Lead Biomedical Engineer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

The East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), headquartered in Bangkok, supports UNOPS operations across 24 countries in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and the Pacific. Established in January 2023, EAPMCO provides strategic direction, operational support, and quality assurance to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of projects across its portfolio. EAPMCO implements initiatives in priority areas such as energy transition, climate change, and sustainable development, drawing on UNOPS' core expertise in human resources, procurement, infrastructure, fund management, and programme management.

UNOPS has supported Papua New Guinea (PNG) since 2016, initially partnering with the Global Fund to strengthen public health services. In 2020, a dedicated country office was established to manage UNOPS’ growing portfolio, which spans infrastructure, procurement, and project management. UNOPS currently works with the Government of PNG, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand on initiatives in health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and sustainable energy, supporting the country’s development priorities through tailored, results-driven solutions.

Organizational Context

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

UNOPS in Papua New Guinea

The EAPMCO Papua New Guinea was established in early 2020 to support the implementation of design and construction of infrastructure, sustainable procurement, capacity development to support technical and governance excellence, programme management, and to facilitate access to funding sources in Papua New Guinea.  

As an established office since 2022, EAPMCO PNG is demonstrating significant growth and portfolio diversification potential in a short period of time. Working with an increasing number of development partners, in 2023 EAPMCO PNG is quickly being recognised as a responsive and quality partner in climate change resilient infrastructure, sustainable procurement and governance support to the Government of PNG in its service delivery obligations to the people. There are a number of projects currently in the pipeline which will expand the portfolio of existing projects for the office.

Background Information – Impact Health Phase 2

The “Improving Access to and Value from Health Services in PNG: Financing the Frontlines Project” (IMPACT Health Project) aims to address critical challenges in Papua New Guinea (PNG), including the lack of key infrastructure, medical instruments, and supplies necessary for effective health service delivery.

The objective of the IMPACT Health Project is to increase the utilization of quality essential health services in the supported provinces: East New Britain, East Sepik, Central, and Chimbu. The government, through this initiative, plans to upgrade primary health care facilities by conducting comprehensive needs assessments and setting priorities for rehabilitation and equipment upgrades. Additionally, the IMPACT Health Project will strengthen the assessment and supervision of health facilities by implementing an integrated facility supportive supervision checklist.

This engagement contributes to Component 1 - Increase service delivery readiness and community-based service delivery, and Component 2 - Improve frontline service delivery performance of the IMPACT Health Project. The components of the scope of work of the engagement includes but not limited to:  

A. Facility Audit: Conduct a Health Facility Audit (HFA) using pre-approved audit tools from the Facilities Service Branch for Level 2 to Level 4 facilities in three (03) provinces: Central, Chimbu and East Sepik.

B. Costed and Prioritized Investment Plan: Identify essential equipment (both medical and non-medical) that can be provided to all facilities, including those owned by the government and non-government entities, to enhance service delivery. The second priority is to identify infrastructure improvements, particularly the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, in the three provinces of Central, Chimbu and East Sepik. The list of priority interventions will be defined in alignment with the available budgetary envelope for this component. 

C. Rehabilitation: Carry out rehabilitation efforts in up to four (04) priority facilities per province for the four provinces. There will be detailed engineering design and tender document preparation for the rehabilitation works.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Lead Biomedical Engineer plays a vital role in providing technical expertise in conducting biomedical equipment audits, condition assessments and equipment gap analyses under IMPACT Health Phase 2. The Lead Biomedical Engineer will assess the availability, functionality, safety and maintenance condition of existing medical equipment in health facilities, conduct inventory of the available equipment and recommend appropriate repair, replacement or procurement interventions.

The role will also support the health facility audit report and investment priorities, ensuring that proposed equipment is appropriate for the clinical services, existing infrastructure, operational capacity and maintenance conditions of remote health facilities in Papua New Guinea.

The incumbent provides technical expertise, promoting best practices in construction management and ensuring high standards of consistency and quality in project outputs. Through these responsibilities, the Lead Biomedical Engineer contributes to the achievement of organizational performance goals and overall project success.

1. Project Planning and Implementation

• Support the planning and implementation of Health Facility Audits, biomedical equipment inventories, condition assessments and equipment gap analyses.
• Conduct physical assessments of existing biomedical equipment to evaluate its availability, condition, functionality, safety and suitability for intended clinical services.
• Develop and maintain an accurate inventory of biomedical equipment, using the health facility audit digital platform.
• Assess existing biomedical equipment against the approved essential equipment lists for Level 2, 3 and 4 health facilities and identify gaps affecting the delivery of essential healthcare services.
• Identify equipment requiring maintenance, calibration, repair, replacement or procurement based on technical condition, clinical requirements and available resources.
• Evaluate the suitability of existing equipment in relation to available electrical power, water supply, environmental conditions and other supporting infrastructure.
• Provide technical inputs into the preparation of health facility audit report and investment prioritization.
• Recommend appropriate biomedical equipment solutions considering clinical functionality, reliability, maintainability, availability of spare parts and suitability for remote health facilities.

2. Quality Assurance and Technical Assessment

• Conduct biomedical equipment assessments using approved Health Facility Audit tools, equipment inventory templates and standardized assessment methodologies.
• Verify the accuracy, completeness and consistency of equipment inventory records, condition ratings, photographic documentation and technical findings.
• Assess equipment functionality, physical condition, electrical safety, maintenance history and calibration status, where applicable and within the approved assessment methodology.
• Evaluate the adequacy of existing equipment for essential clinical services, including maternity care, emergency care, laboratory services, sterilization and other services relevant to the facility level.
• Assess the compatibility of proposed biomedical equipment with existing infrastructure, including electrical supply, water availability, space, ventilation and environmental conditions.
• Ensure that recommendations are technically justified, cost-effective and appropriate for long-term operation and maintenance.

3. Monitoring, Reporting and Compliance

• Monitor the progress and completeness of biomedical equipment audits and condition assessments against approved work plans and schedules.
• Prepare biomedical equipment assessment reports, inventory registers, equipment gap analyses and recommendations for repair, replacement or procurement.
• Document equipment deficiencies, operational risks, maintenance requirements and infrastructure constraints that may affect equipment functionality.
• Provide technical inputs to Health Facility Audit reports and, Priority Investment Plans.
• Support the prioritization of equipment requirements based on clinical importance, patient safety, existing equipment condition and available project funding.
• Ensure that assessments and equipment recommendations align with applicable NDoH requirements, UNOPS procedures and relevant international biomedical equipment standards.
• Identify risks associated with equipment availability, reliability, maintenance capacity and operational sustainability and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Maintain accurate equipment assessment records and ensure timely submission of technical reports and supporting documentation.

4. Stakeholder Coordination

• Coordinate with the Project Manager,  Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) and health facility management to facilitate biomedical equipment assessments.
• Consult with healthcare personnel to understand equipment availability, utilization, operational challenges and clinical service requirements.
• Collaborate with MEP, civil and architectural engineering personnel to identify infrastructure requirements associated with existing and proposed biomedical equipment.
• Coordinate with relevant clinical and technical specialists to validate equipment requirements and proposed procurement priorities.
• Participate in technical consultations and stakeholder meetings to present equipment assessment findings, identified gaps and recommended interventions.
• Provide technical advice to the Project Manager and relevant stakeholders on biomedical equipment suitability, procurement requirements and operational sustainability.
• Represent UNOPS in field assessments and technical meetings as directed and authorized.

5. Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support capacity-building activities for PHAs and health facility personnel on biomedical equipment inventory management, condition assessment and preventive maintenance principles.
• Contribute to the improvement and standardization of biomedical equipment assessment methodologies, inventory templates and essential equipment lists.
• Share technical knowledge and lessons learned from equipment assessments to improve equipment planning, procurement and asset management.
• Promote appropriate approaches to equipment maintenance, calibration, safe operation and life-cycle management in remote health facilities.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing technical guidance and recommendations for continuous improvement.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Medical Engineering or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• Relevant professional certification or training in biomedical equipment management, maintenance, safety assessment or healthcare technology management is desirable.

• Professional engineering registration or membership in a recognized biomedical or clinical engineering association is an advantage.

Required

• Relevant experience is in assessing biomedical equipment used in primary or secondary healthcare facilities, including equipment supporting maternity, emergency, laboratory, sterilization and general clinical services.

• At least 3 years of demonstrated experience in biomedical equipment inspection, inventory management, condition assessment, maintenance evaluation or technical auditing within healthcare facilities

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.

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