Back SSA-Secretariat and Governance Support Officer

Purpose of SSA

To provide high-level secretariat and coordination support to the Health Services Commission technical working group and Taskforce, ensuring the effective planning, organization, and follow-up of all meetings, correspondence, consultations, and reports.

Background

The Government of Papua New Guinea, through the National Department of Health (NDoH), is exploring the feasibility of establishing a Health Services Commission (HSC) to address long-standing workforce management, governance, and performance challenges within the health sector. This reform aims to strengthen accountability, streamline recruitment and deployment processes, and create a more efficient, transparent, and equitable system for managing the national health workforce.

To support the HSC internal technical working group and Taskforce and broader governance activities within NDoH, a Secretariat and Governance Support Officer is required for a period of 12 months to provide dedicated coordination, documentation, and communication support. The position will also provide limited but strategic support to the Legal and Governance Branch on internal governance processes and Provincial Health Authority (PHA) governance processes.

Deliverables

Health Services Commission Taskforce Secretariat

• Provide full secretariat suppo1i to the Health Services Commission Technical Working group and Taskforce, including preparation of agendas, briefing notes, and meeting documentation.
• Coordinate and schedule all technical working group and Taskforce meetings, workshops, and consultations, ensuring effective communication with members, partners, and stakeholders.
• Record and prepare accurate minutes and action registers, circulate them promptly, and follow up on agreed actions.
• Draft and format letters, reports and submissions, including correspondence with government agencies, development partners, and internal divisions.
• Maintain a central record of all Taskforce documentation, including meeting minutes, reports, and reference materials.
• Support the Taskforce Lead in progress reporting, compilation of updates for senior management, NEC submissions, and other policy documents.
• Assist with logistical arrangements for technical working group and Taskforce meetings and partner consultations (venues, invitations, travel, materials).

  Governance and Institutional Support

  • Provide coordination and administrative support to the Legal and Governance Branch in relation to internal governance activities as well as support to PHA governance oversight.
  • Support the preparation of materials and minutes for Departmental governance meetings (e.g., Management Committee, Audit and Risk Committee).
  • Assist in the coordination of PHA Board appointments and inductions, maintaining an updated register of board members and terms.
  • Track follow-up actions on key governance decisions and maintain a centralized monitoring log.

    Communication and Reporting

    • Prepare communication briefs, talking points, and summary notes for the Taskforce Lead and senior executives.
    • Contribute to quarterly and annual progress repo1is summarizing Taskforce achievements, challenges, and next steps.

    • Support dissemination of information to internal divisions and external stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging on reform activities.

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

       

      Qualifications, Experience, Skills and Languages

      • Bachelor’s degree in public administration, Management, Law, Political Science, or related field.
      • Minimum 5 years' experience in secretariat, governance, or policy coordination roles.
      • Proven experience in minute-taking, drafting formal correspondence, and managing multi-stakeholder coordination.
      • Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize competing tasks.
      • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
      • Familiarity with Government systems, NEC processes, or health sector structures is an advantage.
      • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).

         

        Location

        National Department of Health, Port Moresby

        Additional Information:

        • This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar SSAs at the same level.
        • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
        • A written test/interview may be used as a form of screening.
        • If your candidature is retained for 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://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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        • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
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