Consultant – Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Implementation Research (IR) at World Health Organization

Purpose of consultancy

To coordinate a portfolio on Implementation Research for the management of NCDs in primary health care across two departments: the NCD Department and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR).

Deliverables

Deliverable 1: Coordinate the management of the Alliance and NCD Department's portfolio of NCD implementation research.

• Deliverable 1.1: Facilitate processes of priority setting, capacity building, research and knowledge utilization activities in LMICs.
• Deliverable 1.2: Develop, and coordinate the development of relevant technical products, documents, reports, and journal publications, and make presentations on the work of this portfolio to diverse audiences as needed.
• Deliverable 1.3: Liaise with in country and international partners, research institutes, policy makers and funders to advance the aims of this portfolio.
• Deliverable 1.4: Provide technical expertise to the TAG-NCD R&I including preparation of pre-meeting materials and formal meeting reports. 

Deliverable 2: Contribute to the development of partnerships with other departments within WHO and external partners with the aim of advancing the broader field of IR on NCDs.

• Deliverable 2.1: Build relationships with policy and decision-makers, researchers and funders to stimulate and support the generation of HPSR and IR evidence and its uptake in decision-making in LMICs by identifying and connecting different partners in this space. 
• Deliverable 2.2: Provide technical guidance to researchers and decision makers, organize and facilitate meetings, symposia and conferences to better understand challenges to HPSR and IR evidence generation and uptake in LMICs and advocate for the Alliance HPSR’s role in strengthening health systems.

• Deliverable 3: Deliver a monthly report summarizing progress on the above.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Health Systems or Health Systems Research.

Desirable:

• PhD in Public Health, Health Policy, Health Systems or Health Systems Research.

Experience

Essential:

• A minimum of seven years of experience in the conduct and management of HPSR and IR in LMICs.
• Experience in engaging with initiatives and networks for IR and working with national and subnational leaders. 
• A track record of relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals in areas relating to IR or HPSR.
• Research coordination and management experience in a department, organization, or project / consortium engaged in international development work. 
• Experience in developing partnerships with policymakers in Member States towards facilitating evidence informed-decision making at the national and global levels.
• Experience in developing and maintaining partnerships with other stakeholders in the HPSR community including global and national research institutions and global health funders.
• Experience in developing and managing the monitoring and evaluation frameworks for reporting to donors.

Desirable:

• Relevant experience at the global, regional and/or country level with an international organization.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

• Expertise on noncommunicable diseases and research on health systems strengthening in LMICs, including demand driven IR.
• Excellent understanding of the current state of HPSR and IR, challenges and opportunities facing the field, and linkages with larger global health agendas.
• Ability to conceptualize and develop high quality HPSR and IR outputs including journal articles to inform health system strengthening in LMICs.
• Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills towards engaging with high-level policymakers in Member States, global health donor agencies and global experts in health systems research.
• Proven programme management skills towards ensuring timely production of high-quality deliverables.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to tailor messages depending on the intended audience.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with international and national staff at all levels.
• Good understanding of the requirements of working with policy and decision makers and stimulating the use of evidence, especially in developing countries. 
• Good track record of management of projects and research grants and coordinating or conduction implementation research in LMICs. 
• Excellent communications skills, written and verbal.