Health Governance Specialist

Job title: Health Governance Specialist

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Viet Nam have formed a strategic partnership to support the government in addressing complex and interconnected challenges related to access, quality, and governance of medical products among other areas. The partnership draws on the two Agencies’ complementary strengths - UNDP’s leadership in governance, digital transformation, and system-wide reform, and WHO’s deep expertise in health systems, regulation, and patient safety

Over the course of 2025 and 2026, the two organisations have developed and implemented a Joint Programme on Improving Access to Quality Medical Products in Viet Nam, an initiative that supports the Government of Viet Nam in strengthening its regulatory and procurement systems, ensuring that medicines, vaccines, and medical devices are safe, affordable, and consistently available. The programme focus is on key areas such as institutional governance, regulatory reform, digital innovation, accountability mechanisms, and capacity development. Building on these initial success, the two Agencies have continued to pursue joint fundraising efforts, leading to the mobilization of new resources for the implementation of a five-year initiative aiming to help Viet Nam build the regulatory, digital, care, and financing systems needed for its next phase of inclusive, investment-ready growth. From the Health Governance perspective, the programme focuses on three key areas: access to quality medical products, digital health transformation, older persons and disability-inclusive care.

The Health Governance Specialist plays a pivotal role in driving forward the UNDP-WHO joint agenda and implementing the joint program of work. Under the strategic guidance of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative but with a dual reporting line to WHO, the role is uniquely positioned to bridge both agencies’ priorities. The contract holder supports joint programme implementation, and strengthens donor and private sector engagement, while also contributing technical inputs to other relevant WHO and UNDP programmes of work. In doing so, the position reinforces coherence, coordination, and shared impact across both agencies – ensuring that support to Viet Nam’s health system is technically robust, institutionally grounded, and strategically aligned with national development goals.

The contract holder will provide high quality strategic and technical leadership for the joint WHO-UNDP programme on improving access to quality medical products, ensuring alignment with national priorities and the shared goals of WHO and UNDP. Through their role, they will assure oversight of planning and design, promote information sharing and communication between the two agencies, and oversee implementation, following a risk-informed results-based management approach. Furthermore, they will engage as necessary in building and fostering partnerships and resource mobilization to foster sustainability and ongoing technical support.

Greater detail on specific functions for each agency is detailed below:

Duties and Responsibilities

This role has a dual reporting structure, via both UNDP and WHO. Administrative management is via UNDP. Technical oversight and management is via both UNDP and WHO.

At UNDP, the contract holder reports to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative. The contract holder is responsible for the management of all UNDP staff working on the Health Governance Portfolio.

At WHO, the contract holder reports to the WHO Universal Health Coverage & Disease Control Team Coordinator. (matrix reporting)

Perform WHO Responsibilities

The Health Governance Specialist will provide technical expertise to the development and timely implementation of WHO Viet Nam’s health systems strengthening agenda, with a focus on regulatory reform, access to quality medical products, and rational use of medicines. This work will contribute to WHO’s broader efforts to strengthen integrated, people-centered health systems aligned with international standards and national priorities. Responsibilities include:

Lead WHO’s work on access to medical products including the following aspects:

• Support the Development and Implementation of Vaccine and Medicines Regulatory Institutional Development Plans (IDP): Identify strategic priorities within the IDP together with MOH and leverage WHO’s technical experts to support regulatory strengthening as benchmarking follow-up actions;
• Support the Development of Medical Devices Law: Provide technical assistance for the development and review of the Medical Devices Law and related sub-law documents, ensuring consistency with global best practices and WHO recommendations;
• Support the Development of the National Medicines Policy: Provide technical support to the drafting and consultation processes for Viet Nam’s National Medicines Policy, promoting alignment with WHO frameworks and principles of equitable access, quality assurance, and appropriate use;
• Support to Improve Access to Quality Medical Products: Contribute to WHO’s work on improving access to safe, effective, and affordable medical products, with an initial focus on technical inputs to reference pricing, medical product nomenclature, and product categorization;
• Technical Inputs to Other WHO Priorities: Provide technical inputs to other areas of WHO Viet Nam’s work that intersect with health systems governance, clinical governance, digital health innovation, and access to medical products, as needed and in line with evolving country needs and workplans.

Perform UNDP Responsibilities

The Health Governance Specialist will provide strategic leadership for the development, resourcing and implementation of a Health Governance Portfolio. The role will position UNDP’s contribution around its comparative advantages in governance, institutional strengthening, accountability, inclusion, digital transformation and development financing, complementing WHO’s specialized health mandate. Responsibilities include:

• Strategic Advisory and Portfolio Leadership: Define the strategic direction and priorities of UNDP Viet Nam’s Health Governance Portfolio, ensuring alignment with national priorities, the UNDP Country Programme and UNDP’s governance mandate, and advise senior management and government counterparts on emerging health-governance challenges and opportunities;
• Programme Development and Oversight: Lead the design and substantive oversight of health-governance programmes and projects, including results frameworks, implementation arrangements, risk-management measures and sustainability strategies, and ensure the quality of key programme deliverables, reports and policy products;
• Partnerships & Policy Engagement: Provide strategic leadership across UNDP’s work on health-sector governance and integrity, access to quality medical products, responsible digital transformation, healthy ageing, disability-inclusive care and the care economy, ensuring coherence across these areas;
• Promote Resource Mobilization