Position: Roster of Expert-RMNCAH – (2500982)  

Grade: No grade
Contractual Arrangement: Special Services Agreement (SSA)
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 12 months
Job Posting : Mar 13, 2025, 6:32:39 AM
Closing Date : Mar 27, 2025, 10:59:00 PM
Primary Location : India-New Delhi
Organization : SE_IND WR Office, India
Schedule : Full-time  

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device’s system settings. 

Overview of the programme

WHO India Country Office collaborates with the Government of India and relevant stakeholders within the framework of the collaborative Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS), to actively support the development and implementation of national health policies, strategies to ensure equitable and universal access to quality health care for improving the health, survival and wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents.

Promoting health and wellbeing across all pillars of SRMNCAH+N is crucial. WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14) sets a high-level road map for global health and intends to guide WHO’s work in support to reinvigorate actions needed to get the health-related Sustainable Development Goals on track, while future-proofing health and care systems for the post-SDG era.

Sustainable Development Goal 2, 3 and 5 focuses on improving nutrition practices, reducing the maternal mortality ratio, ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, promoting universal access to sexual and reproductive health, reducing teenage pregnancies, reducing unmet need for family planning and achieving gender equality.

Underlying Values and Core Functions of WHO

WHO’s mandate revolves around six (6) leadership priorities specifying (i) advancing universal health coverage (ii) health related sustainable development goals (iii) addressing the challenge of non-communicable diseases and mental health, violence and injuries and disabilities (iv) implementing the provisions of the International Health Regulations (2005) (v) increasing access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products (vi) addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. 

Description of Duties:

Under the overall guidance of the Team Lead RMNCAH and the direct supervision of the concerned Technical Officer, the consultant/expert will be expected to carry out time bound assignment in one or the following areas related to RMNCAH.

1. Maternal Health
2. Newborn and Child Health
3. Adolescent Health
4. Sexual and Reproductive Health

Scope of Work:

Provide technical assistance for the development, implementation, and monitoring of national policies, strategies, and action plans aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality while promoting health and well-being among women, newborns, children, and adolescents.

Deliver technical inputs to enhance the coverage, quality, and equity of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health, and nutrition programs. This includes identifying program bottlenecks, creating supportive tools (such as operational guidelines, training materials, and technical briefs), and assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of program effectiveness, data analysis, and operational or implementation research and surveys in priority areas.

Further details on the scope of work for each area are outlined below:

Maternal Health

• Provide technical and programmatic support for the Midwifery and Maternal Health Program, focusing on health system strengthening and the transition to a midwifery model of care.
• Develop technical guidelines and protocols to enhance maternal health and midwifery service delivery, including support for updating antenatal care (ANC) guidelines and skill-based training of healthcare providers for quality ANC.
• Provide technical assistance for implementing the SUMAN Roadmap and Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) initiatives.
• Support the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) platform and the implementation of stillbirth surveillance and response.

Newborn and Child Health

• • Provide technical and programmatic support for implementing the newborn and child health program, including health system strengthening for newborn and child health.
  • Develop technical guidelines to improve the quality of newborn and child health services across facility and community-based platforms.
  • Provide technical assistance for implementing high-impact, evidence-based interventions as outlined in the India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) Roadmap and Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP).

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Provide technical and programmatic support for implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health activities and program with focus on Family Planning, Comprehensive abortion care, SRH in vulnerable lower age groups and upcoming SRH priorities.
• Provide monitoring and evaluation support for implementation of new contraceptives specifically Subdermal single rod implants and SC-MPA.
• Advocate use of SRHR indicators in the review and workshops and support conduct supportive supervision visits and review meetings on FP/RH.
• Support ongoing research and system strengthening initiatives under SRH with focus on new contraceptives.
• Support baseline assessment and development of microplans for strengthening the Family Planning services with focus on new contraceptives and upcoming SRH priorities.
• Technical and programmatic support in strengthening the self-care initiatives.
• Technical support in developing technical and operational guidelines for SRH.

Adolescent Health:

• Provide technical and programmatic support for implementation of adolescent health program with emphasis on adolescent-responsive health services, sexual and reproductive health including prevention of teenage pregnancy, nutrition, injuries and violence, mental health, NCDs and health promotional issues to achieve universal health coverage and equitable access to comprehensive health services.
• Support adaptation of WHO guidelines, tools and training materials on adolescent health and promote their application in the national program.

Education:

Essential: University degree in modern medicine – Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) recognized by National Medical Commission, India (earlier Medical Council of India) with State Medical Council registration or equivalent medical degree or medical course with public health degree is essential.

Desirable: Postgraduate diploma/degree/certificate in the relevant field, including pediatrics neonatology, obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive health.

WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from accredited institutions. The list can be accessed through this link: http://www.whed.net/

Experience:

Essential: At least two years of demonstrable experience in any RMNCAH areas.

Desirable: Expertise in specific programmatic area (newborn and child health, maternal health, sexual reproductive health, midwifery, adolescent health). Experience of developing/implementing programs at national and state level. Good understanding of the national policy and programme environment with respect to RMNCAH.

Competencies:

• Communicating in a Credible and Effective Way
• Knowing and Managing Yourself
• Producing Results
• Fostering Integration and Teamwork
• Moving forward in a changing environment

Functional Skills and Knowledge:

• Sound knowledge of principles of public health and health systems, with technical knowledge of the programmatic domain
• Knowledge of concept note development, program planning, monitoring, including data analysis
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and presentation skills
• Knowledge of MS office applications and computer skills including to make high quality presentations, use of statistical software

Remuneration:

Monthly remuneration is 218,855 taxable as per Indian laws and the appointment will be through Special Services Agreement (SSA) extendable subject to satisfactory performance and continuing need for the function. S/he will be posted at New Delhi. The position may require extensive travel (can be upto 15 days in a month) to the states and districts.

The Expert-RMNCAH is a national of the country (India) where he/she is to serve, is recruited locally and is not subject to assignment to any official station outside the home country. Only Indian Nationals should apply.

Additional information:

• This Vacancy Notice may be used to fill similar positions at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
•  A written test and interviews 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.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversityequity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.
• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process.
• Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected]
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries.
• Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].
• In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates.
• This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.
• Any extension of appointment would be subject to programmatic requirements, performance of the incumbent and availability of funds.
• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.