Technical Officer, Country Office Support – WHO
Organisation: World Health Organization (WHO)
Position: Technical Officer, Country Office Support
Grade: P4
Location: Istanbul, Türkiye
Contract: Fixed-term appointment
Duration: 1 year
Job Type: Full-time
Closing Date: 13 November 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking a Technical Officer, Country Office Support to join its Division of Programme Management in Istanbul, Türkiye. This P4-level position will support strategic coordination, country-level engagement and follow-up across WHO country offices in the European Region.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Country Office Support (COS) team, WHO Representatives, Heads of Country Offices and senior leadership to strengthen country impact and ensure that key political, operational and programme issues are effectively analysed, coordinated and addressed.
About the Role
The Division of Programme Management is responsible for ensuring technical excellence and coherence across WHO/Europe’s health programmes, country support and the Special Initiative on Primary Health Care.
The division also leads work relating to planning and budgeting, resource mobilization, partnerships, communications, governance, external relations and other strategic functions.
Within this structure, the Country Office Support team provides strategic assistance to countries where WHO maintains an office. Its work includes strengthening country impact, monitoring political and operational developments, supporting strategic planning and facilitating collaboration between country offices and regional leadership.
As Technical Officer, the successful candidate will help strengthen the connection between WHO country offices, the Division of Programme Management and senior leadership.
Key Responsibilities
The Technical Officer will support the COS Team Lead in designing and implementing key areas of work. This includes analysing sensitive political, operational and programme issues emerging from WHO country offices and ensuring that important matters are appropriately escalated and followed up.
The officer will also contribute to senior-level engagement on country priorities through strategic briefings, retreats, performance management processes and other decision-making mechanisms.
A major responsibility will be overseeing the quality, completeness and strategic use of Pulse Sheets maintained by WHO Representatives and Heads of Country Offices. These tools support country intelligence gathering, issue tracking, leadership briefings and monitoring of follow-up actions.
The successful candidate will also coordinate the technical induction and onboarding of new WHO Representatives and Heads of Country Offices, ensuring that they understand regional priorities, governance arrangements, operational processes and country intelligence systems.
Additional responsibilities include coordinating high-level visits to the Regional Office, preparing agendas and briefings, monitoring country-level work and supporting the maintenance of the Country Presence Portal.
Qualifications and Experience
Applicants must have an advanced university degree at Master’s level in public health, international relations, health administration, public administration, social sciences or another field relevant to the position.
Additional postgraduate training in global health, public policy, international relations or management is desirable. Training or certification in project management or public health policy may also be advantageous.
Candidates must have at least seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in public health, international relations, country support, partnerships or programme management.
Experience supporting strategic coordination, senior-level engagement and work with Member States and/or country offices is essential.
Knowledge of WHO’s mandate, strategic frameworks and country cooperation modalities is required. Candidates should demonstrate strong analytical, organisational and project planning abilities, as well as excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong drafting skills are important, particularly for preparing concept notes, briefing notes, strategic documents and correspondence for senior and external audiences.
Language Requirements
Expert knowledge of English is required, while intermediate knowledge of Russian is essential for this position.
Salary and Benefits
WHO states that the annual base salary for the position starts at USD 86,027, subject to applicable deductions. The position also carries a variable post adjustment currently listed at USD 3,369 per month for the Istanbul duty station.
Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, dependent family allowances, home leave and an education grant for dependent children, subject to applicable conditions.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates interested in international public health, country support and strategic programme coordination are encouraged to apply through the World Health Organization’s careers system before the 13 November 2026 deadline.
This opportunity is particularly suited to experienced professionals with a background in public health, international relations, programme management, strategic coordination and country-level engagement who want to contribute to WHO’s work across the European Region.
Please note: WHO may use a written test and/or asynchronous video assessment as part of the recruitment process. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
