Program Officer, Traditional Medicine at the West African Health Organisation (WAHO)

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) is the health institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a mandate to ensure the attainment of the highest possible standard and protection of the health of the people in the ECOWAS region.

Within the framework of the Regional “Reproductive Health and REV Prevention Programme in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)", WAHO and the German Financial Cooperation (Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau / KFW) have agreed to establish a Regional Financing Mechanism for Reproductive Health Commodities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Program Officer, Traditional Medicine

Job Code: VN92
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Institution: West African Health Organisation
Grade: P3/P4
Agency: Bobo - Dioulasso
Directorate: Healthcare Services
Division: Healthcare Delivery
Line Supervisor: PPO Healthcare Delivery
Supervising: Non

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Programme Officer Healthcare Delivery, the incumbent shall lead and effectively coordinate the Traditional Medicine programme to support the ECOWAS member states to integrate it in their health systems.
• The incumbent shall be required to consolidate the gains made and introduce other innovative activities, particularly in the areas of harmonization of national policies and regulatory frameworks, development of training tools for traditional medicine practitioners and other health professionals, promotion of dialogue between the practitioners of traditional Medicine and conventional medicine, promotion of research and development of plant medicines, conservation of medicinal plants and protection of indigenous knowledge.

Role and Responsibilities
The incumbent shall:

• Consolidate the gains made in its traditional medicine promotion effort.
• Provide leadership to the Member States on the promotion of rational traditional medicine practices and its integration into their national health systems.
• Promote strategies for the development of national policies, legal frameworks and codes of conduct for the practice of traditional medicine.
• Provide guidance on local production of evidence-based traditional medicine products, and work with Member States and other technical units to ensure the registration and inclusion of some products in the national essential drug lists.
• Put in place mechanisms to promote dialogue between practitioners of traditional medicine and other health professionals and scientists.
• Undertake resource mobilization (technical and financial) activities to support the Member States to integrate traditional medicine into their national health systems.
• Collaborate with key regional and global partners engaged in traditional medicine promotion.
• Organize workshops, seminars, training and professional development programmes for traditional medicine practitioners.
• Promote ongoing efforts to conserve medicinal plants by the establishment of botanical gardens and protection of intellectual property rights.
• Advocate strongly for the inclusion of traditional medicine in undergraduate courses of medical schools and other healthcare institutions.
• Facilitate the development of structured training programmes in traditional medicine.
• Facilitate the establishment of traditional medicine practitioners' associations for effective implementation of national and regional policies.
• Organize the compilation of inventories of medicinal plants of proven efficacy.
• Establish an effective and sustainable network of West African scientists to undertake research in traditional medicine.
• Collaborate with allied professionals in other Departments to undertake related tasks.

Academic Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine or Pharmacy or Nursing or Medical Science or any of the Allied Health Sciences from a recognised university.

Experience:

• 5 to 7 years of progressive responsible experience in the implementation of healthcare programs;
• Knowledge of quality assurance standards in the ECOWAS region and Non Communicable Diseases strategy;
• Ability to manage relationship with partner organizations, Ministries of Health and other relevant regulatory bodies to foster solid cooperation. 

Ecowas Key Competencies
P3-02-01 Leadership:

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
• Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources;
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance, contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;

P3-03-01 Client Service Orientation:

• Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
• Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions;
• Advanced knowledge in health information analysis tools.
• Excellent management capacity, including networking and alliance building.
• Ability to work within a multinational environment and with a diverse range of people and organisations at the national, regional and global levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work in team setting, group facilitation and good interpersonal skills.
• Proven knowledge of new developments in own occupation/profession.
• Effective organizational skills with the ability to prioritize
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards
• Proven experience in the management of Health Information system
• Knowledge in database development and management. DHIS2 knowledge will be an advantage

P3-04-01 Multicultural Sensitivity and Advocacy:

• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an un-biased and transparent manner.
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths;

P3-05-01 Knowledge of ECOWAS:

• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;

P3-06-01 Analytical and Critical Thinking:

• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations;
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;

P3-07-01 Communication:

• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• Proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, ;

P3-08-01 Planning and Implementation:

• Ability to develop, implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals;
• Identify, organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks;
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.
• Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines;

Eligibility

• Must be a citizen of an ECOWAS Member State.
• Must not be more than 50 years of age at the time of recruitment. This does not apply to internal candidates. 

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications which must include the following below to: vn92tmed@wahooas.org using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Each application must include:

• A Completed Job Application Form
• A Cover Letter of not more than one page on the motivation for the post
• A signed up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
• A certified copy of Birth Certificate.

Note: Shortlisting and interview processes shall be based on the ECOWAS Staff Regulations

Application Deadline 9th April, 2022.