Team Lead, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Knowledge Hub

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The UHC Knowledge Hub aims to strengthen health financing in support of UHC by supporting efforts to secure adequate fiscal space for health, and to improve the efficiency, equity, and effectiveness of health system financing. It will support senior officials from Ministries of Health and Finance in LICs and MICs. Related thereto is the overall mission of WHO's global work on health financing and economics, which is to foster the development of equitable, efficient and sustainable forms of health system financing and organization. This will be achieved through capacity strengthening and policy advisory support to countries in concert with WHO Regional and Country Offices and partner agencies, the generation of relevant analysis and evidence, as well as guidance on systematic approaches to support national health financing policy development processes, implementation, policy analysis, and appropriate capacity building. The WHO Health Financing and Economics teams are charged, inter alia, with promoting conceptual clarity on health financing issues, developing and disseminating evidence on the implications of different health system financing mechanisms in different contexts, capacity strengthening activities to promote national ownership and leadership, and providing policy support on national health financing policy development oriented to Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It does so by working closely with regional focal points in health financing, intercountry offices where they exist, and country office health financing and health system specialists.
 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The successful candidate will, under the broad guidance and supervision of the Director, Performance, Financing and Delivery to:

1. Provide technical leadership and managerial support, ensuring efficient delivery of the UHC Knowledge Hub's workplan and related activities in alignment with departmental and organizational objectives.
2. Co-coordinate and co-lead the UHC Knowledge Hub and collaborate closely with the World Bank and the Government of Japan, as well with other internal and external partners to implement its strategic objectives.
3. Organize and lead capacity building activities on health financing policy and public financial management, including the development of relevant training materials in collaboration with the WHO Geneva-based health financing and economics teams. 
4. Lead and co-organize high-level fora and events with senior officials of country ministries and other stakeholders to foster engagement and knowledge exchange.
5. Develop and propose technical health financing policies and strategies for implementation, providing authoritative advice to member states and supporting the advancement of analytic frameworks for health financing systems.
6. Lead the collation, analysis, and dissemination of country experiences and evidence, supporting the development of evaluation tools and approaches for health financing performance and economic analysis.
7. Represent WHO and the UHC Knowledge Hub on health financing policy, public financial management, and economics with high-level officials, international agencies, and in technical meetings within the UN system.
8. Manage and monitor programme performance, including oversight of financial resources, team leadership, and reporting on key performance indicators to optimize deliverables.
9. Develop, adapt, and provide technical approaches and models of good practice to member states, and lead the production of policy briefs, discussion papers, and other publications on specific topics.
10. Liaise with and utilize partnerships with UN agencies, donors, and research institutions to position the UHC Knowledge Hub's work within global and national policies.
11. Oversee and manage the financial and human resources of the hub.
12. Perform other related duties as assigned.
     

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced university degree in economics, health economics, health policy, public health, medicines or social sciences, with a concentration in health financing or health policy.
Desirable: A PhD in economics, health economics, health policy or social sciences - extensive knowledge also at the academic level of health systems analysis, with concentration on health financing
 

Experience

Essential: A minimum of 10 years of experience with low and/or middle-income countries of coordinating task teams, undertaking health finance policy analysis, policy advisory work, facilitating policy discussions, and capacity building activities in the area of health financing. Demonstrated experience in organising, designing, and facilitating capacity strengthening activities, high-level fora, meetings, conferences, and workshops on health financing policy and public financial management at national and international levels. Demonstrated experience engaging in policy dialogue on health financing with senior health policy makers.
Desirable: Experience working in UN/international agencies, and experience of working with other agencies active in health financing.
 

Skills

• Proven ability to coordinate task teams and lead inter-agency collaborations, developing and promoting effective partnerships with international and national counterparts as part of interdisciplinary, multicultural teams.
• Proven skills to lead the organization of large capacity strengthening evens and high-level fora and meetings with senior officials.
• Up-to-date knowledge of established approaches to health financing across diverse settings(low-, middle-, and high-income countries), with the ability to translate complex concepts into accessible language for non-specialists.
• Proven skills in conducting health financing system reviews, public financial management analysis, and gathering evidence on effective practices to advance progress towards UHC.
• Excellent communication and language skills, evidenced by presentations at national and international conferences and workshops, and a strong record of high-quality technical writing and publications.
• Tact, diplomacy, and the ability to motivate and work harmoniously with partners from diverse cultural backgrounds.
   

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of Japanese.

 

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 103,165 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 4264 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Staff members who have been separated as a result of the 2025 Prioritization and Realignment Process will be given special consideration.

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

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an 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.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. WHO recruits and employs staff 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.

• WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. 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.

• Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.

• 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 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 final candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to a fixed-term position in the International Professional category (Grades P1-D2) are eligible for Geographical Mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• 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 shws@who.int.

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

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• In case the website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click this link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates