Health Governance Specialist
Organizational Context
UNDP and WHO in Viet Nam partner to address health system challenges, focusing on medical product access, quality, and governance. This joint program, spanning 2025-2026 and extending to a five-year initiative, aims to strengthen regulatory, digital, care, and financing systems. The Health Governance Specialist role bridges UNDP's expertise in governance and digital transformation with WHO's health systems knowledge, supporting national development goals.
Job Purpose
The Health Governance Specialist is pivotal in advancing the joint UNDP-WHO agenda in Viet Nam, specifically focusing on improving access to quality medical products. This role provides strategic and technical leadership for the joint program, ensuring alignment with national priorities and the goals of both agencies. The specialist will oversee planning, design, and implementation, foster inter-agency communication, and strengthen partnerships for resource mobilization and sustainability. The position contributes to strengthening Viet Nam's health system by ensuring support is technically robust, institutionally grounded, and strategically aligned with national development objectives, while also contributing to other relevant WHO and UNDP health initiatives.
Responsibilities
The Health Governance Specialist operates under a dual reporting structure to UNDP and WHO. Responsibilities at UNDP include strategic advisory and portfolio leadership for the Health Governance Portfolio, defining strategic direction, advising senior management, and managing UNDP staff. This involves leading program design, oversight, and ensuring quality deliverables. The role also focuses on partnerships, policy engagement, resource mobilization, and portfolio/team management. At WHO, responsibilities include providing technical expertise for health systems strengthening, focusing on regulatory reform, access to medical products, and rational use of medicines. This involves leading work on developing and implementing regulatory institutional development plans, supporting the development of medical devices law and national medicines policy, and contributing technical inputs to other WHO health system priorities.
Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in health governance, health-system strengthening, public-sector reform, health policy, or regulatory systems is required (9 years with a Bachelor's degree). Demonstrated experience in strategic advisory, program design and management, partnership development, stakeholder coordination, and resource mobilization is essential. Experience in areas such as medical product governance, digital health governance, or inclusive care systems is also required.
Skills
Core Competencies: Achieve Results, Think Innovatively, Learn Continuously, Adapt with Agility, Act with Determination, Engage and Partner, Enable Diversity and Inclusion. Technical Competencies: System Thinking, Strategic Thinking, Portfolio Design & Management, Innovation Management. Domain Knowledge: Governance (Anti-Corruption), Universal Health Coverage, Health Resilience and Sustainable Systems for Health.