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Organizational Planning Officer

Geneva, Switzerland·Posted today

Full job description

Position details

  • Vacancy number: 2604492
  • Grade: P4
  • Contractual arrangement: Fixed-term appointment
  • Contract duration: 2 Years
  • Organization: UT/UTD UNITAID International drug purchase facility
  • Schedule: Full-time
  • Closing date: Nov 24, 2026, 12:59:00 AM
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device's system settings.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

Unitaid saves lives by making new health products affordable and available in low- and middle-income countries. Collaborating with partners, Unitaid identifies innovative treatments, tackles market barriers, and quickly delivers solutions to those in need. Since 2006, Unitaid has unlocked over 100 health products, addressing HIV, TB, malaria, women's and children's health, and pandemic preparedness. Every year, these products benefit more than 300 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization.
 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Executive Officer and the direct supervision of the Team Lead, Executive Office, the incumbent will perform the following tasks: 

  • Support the articulation and internal communication of organizational priorities and strategies across the Secretariat. 
  • Facilitate and guide departments and teams in translating institutional priorities into coherent, organization-wide operational plans. 
  • Provide hands-on, day-to-day support to initiatives that strengthen strategic planning, cross-functional coordination, and integrated programme management. 
  • Contribute to the design and implementation of planning and prioritization processes that enhance institutional coherence and support effective resource allocation, including through close collaboration with Secretariat teams responsible for corporate financial management and organizational performance management. 
  • Independently plan, prepare, and present clear, data-informed analyses and briefings to support executive-level decision-making and organizational learning. 
  • Coordinate targeted business management analyses and project management efforts for organization-wide initiatives that advance institutional objectives and priorities. 
  • Perform other duties as assigned.
     

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: 

  • Advanced University degree in Business Administration, Organizational Management, or a related field.


Desirable: 

  • Professional certification in a formal project management methodology (e.g., Agile, Prince2, Six Sigma). 
  • Professional certification in a formal organizational planning methodology, ideally the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) methodology.
     

Experience

Essential: 

  • Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in Strategic operational planning and programme management within international public health or a closely related field. 
  • Demonstrated experience in executive-level, cross-functional organizational management, involving multi-stakeholder collaboration. 
  • Demonstrated experience in organization-wide prioritization, planning, and performance monitoring, with demonstrated impact on institutional effectiveness. 
  • Experience working in an international cross-cultural environment.


Desirable: 

  • Experience working in a UN organization/agency Executive Office or equivalent. 
  • Experience in health projects in at least 2 of the 5 Unitaid programmatic priority areas (i.e., HIV and coinfections, TB, malaria, women and children's health, global health emergencies).
     

Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex information in a clear, concise and compelling way. 
  • Excellent planning, organizational, and project management skills. 
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills, tact, discretion, patience, and mature judgment. 
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to assess context and challenges; collect, analyse, and interpret relevant data and information; and develop and communicate robust solutions that can be implemented given constraints and capacities. 
  • Demonstrated ability to gather, consolidate, manage, and present data and information from multiple providers for organizational planning, monitoring, decision-making, and reporting. 
  • Proven ability to support cross-functional coordination and facilitate organization-wide planning processes that align with strategic priorities. 
  • Familiarity with institutional planning cycles and the ability to link operational planning with budgeting and performance monitoring processes. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines.
     

WHO Competencies

  • Teamwork
  • Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
  • Communication
  • Producing results
  • Ensuring the effective use of resources
     

Use of Language Skills

Essential: 

  • Expert knowledge of English.


Desirable: 

  • Intermediate knowledge of French. 
  • Intermediate knowledge of any other official UN languages.

     

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 86,027 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 6000 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • Staff members separated due to the 2025 Prioritization and Realignment Process will receive special consideration according to the applicable regulatory framework.
  • This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
  • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
  • A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
  • 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.
  • According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
  • Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and eManual.
  • The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.
  • Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
  • WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. WHO recruits and employs staff 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.
  • Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.
  • 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 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 final candidates.
  • Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to a fixed-term position in the International Professional category (Grades P1-D2) are eligible for Geographical Mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
  • WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
  • The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
  • 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.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
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  • As a WHO staff member assigned solely and exclusively to support this Partnership, selected staff will have no right of reassignment or transfer outside the Partnership either during or at the end of his/her appointment, including pursuant to WHO Staff Rule 1050. (This does not apply to WHO fixed-term staff members reassigned from a non-Partnership position.)
  • UNITAID is a partnership hosted and administered by WHO, located outside WHO premises in Le Pommier, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex.

Listing sourced from WHO careers. Applications are handled entirely by the employer.

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