ADOLESCENT HEALTH Consultant

Background

The past decade unprecedented momentum has been building to place adolescents and youth at the centre of global, regional, and national health agendas. This does not only benefit adolescents and youth but also has far-reaching effects on adult health and the next generation. With the biggest ever adolescent population of about 1.2 billion worldwide and more than 269 million living in the African region, investment in adolescent health and well-being, and triple dividend, is in each Country’s development interest and requires actions across all government sectors and across society, with adolescents at the centre.
Since 2017, the WHO African Region has been implementing the Adolescent Health Flagship Programme to improve adolescents’ health and well-being, and to empower adolescents to make healthy decisions and choices, in line with the UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescent’s Health, and Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA) Guidance. As part of the flagship program, some progress has been made in the following areas: development and implementation of national adolescent health policies and strategies, access of adolescents and youth to quality services, provision of adolescents-friendly services, participation of adolescents in the designing, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of programs and strategic information to inform decision making. A programmatic stock-take is underway, to objectively provide evidence of achievements vis a vis intended results and best-in-class approaches that will inform WHO's strategy for scaling up the Adolescent Health programmes in the African Region.

Under the supervision of the WHO/AFRO Director for Universal Health Coverage/Life course and day-to-day guidance by the Child & Adolescent Health (CAH) Team Lead, the Adolescent Health Consultant will perform the following key responsibilities:

1. Familiarize with and manage a prioritized Adolescent Health workplan for WHO AFRO in close coordination with other clusters, teams and WHO Country Offices. This includes taking responsibility for the implementation of activities in the workplan within timelines and budget; including leading on periodic reviews and reporting
2. Develop and mobilize key internal partners around an active resource mobilization and partner engagement plan, (UN, AU, RECs, Youth-led platforms etc), in close coordination with concerned teams at WHO AFRO
3. Act as Secretariat for the inter-cluster technical working group (ITWG) on Adolescent Health; including setting the agenda, and preparing background documentation and reports; managing an up-to-date repository of knowledge products
4. Anchor the programmatic stock-take of the Adolescent Health Flagship including liaising with other clusters, teams, WHO Country Offices and contractor; ensuring timely responses including for reviews for tools and sequential reports; to meet timelines and for quality assurance. Plan and anchor dissemination of the findings in close coordination with Communications; and next steps for WHO AFRO
5. Take forward all existing WHO AFRO collaborative adolescent health projects with regional, national, civil society organizations (CSO) including adolescent youth-led, and internal stakeholders
6. Actively contribute to the conceptualization of relatively newer areas of work e.g., adolescent mental health, in close coordination with concerned teams
7. Undertake a rapid capacity assessment of member states needs with respect to adolescent health programming in close coordination with regional stakeholders; and propose a plan to address the needs
8. Act as technical focal point in the organization and execution of the high-level ministerial meeting of the West and Central Africa (WCA) Commitment for Educated, Healthy, and Thriving Adolescents and Young People and follow up.

Deliverables

1. A re-prioritized Adolescent Health workplan for the duration of the Consultancy; with clear benchmarks
2. Succinct bi-monthly progress reports against the workplan, including as detailed in the key responsibilities; as appropriate linking to more detailed progress reports (e.g., for the programmatic stock-take of the AH flagship; reports for individual projects, etc.)
3. A partner engagement and resource mobilization strategy
4. Capacity Needs assessment Adolescent Health and Plan for WHO AFRO.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

Masters’ level university degree in Medicine, Public Health, Epidemiology, Community Health, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Demography and Population Health, or any other equivalent relevant discipline.

Desirable:

Any additional formal qualifications in Adolescent Medicine

Experience:

Essential:

At least 7 years’ experience in public health, research, epidemiology, health systems management, health systems research, monitoring and evaluation, or related field.

Desirable:

Any prior experience designing and managing adolescent health programmes; research in adolescent health; practical application of technological platforms for public health; Prior experience of working with WHO or other UN Agencies in RMNCAH programing.

Skills/Knowledge: Excellent knowledge of MS Office applications and computer skills including the ability to make high quality technical presentations and data analysis.

Languages:
Expert knowledge of French or English and a working knowledge of the other.

Location:
On site: WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Remuneration
Monthly rate at Upper Band level B (P4) according to the WHO pay band ranges scale for consultants (8,500 USD per month).

Duration of consultancy

Four (4) 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.