Senior Programme Officer, Multiple positions

The Defeat-NCD Partnership

The Defeat-NCD Partnership was established in January 2018 to help tackle the most significant global health problem of the age: premature death, sickness, disability, and the associated social and economic impacts of selected non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These are projected to cost tens of billions of dollars with the most adverse consequences falling upon the poorer countries and communities.

The Defeat-NCD Partnership is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and forms part of its growing portfolio of global health related Partnerships such as Stop TB, Roll Back Malaria, Scaling up Nutrition, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council. Overall, UNOPS health-related work totaled some US$430 million in 2017 and it is the biggest sector we work in.

Our vision is that of a world in which there is universal health coverage for NCDs. This is a direct contribution to the transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to which all nations subscribe.

Our mission is to enable and assist the approximately 100 lower-income and lesser-developed countries to scale-up sustained action against NCDs so that they can progress SDG 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages and, more specifically, to achieve target 3.4 to reduce, by one-third, premature mortality from NCDs by 2030.  Our initial focus is on diabetes and hypertension with expansion to other NCDs in due course probably starting with the early detection and treatment of cervical and breast cancer.

Defeat-NCD is a ‘public-private-people’ Partnership that is an autonomous inclusive programme of the United Nations system. Our membership and governance include governments, multilateral agencies, civil society, academia, philanthropic foundations, and the business sector.  We subscribe to the ethical principles of the United Nations Global Compact. We follow the technical norms and guidance issued by the World Health Organization. Our operating procedures derive from United Nations rules but are designed to be fast and responsive. We work in a complementary and coordinated way with other health and development actors at all levels.

The secretariat of the Defeat-NCD Partnership is hosted by UNOPS in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Senior Programme Officer will work as part of the Programmes Team of The Defeat-NCD Partnership S/he will be a dynamic and highly motivated professional with public health programming experience. S/he will be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring the country-based strategies and activities of The Defeat-NCD Partnership, as well as contribute to global knowledge-sharing. S/he will interact at country, regional, and global levels with a wide range of people within and outside the United Nations system, across member states and civil society and the business community as well as with the many other stakeholders in The Defeat-NCD Partnership. The position requires good technical and programming design judgement, excellent interpersonal diplomatic skills, problem solving capability, advocacy and an aptitude for partnership development. This should be underpinned with an analytical mind, clear writing skills and ability to distill strategic debates and options.

The Senior Programme Officer will work in close collaboration with other members of the Programmes and Operations teams, and external stakeholders and partners to ensure scaling-up of the action against NCDs at country level, and the distilling and sharing of knowledge and experience at the global level.

The Senior Programme Officer’s responsibilities will include the following:

• Act as the first/focal point of contact for the country programmes in the incumbent’s portfolio
• Conduct country assessments and formulate the Partnership’s country assistance strategies, in relation to countries included in the incumbent’s portfolio
• Identify specific country projects and activities for Partnership support
• Develop and sustain in-country and international ‘public-private-people’ partnerships with resource mobilisation in support of country programmes
• Provide technical advice and assistance to programming partners as required
• Help to recruit and facilitate the inputs of relevant experts when needed for specialised programming aspects
• Track, monitor, review, and report on progress with programmes, and identify solutions if implementation problems are encountered
• Prepare briefings for the Chief Executive and Governing Board in relevant areas as needed.
• Write and edit a range of content in relation to designated country programmes: project documents, funding applications, blogs, articles, information sheets, brochures, newsletters, progress reports, and key messages, as appropriate
• Undertake research and analysis on specific assigned topics in relation to the key elements of the Defeat-NCD Partnership.
• Share knowledge with the wider Defeat-NCD Partnership through distilling lessons learnt and other insights gained from programming.
• Represent the Partnership in global, regional, and national health and NCD technical forums including consultations and coordination meetings organised by the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
• Support the Defeat-NCD partnership’s wider communications, outreach, and resource mobilisation through social media and professional networking, and researching and reaching out to new partners and supporters
• Contribute to the development of overall Partnership guidance materials such as manuals and procedures concerned with country support activities.
• Contribute to developing training and other curricular materials for NCD courses and act as a resource person for training events and workshops
• Contribute to setting up a Defeat-NCD Learning Network for members of the Partnership.
• Carry out above programming and knowledge sharing activities in full partnership with WHO and other global health networks.
• Perform any other professional work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the Head of Programmes.

• Minimum 7 years of experience in international health or development.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word applications required.
• High quality drafting and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Able to establish a high level of trust and confidentiality internally, and credibility externally.
• Able to travel on country missions, including in the field.

• A Master’s Degree in health area such as public health, global health, health economics among others is required.

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Working knowledge of another United Nations official language is preferred.

Management/Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Knowledge and M&E Concepts, Principles and Policies and the ability to apply in strategic and/or practical situations.

Relationship Management/Partnerships:

• Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships             .

Brief and Speech Writing:

• Ability to prepare quality briefs and/or speeches             .

Knowledge Management:

• Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.       

Results-based Management:

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Priority Setting:

• Ability to scan and synthesize divers sets of information to arrive at strategic priorities and positioning recommendations.  

Professionalism: 

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity. Demonstrate corporate knowledge, Self-development and initiative-taking. Ability to work in a multi-cultural and international environment based on mutual respect and tolerance.  Demonstrates good judgement and discretion when handling sensitive materials.  Ability to exercise good judgement, discretion and tact in handling sensitive issues. A commitment to the goals of the Defeat-NCD Partnership and to sustainable development more broadly essential. A good sense of humor. Willingness to 'get the job' done with a positive attitude to take on a wide range of tasks. Ability and willingness to adjust to ‘beyond the normal’ working hours and manage the work life balance effectively to accommodate differences in time zones.

Analysis: 

• Demonstrated excellent research and analytical skills that can be applied to gather data and generate knowledge relevant to decision-making functions

Planning and Organising: 

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments.  Adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently and is able to work to deadlines and maintain effectiveness under pressure. Excellent organizational and task management skills, with appropriate attention to details and ability to prioritize work among multiple competing demands, and under tight deadlines.  Ability to manage multiple workflows at the same time. Proactive approach to managing workflow, with keen ability to multi-task and respond quickly and flexibly to a wide range of issues, some of which come up in ad hoc and unexpected ways. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment where adaptability will be a premier.

Communication: 

• Ability to interact at the most senior levels of government, business and the United Nations. At the same time, to be comfortable in working with NGOs and CBOs. Appreciation of diplomatic and United Nations culture as well as cultures of business and civil society. Excellent communication skills and ability to develop contacts, foster collaboration with WHO and United Nations internal as well as external stakeholders, deliver presentations, advocate for viewpoints and participate actively in internal as well as external debates and negotiations. Ability to craft messages and communiques, and copy edit work to produce flawless written communications is required.
• Fluent in written and spoken English. Knowledge of another UN language (especially French or Russian) as well as/or Spanish and Arabic will be a strong asset.

Teamwork:

• Work within a newly-formed team as well as with colleagues across work units, departments, divisions and with Member States. Support colleagues, establish a team culture, encourage others to participate in teamwork and share responsibility for decision-making and results. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Demonstrated ability to work with teams representing a wide variety of staffing levels that also cut across agencies and partners, and work without direct authority to deliver timely and high quality products.  Strong team player capabilities.

E-literacy: 

• Excellent e- skills, including the ability to use modern office technology and related software. Practical knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software is required. Excellent application of software packages as databases and Power Point Presentations. Ability to do internet research, compile information and find solutions on line to information gaps is essential. Familiarity and appreciation of social media.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

This position is based in Switzerland and the fee is subject to taxes levied by the Swiss authorities.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.