Chief of Health, P-5, New Delhi, India, Post Number 8849

The Chief, Health reports to the Representative or Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction. The Chief is responsible for managing and leading all stages of health programmes/projects (e.g gender, maternal, neonatal, child survival, emergency preparedness) from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of results. S/he leads and manages the health team including establishing plans of action to achieve concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance, and accountability framework, and does so in consultation with the Regional Health Adviser.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children.

Across 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world. And we never give up! 

UNICEF has recently become the first United Nations agency to be awarded the EDGE certification – the leading global standard for gender equality in the workplace. UNICEF’s commitment to EDGE reaffirms our pledge to gender equality and inclusion all UNICEF staff worldwide.

 This certification recognizes UNICEF’s commitment to achieving significant milestones in gender equality for all its staff, including strong gender balance at all levels of the organization, pay equity, a solid framework of policies and practices, and an inclusive workplace culture.

“UNICEF’s most important asset is our staff — all of our staff. Gender diversity and equal opportunities for men and women is not only a matter of rights. It makes us more effective as an organization.” Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

For more information on UNICEF EDGE Certification, kindly view the video here.

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For Every Child, AN ADVOCATE:

In an effort to measurably improve UNICEF's ability to deliver better results for children, there is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. 

Organizational Context: 

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context:

The Chief, Health GJP is to be used in a large Country Office (CO) where the Representative is at the D2/D1 level and the Health Programme is a component of the Country Programme (or UNDAF).

Purpose for the job:

The Chief, Health reports to the Representative or Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction. The Chief is responsible for managing and leading all stages of health programmes/projects (e.g gender, maternal, neonatal, child survival, emergency preparedness) from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of results. S/he leads and manages the health team including establishing plans of action to achieve concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance, and accountability framework, and does so in consultation with the Regional Health Adviser.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:  

• Managerial leadership
• Programme development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results
• Advisory services and technical support
• Advocacy, networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building 

Managerial leadership: 

• Establish the section’s annual work plan with the health team, and set priorities and targets. Monitor work progress and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Establish clear individual performance objectives, goals and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable the team to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently. Plan and ensure timely performance management and assessment of the team.
• Supervise team members by providing them with clear objectives, goals, direction, and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently. 

Programme development and planning:

• Lead the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis to establish a comprehensive and updated strategic plan for development, design and management of health related programmes. Keep abreast of national, regional and global development trends and priorities to determine the strategies, approaches and priorities for programming to address the country’s health needs.
• Lead, coordinate and supervise the development of health programmes (as a component of the CO and/or UNDAF programmes) and establish plans of action, programme goals and results using results-based planning methodology and terminology (RBM).
• Oversee the timely preparation of the health programme recommendation and related documentation for inclusion in the Country Office Programme recommendation ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Consult and collaborate with colleagues and partners to provide technical guidance and operational support on programme planning, management and implementation, and to ensure synergy, integration, coherence, and harmonization of programme/project initiatives with UNICEF Strategic Plans and priorities. 

Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results:

• Coordinate, plan and/or collaborate with monitoring and evaluation initiatives to establish benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results in health programmes.
• Participate in major monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sector reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management ; identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Monitor programmes/projects to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution. 
• Plan, approve, monitor, and control the use of programme resources (financial, human, administrative and other assets) certifying/verifying compliance with organizational rules, regulations and procedures, donor commitments and standards of accountability and integrity. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
• Submit programme/project reports to donors and other partners to keep them informed on programme progress and critical issues.

 Advisory services and technical support: 

• Advise key government officials, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners on policies, strategies and best practices and approaches on health and related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation, and delivery of results.
• Participate in strategic discussions to influence policy discussions and agenda setting to promote health and development issues especially in the areas of gender, emergency preparedness, maternal, neonatal and child survival and development.

 Advocacy, networking and partnership building: 

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with health sector government counterparts, national stakeholders and global partners, allies, donors, and academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication of UNICEF’s mission, goals, programmes, and resource mobilizations needs.
• Develop communication strategies as well as implementation plans and activities for maximum communication impact and outreach to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for UNICEF and Country Office health programmes (maternal, neonatal and child survival).
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in inter-agency (UNCT) discussions and planning on health-related issues to ensure organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF process in development planning and agenda setting. Collaborate with inter-agency partners and colleagues in UNDAF planning and preparation of health programmes/projects. 

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches and good practices for sustainable health programmes/projects initiatives.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting edge practices in the health management and information systems. Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Lead and/or develop policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Lead, plan and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health related programmes/projects.

Impact of Results:

The strategic and effective planning and formulation of health programmes/projects and the achievement of sustainable results, directly impact the improvement of the health of the most marginalized and vulnerable women and children in the country, and this in turn contributes to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide programme services to protect the rights of children and promote greater social equality to enable children to survive, develop and reach their full potential in society. 

Competencies and level of proficiency required:

Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies:

• Communication (III)
• Working with people (III)
• Drive for results (III) 

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and supervising (III)
• Formulating strategies/concepts (III)
• Analyzing (III)
• Relating and networking (III)
• Deciding and initiating action (III)
• Persuading and influencing (III) 

Qualifications:

Education:

A medical or advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology or another relevant technical field. 

Experience:

• A minimum of ten years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas, at the international level, is required: public health planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health emergency/humanitarian preparedness.  
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all national, religious, gender and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

 Remarks:  

• Selected applicant will have an initial two (2) year fixed-term contract, with possibility of extension, subject to satisfactory performance.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNICEF does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process including application, interview, meeting, traveling, processing, training etc. UNICEF is a nonsmoking working environment.     

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