INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems.
ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.
Digital Services for Be Healthy Be Mobile (BHBM) Consultant
Vacancy notice no: 2341
Sector: BDT
Department: DNE
Country of contract: Remote
Duty station: Home Based
Position number: [[positionNumber]]
Grade: [[PositionGrade]]
Type of contract: Consultant
Duration of contract: 120 working days (starting date ASAP)
Recruitment open to: External
Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 23 June 2026
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT
The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is responsible for the organization and coordination of the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union. BDT deals mainly with development policies, strategies, programming, projects, as well as technical cooperation activities to enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs and Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. To effectively and efficiently serve the needs of Member States, BDT is organized into four functional areas:
- Operations Coordination Department (Office of the Deputy to the Director) (DDR)
- Projects, Partnerships & Digital Skills Department (PPS)
- Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE)
- Digital Knowledge Society Department (DKS)
The Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE) is responsible to assist the Member States, especially the G77 countries, in a wide range of ICT development challenges, as basic connectivity, spectrum management, evolution of current to future broadband networks and technologies, enabling universal and affordable access, and strengthening the security through the cybersecurity support. In addition, the DNE Department provides expertise and needed support for emergency telecommunications and the increasingly important and urgent aspects related to the environment and climate change.
Be He@lthy, Be Mobile (BHBM) is a global initiative led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that leverages digital technologies and mobile solutions to support public health objectives and improve health outcomes. The initiative works with governments and partners to design, implement, and scale digital health services that address non-communicable diseases and other public health priorities through mobile messaging, digital platforms, data-driven interventions, and health information systems. As the initiative evolves towards BHBM 2.0, the programme is transitioning to a secure, open, and AI-driven digital health platform designed to enhance scalability, interoperability, analytics, and country ownership. The consultant will support the programme and technical functions required for this evolution, contributing to the resource mobilisation, planning, design, coordination, and implementation of technical, operational, and governance processes that will enable the successful development and deployment of BHBM 2.0.
Under the guidance of the Head of Division for the Future Networks & Spectrum Management Access Division (FNS), within the Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE), the consultant will:
- Provide strategic oversight and technical execution for the Be Healthy Be Mobile (BHBM) 2.0.
- Scale into its 2.0 phase to address the global burden of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and risk factors through advanced ICT solutions based on solid foundational digital infrastructure approaches.
- Serve as the primary project lead for transitioning the program to an advanced digital ecosystem that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and big data for public health, primarily focused on NCD prevention and control.
- Provide program management, and oversight for the BHBM 2.0 project agreement, ensuring all milestones meet the project KPI’s.
- Manage the joint WHO-ITU Secretariat operations, facilitating the joint Steering Committee and cross-departmental coordination groups across the two organizations.
- Ensure timely completion and reporting of program progress to senior management, the Steering Committee, partners and donors.
- Lead the consultative process with WHO and partners to develop standardized, cross-cutting digital interventions, specifically AI driven conversational agents.
- Coordinate the development of technical publications or toolkits that document the approach on public digital infrastructure for NCDs.
- Foster collaboration with Ministries of ICT, Ministries of Health, private sector innovators and partners to ensure sustainable digital infrastructure.
- Represent the initiative at policy forums and meetings, advocating for cross-sectoral partnerships within the global agenda for digital technologies and health.
- Build national and regional capacity by providing technical advisory services for the implementation of country-focused digital health interventions.
- Provide operational, technical and project management support to the planning, implementation and coordination of digital services and applications activities.
- Plan, coordinate and monitor project activities in line with approved workplans, timelines and budgets, ensuring effective tracking of deliverables, milestones and risks.
- Prepare regular progress reports, activity updates and analytical inputs for management, donors and stakeholders, including consolidation of inputs from technical teams and regional offices of the International Telecommunication Union.
- Work closely with ITU regional and area offices to support implementation of digital services and application activities at regional and country level, ensuring alignment with regional priorities and effective coordination of activities.
- Contribute to quality assurance and continuous improvement by identifying operational, delivery and coordination challenges, and proposing practical solutions to improve effectiveness and impact.
- Support coordination across relevant BDT/DNE workstreams, including future network and spectrum, cybersecurity, emergency telecommunications and environmental sustainability, to ensure coherence and efficient use of digital services and applications.
- Support the effective delivery and reporting of digital services and applications activities within BDT when required.
- Support effective implementation and management of digital services and applications assigned by the hiring manager.
- Project management plan for BHBM2.0, including scope, schedule, resourcing, risk management, communication and quality assurance components.
- Detailed implementation workplans, updated on a quarterly basis, outlining milestones, dependencies, responsibilities and delivery timelines for BHBM 2.0 activities.
- Established project monitoring, including activity trackers, risk and issue logs, demand registers.
- Regular project status reports (RAG) produced and submitted to management, including monthly progress reports and quarterly consolidated updates covering delivery status, risks, issues, mitigation actions and resource utilisation.
- BAP KPI and results monitoring and reporting for digital services and applications projects, including indicators, baselines, targets and data collection, in collaboration with regional offices.
- Periodic KPI performance and results reports demonstrating progress against agreed BAP outputs and outcomes, including variance analysis and corrective action recommendations.
- Documented coordination mechanisms with ITU regional and area offices, including meeting records, consolidated regional inputs and tracked follow up actions supporting country level implementation.
- Stakeholder and partner management deliverables, including stakeholder meetings, engagement plans, meeting summaries and action trackers with Member States, partners and implementing entities.
- End of phase or annual project closure report summarising activities delivered, KPIs achieved, budget execution, lessons learned and recommendations for subsequent phases within BDT of the International Telecommunication Union.
- Resource mobilisation and advancement and scale of BHBM 2.0 for sustainability.
- Expertise in public health or digital health at the international level.
- Effective communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively within diverse teams and have sensitivity to multi-cultural multi-ethnic environment and respect for diversity.
- Expertise in project management, reporting, and budget management.
- Effective time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure and to meet short-term deadlines.
Education:
University degree in telecommunications, information and communication technologies, computer science, engineering, information systems, project management, international development or a related field OR education from a reputed college of advanced education, with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of a university degree in one of the fields above. An advanced degree would be an advantage.
Experience:
At least five (5) years of professional experience in public health or digital health at the international level is required, including experience working within the UN system and/or national government institutions and on noncommunicable disease (NCD) programmes. Experience in project management, including planning, implementation, risk management, monitoring of deliverables, and performance tracking. Proven experience in programs such as be Healthy be Mobile is required. Experience with results-based management and donor reporting is an asset. Experience working in international and multicultural environments and coordinating with regional offices, national counterparts, and external partners is highly desirable.
Languages:
Knowledge of English at advanced level. Knowledge of another official language of the Union (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) would be an advantage.
INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU career website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
