Director, WHO Academy

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES Generic duties Lead the Department in providing strategic, technical, and operational leadership across health workforce development, including nursing and midwifery, and lifelong learning. Formulate and steer evidence-based global policies and strategies to strengthen national health workforce planning, education, regulation, and retention systems, ensuring that nurses and midwives are recognized and supported as critical enablers of Universal Health Coverage and health emergency preparedness and response. Provide overall leadership, management accountability, and direction to ensure delivery of the Department's objectives by managing and galvanizing a diverse workforce and financial resources. Scale competency-based education and digital learning innovations through the WHO Academy platform, strengthen accreditation standards, promote health worker certification models, and align learning pathways with national health goals. Ensure the effective functioning of learning systems and advance the Department's contribution to WHO's corporate digital transformation. Lead the articulation of a clear departmental vision in coherence with organizational strategy and ensure its operationalization through robust departmental performance management practices that drive measurable results and enhance overall organizational effectiveness. Provide senior level technical advice and expertise to Senior Management to position the Department and Organization as a leader in health workforce, including nursing and midwifery, and lifelong learning. Champion the global visibility and contribution of nursing and midwifery professions by leading normative work, professional advancement, regulation, and leadership capacity building. Direct and lead the establishment and development of evidence-based policies and strategies for roll out and delivery across Regional and Country Offices. Oversee monitoring, evaluation, and global reporting to ensure alignment with key performance indicators and Sustainable Development Goals. Coordinate global workforce intelligence and reporting mechanisms, including the State of the World's Health Workforce and Nursing reports. Oversee building and maintaining strong partnerships and fostering consensus with Member States, UN agencies, donors, academic institutions, and global initiatives such as the Global Health Workforce Network. Promote policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement across sectors to position the health workforce, including nursing and midwifery, as a central component of resilient health systems. Represent the Organization in global fora to advocate investment in workforce competencies and learning systems. Serve as a scientific and technical reference among UN Agencies and key stakeholders in the health workforce and nursing. Promote integration of Regional and Country Office perspectives and operational capacities into the Department's programmes. Manage a diverse multidisciplinary team, fostering a results‑oriented, inclusive culture, and ensure efficient use of resources. Lead and coordinate resource mobilization efforts that are designed to strengthen WHO's presence and impact at regional and country levels, ensuring that newly secured resources are strategically aligned with field organization wide priorities, operational needs and budgets. Provide senior‑level advice to WHO leadership supporting coherent implementation of health workforce and education priorities across the Organization. Perform all other related duties as assigned. Specific duties Develop and implement innovative training programmes based at the WHO Academy with career long learning for health professionals, focusing on leadership, clinical skills, and public health. Collaborate with academic institutions and professional bodies to ensure the curriculum meets global standards and addresses emerging health challenges. Lead initiatives to integrate digital health solutions and e‑learning platforms into the training programmes. Enhance the enablement of digital technology and AI in training programmes and the development of the Health Care Workforce to improve healthcare quality. Monitor and evaluate the impact of training programmes on health workforce performance and patient outcomes. Contribute to the raising of Voluntary Contributions for work that is directly related to the WHO's Core Mandates, the agreed strategic direction and focused areas of work. Coordinate with high‑level representatives from the hosting country and supporting countries for WHO Academy and Health Workforce to ensure active engagement and continuous support. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Education Essential: An advanced university degree (Masters level or above) in medicine, nursing, public health, health education, or a related field. Desirable: A PhD in one of the above-mentioned fields. Additional qualifications and experience in education and health workforce development. Experience Essential: A minimum of 15 years of professional experience in managing groups of health workers, including medical doctors, midwives, nurses and community health workers. Experience providing leadership, advice and guidance to Senior Management / Decision makers, managing human and financial resources, as well as experience in the area of developing and establishing policies and strategies. Demonstrated experience at the international level. Desirable: Experience in developing and implementing training programmes for health professionals. Experience in collaborating with academic institutions and professional bodies. Experience in integrating digital health solutions into educational programmes. Experience in developing guidance for health workforce management. Skills Advanced knowledge and provision of innovative educational methodologies and technologies. Strong skills in the area of developing and establishing polices and strategies. Excellent skills and ability in managing diverse teams and financial resources. Strong understanding and skills in mobilizing resources. Ability to engage, build consensus and communicate effectively and diplomatically with Member States, partners and media. Commitment to collaborate effectively with other key partners in WHO Academy and Health workforce professional and other Health Subject area. Globally respected level of technical expertise and knowledge in health workforce professionals, including nursing, development and training. Proven leadership skills in the planning and coordination of multidisciplinary public health programmes, which may include the implementation of public health / disease control programmes. In‑depth expertise in health workforce planning, development and forecasting with a perspective on the enablement of innovative technologies in service delivery. WHO Competencies Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Ensuring the effective use of resources Driving the Organization's Position in Health Leadership Creating an empowering and motivating environment Use of Language Skills Use of Language Skills Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of other UN language. #J-18808-Ljbffr