Working closely with GPEI partners, and housed inside the GPEI secretariat at WHO, the consultant will provide advocacy and communications support for polio transition efforts, including:

• Developing and communicating messages on polio transition priorities, strategies, country and agency level planning process;
• Increasing awareness and understanding of global stakeholders on GPEI’s efforts to define and mainstream functions required to maintain a polio-free world;
• Increasing awareness and understanding of global stakeholders on progress, challenges and priorities of country level transition planning; and
• Engaging a broad range of development partners to better align the transition planning process with broader health and development priorities.

[1] Angola, Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Co-located in the GPEI secretariat at WHO, the consultant will work closely with GPEI partners, including GPEI leadership, the Transition Management Group, the Post-Certification Group and the Polio Advocacy and Communications Team.

• As a part of the GPEI secretariat team, support broader GPEI transition communications and advocacy goals, as defined by GPEI leadership.
• Support the development of transition-related communications and advocacy materials in line with the GPEI’s Transition Communications Strategy. This will include incorporation of partner data/reports as well as key elements of GPEI’s Post-Certification Strategy (PCS).

• • Partner data/reports will be used to characterize the: 1) impact of polio programs beyond polio essential functions, 2) impact of polio programs on polio essential functions, 3) gaps that will be created by ramp down of polio funding/personnel, etc.
  • Information from the PCS will be used to help inform a broad range of stakeholders about the range of polio essential functions covered by the PCS and the options for their transition.
• Working with GPEI’s Transition Management Group (including programmatic specialists from the Task Force for Global Health, agency staff and country programs), support the development and dissemination of materials that will be used to help drive government and stakeholder support for country-level polio transition planning.
• Support implementation of the Transition Communications Strategy, and draw on the strategy to develop and execute a Transition External Relations & Advocacy strategy, in coordination with the GPEI partners and relevant regional and country advocacy groups.
• Help coordinate stakeholder engagement in polio transition at the global level, including support for information sharing and harmonized messaging on polio transition across the GPEI partnership.
• Attend global stakeholder engagement meetings and missions to priority countries to help gather material and data for global stakeholder outreach.

• Advanced university degree in one or more of the following disciplines: communications, marketing, external relations, public affairs/relations, corporate communications, international relations, or international development.
• At least eight years of combined national and international experience in communications, advocacy, marketing, and stakeholder engagement.
• Considerable experience developing messaging for advocacy purposes.
• Experience working in partnerships in the global health and development sphere.
• Exceptional representational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal).
• Knowledge of an additional United Nations language (especially French or Arabic) desirable.
• Ability to travel internationally (approximately 4 trips)

For interested candidates, please submit a resume and cover letter to Holly Greb (hgreb@unfoundation.org).

This position is located at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland