Technical Officer, Medical Engineering and Infrastructure Development, Brazzaville, Congo

## Technical Officer, Medical Engineering and Infrastructure Development, Brazzaville, Congo - Organization:WHO - World Health Organization - Office:WHO Brazzaville, Congo Description of assignment title:Technical Officer, Medical Engineering and Infrastructure Development Assignment country:Congo Duty stations:Brazzaville Work location:On UN premises Expected start date:10/19/2026 Duration:12 months(with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances Sustainable Development Goal:3. Good health and well-being Volunteer category:Expert UCoS from Apr2026 Work schedule:Full-time Number of Assignments:1 Mission and objectives: - The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations Public Health Organization established in 1948. The objective of the World Health Organization shall be the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. - World Health Organization achieves its goals by performing its essential functions: - 1. Take a leadership role in key health issues and create partnerships when joint action is needed; - 2. Set research priorities and encourage the acquisition, application and dissemination of useful knowledge; - 3. Setting standards and criteria and encouraging and monitoring them; - 4. Develop ethical and evidence-based policies - 5. Provide technical support, be an agent of change and build institutional capacity in a sustainable way; - 6. Monitor health status and assess health trends. - The availability, safety, quality, and sustainability of medical equipment and health technologies are critical determinants of effective health service delivery and resilient health systems. Across the WHO African Region, countries continue to experience significant challenges related to the planning, procurement, installation, maintenance, regulation, and lifecycle management of health technologies. These challenges are often compounded by limited biomedical engineering capacity, weak maintenance systems, inadequate infrastructure planning, and insufficient investment in technology management systems. - In recent years, Member States have increasingly requested technical support from WHO in areas including biomedical engineering, medical equipment management, health technology assessment, health infrastructure planning, maintenance systems strengthening, asset management, regulatory oversight of medical devices, and emergency deployment of medical technologies, including BSL-3/4 and Biobanks. These requests have intensified following large-scale investments in health technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing emphasis on resilient, climate-smart, and emergency-ready health systems. - The Medicine, Infrastructure and Innovation (MDI) Unit within the Health Systems and Services (HSS) Cluster is mandated to support Member States in these areas. However, since the departure of the last dedicated technical officer responsible for medical engineering and health technologies, following the expiration of his contract, the Regional Office has not had a dedicated professional staff member covering this technical area. - As a result, technical support has been provided through temporary arrangements and contributions from colleagues with competing priorities. This situation has limited WHO AFRO's ability to adequately respond to country requests, develop technical products, coordinate regional activities, maintain partnerships, and effectively support implementation of regional and global strategies related to health technologies and infrastructure. - The incumbent will therefore address a critical capacity gap and strengthen WHO AFRO's ability to support Member States in achieving health systems goals and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health security, and sustainable development objectives. - Under the supervision of the Team Lead, Medicine, Infrastructure and Innovation (MDI), the incumbent will provide technical support for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of regional and country activities related to biomedical engineering, medical devices, health technology management, and health infrastructure development. - The incumbent will contribute to strengthening Member States' capacities in the planning, management, maintenance, and assessment of health technologies and infrastructure while supporting regional initiatives aimed at improving access to safe, effective, and sustainable health technologies. - Key Duties and Responsibilities - 1. Provide technical support in the development and implementation of regional policies, guidance documents, standards, tools, and operational frameworks related to biomedical engineering and health technology management. - 2. Assist Member States in medical equipment planning, procurement, installation, commissioning, maintenance, calibration, and decommissioning activities. - 3. Participate in assessments of biomedical engineering systems, equipment inventories, maintenance capacities, and health technology needs. - 4. Support implementation and monitoring of equipment lifecycle management and asset management systems. - 5. Contribute to the development and dissemination of standards and guidance related to the quality, safety, performance, and management of medical devices and health technologies. - 6. Support health facility infrastructure projects through technical review of equipment plans, specifications, and technology requirements. - 7. Contribute to emergency preparedness and response activities involving medical equipment and health technologies. - 8. Support country capacity-building initiatives through development of training materials and organization of workshops and technical meetings. - 9. Collect, analyze, and report data related to biomedical engineering, health technology management, and health infrastructure indicators. - 10. Facilitate technical exchanges, communities of practice, and collaboration with governments, academic institutions, professional associations, and development partners. - 11. Contribute to innovation initiatives and the promotion of appropriate and sustainable health technologies. - 12. Prepare technical reports, briefing notes, presentations, mission reports, and other programme documentation. - 13. Perform any other related duties assigned by the supervisor. Required experience:7 years Nationality:Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment. Assignment requirements - No experience required - French, Level: Fluent, Required - English, Level: Fluent, Required Required education level: - Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Health Technology Management, Health Infrastructure Planning and Development, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Public Health with specialization in health technologies, Health Technology Assessment and Related fields. - Additional professional certification in biomedical engineering, health technology management, project management, or related disciplines will be an advantage. Competencies and values: - Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences. - Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond - Promoting WHO's position in health leadership. - Creating an empowering and motivating environment - Adaptability and flexibility - Judgement and decision-making - Planning and organising Skills and experience: - - Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in biomedical engineering, medical devices management, health technology management, health infrastructure development, or related areas. - - Experience supporting technical programmes, projects, assessments, or capacity-building activities. - - Experience working with government institutions, health facilities, development partners, or international organizations is desirable. - - Experience in low- and middle-income countries and/or the Af