I. POST INFORMATION

Job Title:  Health Officer – Temporary Appointment
Supervisor Title/ Level: Health & Nutrition Officer, Head of Section
Organizational Unit: Programme
Post Location: Prishtina Duty Station

II. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND PURPOSE FOR THE JOB

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 UNICEF Kosovo office has started the implementation of its new Kosovo Programme 2021-2025, contributing also to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in Kosovo 2021-2025. The programme strategy for the new cycle establishes the first decade of a child’s life as one of three priority areas for programming, emphasizing improved capacities of the Primary Health Care system through the expansion and improvement of Universal Progressive Home Visiting (UPHV) programme and strengthening services to monitor child development and early interventions, including parental counselling for nurturing care. UNICEF Kosovo office has also been strongly involved in the support to the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine preparedness and roll-out; as well as continuity and sustaining of essential health services for maternal and child health services during the pandemic and beyond.

Purpose of the job: The Health Officer reports to the Health & Nutrition Officer, Head of Section for close guidance and supervision. The Health Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process through the application of theoretical and technical skills in researching, collecting, analyzing, and presenting technical programme information while learning organizational rules, regulations and procedures to support the development and formulation of the Health Programme within the Kosovo Programme.

III. KEY FUNCTION, ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RELATED DUTIES/TASKS

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

   Support to programme development and planning

• Research and analyze Kosovo and regional political, social, economic development trends. Collect, analyze, verify, and synthesize information to facilitate programme development, design and preparation.
• Support the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Public Health, and local health institutions in planning the sustaining and strengthening of essential health services for maternal and child health during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information.
• Facilitate the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through analysis of health needs and areas for intervention and submission of assessments for priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

  Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Support the Ministry of Health in strengthening the monitoring and evaluation framework for primary health care maternal and child health indicators, with focus on the provision of the universal progressive home visiting programme and the regular immunization programme.
• Monitor and prepare regular reports on the implementation of the COVID-19 National Deployment Vaccination Plan.
• Work with all relevant partners in developing the vaccine cold chain deployment and implementation plan.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues; suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with governments and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), and verify compliance with approved allocation and goals, organizational rules, regulations, procedures, as well as donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare inputs for sectoral programme donor reporting.

  Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health-related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.

  Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts and other Kosovo stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.
• Draft communication and information materials for the Kosovo programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

  Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Assist with oversight of research and ensure results are available for use in knowledge products.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

IV. IMPACT OF RESULTS

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Health Officer to programme preparation, planning and implementation facilitates the delivery of concrete and sustainable results that directly impact the improvement of the health of the most marginalized and vulnerable women and children in the country. This in turn contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide programme services to protect the rights of children, and to promote greater social equality to enable them to survive, develop and reach their full potential in society.

V. COMPETENCIES AND LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY REQUIRED (BASED ON UNICEF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY PROFILES)

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Functional Competencies

▪ Analyzing (2)
▪ Applying technical expertise (2)
▪ Learning and researching (2)
▪ Planning and organizing (2)

VI. RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, 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 one year of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health emergency/humanitarian preparedness. Experience working in the health sector/early childhood and maternal health in Kosovo or another relevant context, it considered 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.

Inclusive Workplace: UNICEF is committed to be an inclusive workplace, and we encourage applications from people with disabilities and minority groups.