Director, Health System and Services

The Director of Health Systems and Services (HSS) Cluster provides region wide executive leadership and institutional stewardship for advancing resilient, equitable, and people centred health systems across the WHO African Region. The role is central to delivering Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aligned with GPW14 and the Regional Director’s vision.

Responsibilities

• Advise the Regional Director on region wide strategic priorities, institutional risks, and policy choices to accelerate progress towards UHC, the SDGs, and GPW14.
• Provide authoritative leadership in shaping, approving, and overseeing the implementation of high impact regional policies, strategies, and investment frameworks related to health systems and services, ensuring measurable results and institutional coherence.
• Exercise executive oversight to ensure delivery of integrated, high level technical and policy support to Member States across health governance, financing, workforce, service delivery, data and digital health, access to medicines and technologies, research, innovation, and antimicrobial resistance.
• Champion people centred, life course approaches tailored to national contexts and priority populations.
• Direct the strategic integration of HSS programmes to build fit for purpose, scalable, and resilient health systems, maximising synergies and institutional efficiency.
• Ensure robust planning, performance monitoring, accountability, and reporting, with responsible stewardship of human and financial resources and timely delivery of results.
• Provide executive people leadership across the employee lifecycle to create a high performing, values driven workforce, strengthening talent development inclusive leadership, and a culture of responsibility.
• Foster a culture of excellence, integrity, collaboration, and results orientation, enabling senior managers to deliver in complex, politically sensitive environments.
• Direct the administrative and financial management of the HSS Cluster, including the planning, budgeting, and execution of operational plans, while ensuring compliant, efficient, and transparent use of resources.
• Represent WHO AFRO at high level regional and global fora, leading policy dialogue, advocacy, and diplomatic engagement on health systems and services.
• Drive strategic communication of the Cluster’s vision and results through evidence based, executive level messaging that reinforces WHO’s leadership and credibility.
• Provide executive leadership to ensure alignment and coherence across WHO AFRO clusters, Headquarters, and country offices.
• Build and steward strategic, long-term partnerships and lead resource mobilization efforts securing sustainable, aligned financing for the HSS agenda.
• Drive cross cluster collaboration with DPC and EPR to strengthen health system resilience, ensure continuity of essential services, and support effective emergency response across the Region.

Requirements

• Medical degree, with a Master’s degree in Public Health, or a doctorate in a Public-Health related discipline from an accredited/recognized institution.
• A PhD in a Public-Health related discipline, or specialized training or post graduate qualifications in health systems strengthening, health policy, or related public health disciplines (desirable).
• At least fifteen (15) years of progressive national and international public health experience, with a minimum of three (3) years in senior management roles at the international level.
• Demonstrated professional experience in both developing and developed country contexts, including public health or related fields (desirable).
• Experience across diverse institutional settings, such as the private sector, NGOs, UN system, or governmental health agencies (desirable).
• Proven experience in building partnerships, resource mobilization, and engagement with donors (desirable).
• Proven senior level leadership in the design, delivery, and management of large scale, complex international health programmes at national and global levels.
• Deep technical expertise in policies, strategies, and interventions across one or more core health systems domains, including health financing and governance, workforce, service delivery, health information, medicines and health technologies, antimicrobial resistance, family and reproductive health, and research and innovation.
• Demonstrated strong analytical judgement, diplomatic acumen, and negotiation skills, with the ability to navigate complex technical, political, and cultural environments, manage sensitive stakeholder relationships, and build consensus among diverse national and international actors.
• Expert knowledge of English (essential).
• Intermediate knowledge of French (desirable).

Skills

• Public Health
• Public Health Systems Strengthening
• Health Policy
• Health Financing
• Health Governance
• Workforce Management
• Health Service Delivery
• Health Information Systems
• Medicines and Health Technologies
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Family and Reproductive Health
• Health Research and Innovation
• International health programs
• Program Design and Delivery
• Resource Mobilization
• Donor Engagement Strategies
• Partnership Building
• Senior Management
• Analytical Judgement
• Negotiation Skills

Languages

English, French