Junior Public Health Professional - AI Health

Position details

• Vacancy number: 2604315
• Grade: No grade
• Contractual arrangement: Fellowship
• Contract duration: 24 months
• Organization: SE/HSD Department of Health Systems Development
• Schedule: Full-time
• Closing date: Oct 21, 2026, 5:59:00 AM

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

Objective of the WHO Programme/Department:

The overall objective of the Digital Health & AI Technical Unit in Department of HSD is to support the Member States to improve health for everyone, everywhere by accelerating the development and adoption of appropriate, accessible, affordable, scalable and sustainable person-centric digital health & AI solutions to prevent, detect and respond to epidemics and pandemics, developing infrastructure and applications that enable countries to use health data to promote health and well-being, and to achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. WHO-SEARO is harnessing the power of digital technologies and health innovation to accelerate global attainment of health and the well-being.

Translating latest data, research, and evidence into action: this means promoting standards for interoperability and data sharing and supporting implementation of digital solutions that contribute to informed decision making. Enhancing knowledge through scientific communities of practice: enabled by new technologies and no longer limited by the need for physical meetings or hard copy peer review journals, WHO brings together top expert voices around topics of clinical and public health significance. Systematically assessing and linking country needs with supply of innovations. WHO-SEARO takes a proactive, systematic approach to identify, promote, co-develop, and scale innovations that are based on country needs of the South East Asia Region. Also, to recognize the successful digital health & AI initiatives and the urgent need to address the major impediments faced by least-developed countries of the region through implementing digital health technologies, to promote the appropriate use of digital technologies for health and to strengthen health systems by introducing digital technologies.

Objective of JPP:

The JPP will support the Digital Health & AI Technical Unit at WHO-SEARO in strengthening the responsible development, evaluation, implementation and scale-up of artificial intelligence for health ecosystem across the South-East Asia Region.

The JPP will provide specialized technical support to Member States across the AI lifecycle, including identification and prioritization of health-system problems suitable for AI applications; assessment of data readiness and technical requirements; development and review of AI approaches; validation and evaluation of AI-enabled technologies/programs; deployment and integration within health systems; and post-deployment monitoring and scale-up.

The JPP will also contribute to regional and country-level work on AI governance, safety, ethics, equity, technical standards, technology assessment, capacity building and evidence generation, helping Member States translate advances in AI into safe, effective, equitable and context-appropriate health applications.

Supervisor:

First Level: Dr Karthik Adapa, RA-DH

Second Level : Mr Manoj Jhalani, Director-HSD

Terms of reference

Under the overall guidance of the Director, Department of Health Systems Development (HSD) and the direct supervision of the Regional Adviser, Digital Health, the JPP will provide support in the following areas:

·       Provide technical support to WHO-SEARO and Member States on AI enabled solutions, strategies and implementation.

·       Support the Strategy for AI in Healthcare for India (SAHI) implementation, operationalization, developing State AI Readiness Index, and AI health work related to SAHI.

·       Support the technical assessment, validation, evaluation of AI-enabled health technologies/programs.

·       Support Member States in assessing AI readiness, including data availability, quality, representativeness, infrastructure, computational requirements, interoperability, workforce capacity and institutional readiness.

·       Support the development and application of AI evaluation frameworks and methodologies

·       Contribute to AI governance and responsible AI frameworks

·       Support development of conceptual frameworks, technical guidance, strategic plans, policy proposals, technical specifications, reports and knowledge products related to AI in health.

·       Undertake evidence reviews, technical analyses and horizon scanning on emerging AI technologies and their potential applications, risks and implications for health systems.

·       Support technical implementation and integration of AI applications within existing digital health ecosystems, including consideration of interoperability, APIs, data standards, digital public infrastructure and existing health-information systems.

·       Support Member States in developing technical and institutional capacity for AI in health, including technical workshops, training programmes, and practical capacity-building activities.

·       Facilitate technical engagement with Ministries of Health, WHO Country Offices, academic and research institutions, technology developers, regulatory institutions, development partners and other stakeholders involved in AI development, evaluation and implementation.

·       Support documentation and dissemination of AI implementation experiences, evaluations, lessons and good practices across the South-East Asia Region.

·       Undertake other related technical activities assigned by the Regional Adviser, Digital Health, in alignment with WHO-SEARO priorities.

 

Education:

 

Essential: Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Engineering, Mathematics, Computational Sciences, or another closely related technical discipline relevant to artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data science.

Desirable: Masters/PhD strongly recommended in Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Mathematics, Public Health, or a related field, with demonstrated interdisciplinary education and/or experience at the intersection of health and technology development/application.

 

Additional academic training, certification or demonstrated technical expertise in health law, machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, health informatics, biomedical data science, AI evaluation or responsible AI would be an asset.

 

Experience:

 

Essential: At least two years of experience working on digital health, artificial intelligence, or machine-learning projects, including direct experience in AI for health involving the development, testing, validation, deployment, evaluation, or scale-up of AI-enabled health technologies.

 

Desirable:

 

·       Experience in AI technology assessment, product development, clinical or public-health AI evaluation, AI safety, health informatics or digital health architecture.

·       Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with governments, Ministries of Health, academic and research institutions, technology developers, NGOs, development partners and/or global funders, particularly in low- and middle-income countries or the Global South.

·       Relevant experience working with UN agencies, in particular WHO.

·       Knowledge of any/multiple SEA Regional languages is an asset.

 

Age:   Below 35 years

This Vacancy Notice is only applicable to nationals of South-East Asia Region Member States i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste

Skills required for the assignment:

Minimum:

·       Proficiency in spoken and written English;

·       Strong technical understanding of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and statistical modelling.

·       Deep understanding on DPIs, DPI-Health, Reference Architecture

·       Deep understanding of the AI development lifecycle

·       Ability to critically assess and evaluate AI models and products

·       Deep understanding of SAHI, National AI health strategies globally

·       Understanding of health data, health information systems and the technical considerations involved in integrating AI into digital health environments.

·       Ability to translate complex technical concepts into recommendations for policymakers, health-system leaders and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

·       Strong analytical, scientific writing and technical communication skills.

·       Ability to think strategically, work collaboratively across multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and deliver results under tight timelines with an ability to develop innovative approaches and solutions.

 

WHO competencies required for the assignment:

 

1.     Teamwork

2.     Communication

3.     Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

4.     Producing results

5.     Ensuring the effective use of resources

Remuneration: Approx. US$ 63000 per annum

 

Ad  Additional Information:

• Please note applications should be submitted through WHO online recruitment portal. Please visit https://www.who.int/careers/apply-for-a-position to complete an online profile and to apply for this vacancy.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an 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.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
• The purpose of this vacancy notice is to invite qualified national professionals from of countries of South-East Asia Region (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand or  Timor-Leste).
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• 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/diversity-equity-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  reasonableaccommodation@who.int 

• 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 shws@who.int.

• 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    .