SSA - National Assistive Technology Coordinator

WHO · Fiji-Suva · Deadline: 21 Oct 2026

Schedule: Full-time · Duration: 12 months

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device's system settings.

Background

Assistive technology and rehabilitation services are critical to enabling children with functional limitations to participate fully in health, education, and community life. In Fiji, children experience vision, hearing, and mobility challenges, while access to assistive products and services remains uneven, particularly in rural areas. Although eye health is well integrated into national planning, ear and hearing care, rehabilitation services, and broader access to AT require further strengthening. Barriers related to awareness, stigma, geographic access, and gender inequality continue to affect children, especially girls and children with disabilities.

Recognizing these needs, the Government of Fiji responded to ATscale’s 2024 initiative, Scaling up Access to Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Services for School-Aged Children in Pacific Island Countries. Through the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), Fiji successfully progressed through the competitive selection process, demonstrating its commitment to inclusive health and education systems.

The programme is built on strong government leadership and multisectoral collaboration to strengthen assistive technology and rehabilitation systems, expand access to services, and enhance workforce capacity. By bringing together the health, education, rehabilitation, and disability sectors, it aims to improve health, learning, and participation outcomes for children across Fiji.

Job Description

The implementation of this programme will be undertaken through close collaboration with a broad range of government stakeholders across the health, education, disability, and development sectors. The programme will also engage the national disability-inclusive health and rehabilitation governance mechanism, the Assistive Technology Working Group, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and AT user representatives, government and NGO service providers supporting vision, hearing, mobility, and rehabilitation services, and other technical and development partners.

  1. Administration

    • Support MHMS to convene and manage the Technical Working Group, including meeting coordination, documentation, action tracking and inclusive multi-sectoral participation.

    • Coordinate implementation and progressive development of the annual national AT workplan, aligning ATscale-supported activities with wider government AT priorities.

    • Support integration of AT into relevant health, education, rehabilitation and social-sector policies, plans and programmes.

    • Support meaningful participation of OPDs, AT users, parents and carers in governance, planning and programme implementation.

  2. AT System Strengthening
    • Support development of AT briefing/policy note to inform advocacy, government financing dialogue and sustainable co-financing for assistive products and services.
    • Support development or adoption of a national Assistive Product List informed by relevant national processes.
    • Support government and partners to strengthen procurement and supply-chain planning, including needs assessment, product specifications, sourcing, distribution, stock management, maintenance and monitoring.
    • Support improvements to routine AT information systems and service-provider data collection, analysis and reporting, including use of disaggregated data by sex/gender, age and location.

    • Ensure programme data management follows MHMS and Ministry of Education requirements, including data sovereignty, consent, ethical clearance and authorisation requirements.

  3. Service Readiness, Workforce and Models of Care

    • Coordinate with government, NGO and technical partners to assess service-provider readiness and support service planning across vision, hearing and rehabilitation.
    • Support procurement and readiness of essential equipment and assistive products required for programme service delivery.
    • Coordinate workforce capacity-building activities, including training, technical assistance, supervision and mentoring for relevant health and education personnel.
    • Support mapping, development and dissemination of inclusive models of care, clinical pathways and referral mechanisms from screening and identification through assessment, provision and follow-up.
    • Promote integration of AT and rehabilitation within primary, secondary and tertiary health services and relevant education systems.
  4. Assistive Product Service Delivery
    • Coordinate planning and ensure implementation of integrated vision and hearing screening in schools and community settings, including referral and follow-up arrangements.
    • Support screening and referral approaches for children in mainstream and specialist schools and for school-aged children reached through community outreach.
    • Coordinate with service providers on assistive product assessment, prescription, fitting, user education, follow-up, maintenance and repair, including outreach to provinces and outer islands.
    • Support measures that facilitate access to secondary and tertiary care for children and families who may otherwise face geographic, disability, gender or socioeconomic barriers.

    • Coordinate public, school and community AT awareness activities and development of accessible information, education and communication materials.

  5. Programme Management, Monitoring and Reporting

    • Coordinate day-to-day national implementation of ATscale-supported activities in line with approved workplans, budgets, targets and timelines.
    • Coordinate implementing partners, visiting technical teams, government counterparts and programme logistics.
    • Track programme outputs, service coverage, referrals, assistive product provision and follow-up, and support timely resolution or escalation of implementation issues.
    • Monitor expenditure and support compliance with applicable financial and donor requirements.
    • Prepare timely programme and government reports and contribute to Consortium reporting, learning, documentation of good practice and programme adaptation.
    • Ensure safeguarding, GEDSI, disability inclusion, child protection, ethical practice and accessibility are embedded across programme activities.

Educational and experience requirements:

Education

Essential: Bachelor’s degree public health, rehabilitation sciences, disability studies, health management, education or a related field.
Desirable: Advanced university degree in public health, rehabilitation sciences, disability studies, health management, education or a related field.

Experience

Essential: At least five years' relevant experience in programme/project coordination within government, a development organisation or a comparable setting; demonstrated experience in coordinating multi-sectoral stakeholders, workplans and implementation activities.
Desirable: Experience in disability inclusion, rehabilitation and/or assistive technology; demonstrated experience supporting vision, hearing and mobility/rehabilitation service delivery and referral systems; demonstrated experience in assistive product procurement, supply systems or health information systems. experience applying GEDSI, safeguarding and rights-based approaches in programme delivery.

Technical skills and knowledge

  1. Knowledge of Fiji's health and/or education systems.

  2. Experience in monitoring, reporting and budget/financial coordination.

  3. Strong communication, advocacy, organisational and problem-solving skills.

  4. Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills across government, civil society and development partners.

  5. Ability to coordinate complex, multi-sectoral implementation while maintaining national ownership.

  6. Strong planning, monitoring, analytical and reporting skills.

  7. Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

  8. Commitment to disability inclusion, gender equality, child safeguarding, accessibility, cultural diversity and ethical practice.

Competencies

  1. Technical Expertise
  2. Overall attitude at work
  3. Teamwork
  4. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
  5. Communication

Languages

Essential: Written and spoken fluency in the English language.
Desirable: Fluency in the iTaukei language is an asset.

Details of the proposed position:

  • Salary for this role will start from FJD 32,999.24 to FJD 53,034.50 (equivalent to the Fiji Govt. Band G, Step 1-7), based on qualifications and experience.
  • Duration of contract: 12 months initially, with potential extension.
  • This role is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by Fiji nationals recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.

  • Alternatively, applicants who face technical issues accessing the portal can submit a cover letter and a detailed CV, with the subject line “2604356: SSA - National Assistive Technology Coordinator” via email to dpsrecruitment@who.int, addressed to:
    The Team Coordinator
    Pacific Health Systems and Policy
    World Health Organization Office of WHO Representative
    Division of Pacific Technical Support
    Suva, Fiji

Additional Information

  • 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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  • SSAs shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
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