Deadline: 20 May 2016
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is currently seeking applications from the eligible applicants for the post of Senior Health Specialist in Dakar, Senegal.
The Senior Health Specialist will provide technical assistance to regional and country offices primarily in Africa in the design, formulation, management, execution, monitoring and evaluation of routine immunization, ensuring that corresponding plans of action and programme activities are in place to support country programmes in strengthening routine immunization.
UNICEF works for a world in which every child has a fair chance in life.
Key Job Responsibilities
The Senior Health Specialist will perform the following function-
- Assists Regional and Country Office teams in the design, planning, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of routine immunization activities including support for formative research and data monitoring to improve country programme delivery.
- In coordination with Regional and HQ colleagues (Communication for Development Specialists, Cold Chain and Logistic Specialists, HSS Specialists, Immunization specialists) and country offices, provides technical assistance to the governments to identify the unreached populations, map the barriers to access to immunization, and develop focused strategies to immunize every child.
- Keep abreast of national/regional/global development trends and priorities to determine the strategies, approaches and priorities for programming to address the equity issues.
- Undertakes field visits to monitor and evaluate implementation of projects/programme activities, with a special focus on ensuring equity, with effective strategies to reach children of underserved populations.
- Assist regional and country office teams with mainstreaming strategies to improve immunization equity as part of wider country processes around annual immunization and health sector planning and coordination of this with health partner support, specifically GAVI processes.
- Contribute to the development communication strategies and implementation plans and activities for maximum communication impact and outreach to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for UNICEF.
- Prepares documents and publications that document the lessons learned and experiences gained in immunization-related issues.
- Findings, experiences, lessons learned, best practices and new methods are systematically captured, analyzed and effectively shared with programme staff at Headquarters and Country Offices as well as other partners.
- Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with health sector counterparts, regional stakeholders and global partners/allies/donors/academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication of UNICEF mission, goals and programs and resource mobilizations needs.
- Represents UNICEF in meetings with government and partners to advocate and promote UNICEF’s leadership role in Immunization, coordinating and collaborating with partner agencies through teleconferences and periodic face-to-face meetings in support of joint activities, including resource mobilization.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must have-
- Advanced university degree in public health, health financing or related field or working experience proving technical expertise in health system and health financing.
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in health system and/or Health financing at Country and international level.
- Relevant experience in the field of Immunization in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.
- Fluency in French and English is required.
- Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit their applications through online process.
For more information, please visit UNICEF.
