen the resilience, efficiency, and equity of the health system in line with the recommendations of the Health Reform Commission (2025). These reforms aim to align Bangladesh's health system with the principles of equity, participation, and accountability, ensuring that health is realized as both a constitutional right and a public good. In this regard, the Ministry has prepared a comprehensive proposal titled "Health Sector Transformation in Bangladesh", outlining the strategic priorities, implementation modalities, and expected outcomes of the reform agenda. The proposal emphasizes eight key strategic area,s including governance and institutional reform, primary healthcare restructuring, workforce planning, financial sustainability, digital transformation, medicine regulation, documentation of transition strategies, and stakeholder communication. The Ministry seeks the technical and strategic partnership of the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the implementation of these reform initiatives.
A well-structured and transparent career pathway is critical for improving motivation, retention, and performance of the health workforce. In Bangladesh, the health workforce comprises various cadres, including doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, technologists, and public health professionals who play vital roles in service delivery. However, limited opportunities for career advancement, unclear promotion criteria, and lack of standardized progression frameworks have been identified as major factors contributing to job dissatisfaction and attrition, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
To address these challenges, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), intends to develop career pathways for key health worker cadres. These pathways will outline structured progression routes, competency requirements, promotion criteria, and professional development options aligned with national HRH policies and global best practices.
Role Purpose
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to the MOHFW and relevant stakeholders in designing career pathways for the key health workers under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), such as medical doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists.
This ICT assignment will complement the work of the health systems consultant responsible for policy and content development, by providing the technical architecture, software development, and integration necessary for implementing a fully digitalized solution.
Objectives of the Assignment
Examine existing HR policies, regulations, and practices related to the career progression of key health worker cadres.
Determine gaps, challenges, and opportunities in current career structures.
Develop career pathway frameworks for selected cadres (e.g., medical doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists).
Define competencies, qualifications, and experience requirements for each level in the pathway.
Provide recommendations for the integration of career pathways into national HRH strategies and systems.
Functions / Key Results Expected
The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Carry out a desk review of relevant documents, including HRH policies, service rules, job descriptions, and international best practices on health workforce career pathways.
Consult key stakeholders (MOHFW, DGHS, DGFP, BNMC, relevant professional councils, academia, and development partners) to gather inputs.
Assess current career progression mechanisms and identify bottlenecks affecting motivation, retention, and performance.
Develop draft career pathway frameworks for identified cadres, detailing:
Levels and positions
Core competencies and required qualifications
Professional development and training requirements
Promotion and progression criteria
Lateral movement and specialization options
Facilitate validation workshops with stakeholders to refine and finalize the frameworks.
Prepare a final report including the frameworks, policy recommendations, and implementation roadmap.
Expected Deliverables: | |||
S.No. |
Activities |
Deliverables |
Timeline |
1 |
Inception and Desk Review Phase – Conduct an inception meeting, finalize the methodology and work plan, and carry out a comprehensive desk review of the existing HRH structure, policies, and relevant frameworks. |
Inception Report and Desk Review – Comprehensive assessment of the current HRH situation, policy landscape, and existing professional development systems. |
Day 1–10 |
2 |
Development of Draft Career Pathways Framework – Design an initial framework outlining potential career pathways, progression mechanisms, and competency-based promotion criteria for selected cadres. |
Draft Career Pathways Framework – Initial draft document for selected cadres, highlighting structure, progression ladders, and linkage with HR policies. |
Day 11–25 |
3 |
Stakeholder Consultations and Validation Workshops – Conduct consultation meetings with MoHFW, HR units, and development partners to review, validate, and refine the draft framework. |
Stakeholder Consultation and Validation Workshop Report – Summary of key feedback, stakeholder inputs, and revisions incorporated into the draft framework. |
Day 26–35 |
4 |
Finalization and Submission – Integrate validated feedback, develop recommendations, and prepare the final report with a clear implementation roadmap and action plan for phased adoption. |
Final Report – Final draft of the HRH Career Pathways Framework, including recommendations, phased implementation roadmap, and resource plan. |
Day 36–50 |
Skills
Competencies
Education Requirements
Required
Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Public Health, Health Economics, Human Resource Management, or related discipline.
Experience Requirements
Required
Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in health workforce career planning, HRH policy, or health systems strengthening.
Proven experience in conducting HRH policy and strategy, or strategic planning.
Familiarity with national health policies, HR information systems, and global HRH frameworks (e.g., WHO NHWA, Workload Indicators).
Proficiency in workforce modeling tools and data analysis software is required
Desired
Experience working with government health institutions and development partners is desirable.
Language Requirements
| Language | Proficiency Level | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fluent | Required |
| Bengali | Fluent | Required |
Additional Information
- Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
- Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
- Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
- UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
- Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
- We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.
Terms and Conditions
- For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
- For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
- For more details about the contract types, please click here.
- All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
- It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.