Planning Assistant (EPI)

Background/Purpose:

The Planning Assistant provides technical and operational support to programme planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and coordination activities. The incumbent assists in the preparation and monitoring of work plans, maintains programme information systems, coordinates meetings and planning exercises, compiles data for reporting, and supports effective implementation of organizational priorities in accordance with WHO rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.

The purpose of the position is to provide efficient planning, programme support, monitoring, coordination, and operational services that contribute to the effective implementation, monitoring, and reporting of programme activities and organizational work plans.

Tasks to be performed:

Under the supervision of the Medical Officer (EPI), the incumbent will carry out the following tasks:

1. Assist in the preparation of annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans, implementation schedules, and operational plans.
2. Assist in monitoring programme activities against approved work plans and implementation timelines and maintain action trackers. Compile, review, and verify programme information received from various units to ensure completeness and accuracy.
3. Maintain programme databases, planning tools, spreadsheets, and electronic monitoring systems. Prepare routine statistical reports, implementation summaries, dashboards, and progress updates.
4. Support the preparation of annual reports, quarterly reports, donor reports, briefing materials, and management presentations.
5. Assist in procurement related matters in terms of ensuring all documentation is complete as per the guidelines and policies
6. Assist in monitoring implementation progress and follow up with responsible staff on outstanding actions and reporting deadlines.
7. Assist in organizing planning meetings, workshops, consultations, conferences, and coordination forums. Prepare meeting agendas, background documents, presentations, minutes of meetings, and action-point matrices. Follow up on implementation of decisions and recommendations arising from meetings.
8. Maintain comprehensive filing systems for programme documents, reports, correspondence, and planning records.
9. Assist in monitoring programme budgets, expenditures, commitments, and resource utilization against approved work plans.
10. Compile financial and programme information required for budget preparation, resource planning, and expenditure monitoring.
11. Assist in budget review as per the approved workplans to ensure compliance
12. Generate reports from ERP systems and other corporate information systems to support planning and decision-making. Verify the quality, consistency, and accuracy of programme information entered into corporate databases.
13. Maintain document repositories and ensure proper version control of planning documents and programme records.
14. Support data collection, validation, and analysis for planning, monitoring, and evaluation purposes.
15. Perform any other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Recruitment Profile

Education:

• Essential: Completion of secondary education is required.
• Desirable: A diploma or certificate in Business Administration, Public Administration, Project Management, Programme Management, Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, or a related field is desirable.

Experience:

• Essential: A minimum of three years of progressive experience in programme support, planning, project administration, monitoring, reporting, or office management.
• Desirable: Experience supporting planning or programme management in an international organization or development agency is an asset.

Competencies required:

• Technical Competence
• Overall Attitude at Work
• Teamwork
• Respecting and Promoting Individual and Cultural Differences
• Communication

Functional Knowledge and Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and competence in the wider Microsoft Office tools.
• Data management and reporting tools
• Document management systems
• Dashboard and reporting software (Power BI or similar)

Language:

Good knowledge of English and Urdu.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• The incumbent will handle project and partner information and is required to maintain strict confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of the assignment, and to comply with WHO data protection requirements, including consent for photography and personal stories.
• Appointment of selected candidate will be on Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) issued by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for a period up to three months which is further extendable based on multiple factors including job performance, programme need, and funding availability. LICA is a non-staff contract whereby the signatory has the status of a contractor and not considered in any respect as being a staff member of either the World Health Organization (WHO) or UNOPS. As such, there will be no employer-employee relationship between the signatory and the contracting Organization.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http:********************************************. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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