NCD Project Analyst

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life, as envisaged by 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are on the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners that can bring about results.

UNDP Turkmenistan has an expanding health programme that includes projects funded by the Global Fund, by the World bank, and by the Government of Turkmenistan (GoT). Since 2016, the GoT provided more than $67 million funding for health projects implemented by UNDP. At present the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan (MoHMI) signed a 2-year project for control of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in 2023-2024. This is the 2nd NCD project for UNDP, the first such project has been implemented since 2020 with very good results (delivery of quality assured essential medicines and overall strengthening of health system). The 2nd project will build on and continue the results of the previous projects, to improve the capacities of the national health system to control NCDs. 

UNDP Turkmenistan is seeking the NCD Project Analyst to provide overall leadership and country level technical support to the NCD project, ensure institutional capacity development and health system strengthening for NCD and wider health system issues. 

Overall project implementation and project design:

• Stay abreast of the newest approaches and international recommendations for NCD control, including on gender mainstreaming for NCDs, and provide technical advice to the project on those international standards and innovations in Turkmenistan.
• Adopt evidence-based policies,  guidelines, implement multisectoral action plans and policies to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases, promote healthy settings, address social determinants of health.
• Provide technical advice to the Ministry of Health and other institutions of the national and sub-regional health system for the prevention and control of NCDs and health system strengthening. 
• Collaborate with the WHO on implementation of the WHO’s technical assistance for NCD.
• Support implementation of the NCD project by providing technical advice on the medicines and other health products to be procured, including consultations with the UNDP Procurement Support Unit (PSU) and Health Implementation Support Team (HIST), quality assurance experts and others.
• Provide inputs to technical narratives, proposals, workplans, and any program reports as required by UNDP and the Government of Turkmenistan.
• Contribute to development of ToR and coordination of the work with international and national consultants engaged in the project.
• Collaborate in the development of digital information system and public health surveillance for noncommunicable diseases, using as appropriate international tools.
• Supervision of regular data collection and analysis, including gender-disaggregated data on NCDs. 
• Contribute to the UNDP publications for outreach via the mass media, events, and other means to disseminate the aims and the results of the project.
• Support during the project evaluations.
• Assist in planning and monitoring uninterrupted availability of NCD medicines and strengthening of overall drug procurement and supply chain systems.
• Conduct supportive supervision visits to health facilities of Turkmenistan and monitor program implementation to improve the quality NCD services, including gender-sensitive services and services for disabilities.
• Contribute to advocacy and effective communication with key stakeholders and partners for accelerating progress on prevention and control of NCDs.

Building national capacities on NCDs:

• Cooperate in the development and strengthening of human resources, relating to NCD prevention and control, especially in epidemiology, research methodologies, prevention and control programs for noncommunicable diseases, and cooperating in continuing education. 
• Conduct technical NCD training and ongoing technical coaching for the Health Programme team and the national counterparts.
• Support the establishment and/ or strengthening of country program NCD capacity needs assessment and capacity building plans to strengthen national capacities to adequately respond to the burden of NCDs. 
• Disseminate appropriate and relevant scientific, technical, and policy information, sharing experiences of successful practices from other countries in integrated prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. 
• Support documentation of lessons learned and sharing of best practices from the current project and other NCD programmes, and translation of lesson learnt into policy and practice at national level.
• Represent the project on the NCDs and health related forums and working groups.

Building partnerships:

• Define and support development of relevant networks, alliances, and multi-stakeholder partnerships needed to successfully address the problem of NCDs, risk factors and determinants in Turkmenistan.
• Promote and facilitate collaboration between the Ministry of Health, academic institutions, other sectors of government, civil society, international organizations and private sector organizations to strengthen national and sub-regional capacities to implement and evaluate non-communicable diseases prevention and control programs.
• Contribute to health-related resource mobilization at the country office level.

Institutional Arrangement

The NCD project is integrated into the Health portfolio of UNDP country office. The portfolio has active projects funded by the Government of Turkmenistan, The Global Fund, World Bank, with total budget of more than $155 mln for the period of 2021-2024. 

The UNDP will hire a dedicated project implementation unit including Project Manager, NCD Project Analyst, finance, procurement, admin &logistics staff, monitoring and evaluation, communications and gender specialists, customs clerk. The project will engage national and international consultants to provide focused technical assistance to the project as needed. The NCD project team is supervised by UNDP Health Programme Specialist.

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

• Business Development - Knowledge Generation
  • Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Business Development - Knowledge Facilitation 
  • Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally
• Business Management - Communication
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
• 2030 Agenda: People - Health
  • Diagnostic capacity and procurement of laboratory equipment, consumables and reagents
• 2030 Agenda: People - Health
  • Procurement services of health products
• 2030 Agenda: People - Health
  • Universal Health coverage, including NCDs
• 2030 Agenda: People - Health
  • Surge capacity and health infrastructure including deployment of digital solutions

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling the web-based management systems is a strong asset.