Director, Data and Analytics

**Grade**: D2

**Contractual Arrangement**: Fixed-term appointment

**Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days)**: 2 years

**Job Posting**: Aug 28, 2024, 5:31:50 AM

**Closing Date**: Sep 18, 2024, 4:59:00 PM

**Primary Location**: Switzerland-Geneva

**Organization**: HQ/DNA Data and Analytics

**Schedule**: Full-time

**OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME**:
The Department of Data and Analytics (DNA) is the central data node and analytics for the World Health Organization. It is located within the Division for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact (DDI).The objective of the Department is to provide clear, reliable, timely and comparable evidence to empower policy development in countries and to catalyze change whereby data and health information are used systematically to set measurable goals, monitor progress towards health-related SDGs, WHO's ‘triple billion targets', and drive continuous health policy and programme improvements. This department sets the global agenda to improve data quality, standards, coordination, use and governance. It supports WHO regions, countries and partners to improve their health data and information systems. It provides annual updates of key data products including World Health Statistics, Global Health Estimates and results reporting. It offers solutions for data exchange and promotes the use of forecasting to inform strategic policy dialogue.

Specific priority areas for Department leadership include:

- Maintaining, developing and promoting the use of the WHO reference classification for diseases and injuries and related data standards;
- Strengthening and scaling up vital registration and cause of death data collection practices and reporting to rapidly improve the availability and quality of information on births, deaths and causes of death - ensuring that all lives count, by counting all lives;
- Supporting countries in assessing and improving their health information systems, including health services data;
- Improving the coherence and scientific basis of estimates of disease burden, deaths, and risk factors and their link to health services and programmes;
- Creating compelling tools for data exploration and visualization, and improving the dissemination of surveillance and epidemiological information, including through newer, interactive digital platforms;
- Establishing and helping to implement improved data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination standards across all WHO programmes at all 3 levels of the organization, in collaboration with other UN Agencies, academic institutions, and civil society.

**DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES**:

- Leads the Department in providing technical expertise to Member States and other Stakeholders with guidance and technical data required for the development, implementation, and monitoring of national and/or global policies and programmes.
- Provides the overall leadership, management accountability, and direction of the Department in delivering its objectives through managing and galvanizing a diverse workforce and financial resources to optimize the department deliverables and mandate.
- Provides senior level technical advice and expertise to Senior Management in the area of area of assigned responsibilities in order to position the Department and Organization as a leader in the respective area.
- Directs and leads overall establishment and development of the Department's evidence based policies and strategies for roll out and delivery for Regional and Country Office implementation.
- Oversees the monitoring and evaluation and reporting of the Department's area of work to ensure development of key performance indicators and global reporting requirements and mechanisms to ensure optimal performance of Department deliverables.
- Serves as the scientific/technical reference among UN Agencies and other key players in the respective areas.
- Promotes the integration of Regional Country Office perspectives and operational capacities into the Department's programme area of work.
- Represent the Organization and Department area of work in a diverse array of global fora to position WHO as a leader in the global health community.
- Perform all other related duties as assigned.

**Specific duties**:

- Define and direct the strategic vision to set standards for data generation, collection, collation, curation, communication and strengthen country capacity.
- Effectively coordinate data and health information systems across all three levels of the organization and with relevant partners to improve efficiencies, reliability and coherence.
- Promote use of data principles and the GATHER guidelines (Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting) and data standards to produce coherent global health estimates.
- Increase country capacity to generate, analyze and interpret high-quality data and statistics at subnational and national levels. Systematically address data gaps and increase data quality.
- Increase coherence an