Consultant – Health Policy and Systems Research (HSR)

Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical and facilitation support to the Alliance Secretariat in undertaking a health policy and systems research programme on the role of digital interventions in health systems in low- and middle-income countries.

Background

The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR) (http://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/en/), in collaboration with the WHO Department of Digital Health and Innovations is supporting a series of 10 research teams to better understand the role of digital interventions (DIs) in strengthening health systems in LMICs (with a focus on data solutions for PHC managers).

The global technological revolution has heralded rapid growth in the development of DIs on health in the past two decades. At the 71st World Health Assembly, WHO Member States endorsed a resolution on digital health that states that governments must recognize the importance of DIs for facilitating health systems strengthening and achieving UHC. However, the adoption and implementation of DIs that purport to strengthen health systems is often unsystematic, and governments have found it challenging to assess, scale up and integrate such solutions effectively. This problem has several potential implications for health systems, including the ineffectiveness of DIs due to lack of alignment with existing health systems, the diversion of resources and attention towards DIs and away from other pressing priorities, and ethical concerns ranging from exacerbation of inequities to hazards to data privacy and safety.

This programme will support the generation of coherent HPSR knowledge on the role of digital data solutions for PHC managers in complex health systems in LMICs, stimulate learning and action among policy and decision-makers at local and country level, and disseminate the knowledge broadly to inform strategies for the integration of DIs in health systems in different LMIC contexts.

Deliverables:

1. Organizing and facilitating, along with the AHPSR secretariat, a framework harmonization workshop for selected teams. The aim of the workshop will be to develop collective agreement on which core themes and questions will be addressed in each of the research proposals. A framework will be developed in which common questions to be addressed across all research protocols will be identified, context specific questions that are unique to particular contexts will be enlisted, and standards for direct and analytic generalizability of findings will be established.
2. Contributing to the development and application of the conceptual framework for the research, providing in depth feedback to the research teams, supporting grantees to develop a draft protocol and research plan with timelines for each study, supporting the research teams in finalising their research protocols and data collection instruments, monitoring and providing remote technical support to the grantees in the conduct of the research.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages.

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in public health, health policy, or health systems.

Desirable:

• A doctorate in public health, health policy, or health systems.

Experience

Essential:

• Over ten years of relevant experience in global health research, including experience in the field of health policy and systems research with relevance to low- and middle-income countries.
• Track record of scientific articles relevant to the field of health policy and systems research, including in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in capacity building and mentoring in the field of health policy and systems research, and in organizing international research workshops and meetings.
• Experience in advancing and developing health policy and systems research, with a minimum of 10 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated experience at the international level.

Desirable:

• Experience in the field of digital health and health systems.
• Peer reviewed publications on digital health and health systems.

Skills

Essential:

• Ability to develop and advance methods in health policy and systems research.
• Good conceptual and practical understanding of health systems frameworks and their applicability to LMICs.
• Organizational abilities including in the planning and execution of research workshops.
• Ability to guide and mentoring HPSR research teams and consortia, across diverse settings globally.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off-site - Home based.

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level C-USD 550 – 625 per day.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

11 months (27.5 days during the period of 11 months).

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• 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.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html