Junior Healthy Lifestyles Officer

** Deadline to apply is 16 June 2026 **
Description of assignment title
Junior Healthy Lifestyles Officer
Assignment country
Viet Nam
Duty stations
Hanoi
Host entity
WHO Vietnam
Modality
Onsite
Type
National
Volunteer category
Associate
Work schedule
Full-time
Number of Assignments
1
Work location
On UN premises
Expected start date
[protected info]
Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)
Context
This UN Volunteer assignment is part of WHO Viet Nam's strengthening of strategic communication by providing support to the office's The Healthy Lifestyles and Environment (HLE) Team.
Viet Nam has been a Member State of the World Health Organization (WHO) since 17 May 1950. WHO was among the first United Nations agencies to provide direct support to the Vietnamese health sector following the end of the war and national reunification. A WHO Country Office was established in Hanoi in 1977, and for decades, WHO staff have worked closely with the Government and people of Viet Nam to strengthen health systems and improve population health outcomes.
The Healthy Lifestyles and Environment (HLE) Team plays a central role in WHO Viet Nam's work to prevent disease and promote health across the life course. The team supports the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), and other Government Agencies, as well as works with a wide range of national and international partners on priority areas including noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention, tobacco and alcohol control, nutrition and physical activity, injury prevention, promoting healthy settings, environmental health, and climate change and health. Through this work, the HLE team contributes directly to advancing universal health coverage, strengthening primary health care, and reducing avoidable health risks.
WHO Viet Nam's HLE work aligns closely with national priorities, including the Healthy Viet Nam Programme, the National Strategy on NCD Prevention and Control, the National Nutrition Strategy, the National Child Injury Prevention and Control Programme, National Strategy for Ensuring Traffic Order and Safety, National Program on School Health, among others.
A strong emphasis of the HLE team's approach is prevention first and people-centred action, informed by public health evidence and behavioural insights. The team integrates health promotion, risk factor prevention, and supportive environments into its technical work, while also leveraging communication and social and behaviour change approaches in collaboration with WHO Viet Nam's Communications for Health (C4H) function.
This UNV assignment forms part of WHO Viet Nam's efforts to strengthen the HLE team's capacity to support prevention-oriented policies, programmes, and partnerships, and to advance WHO's strategic priority of promoting healthier, safer, and more resilient communities across Viet Nam.
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the HLE Team Lead, working closely with the Technical Officers (working on NCD risk factors as well as injury and violence prevention), the Junior Healthy Lifestyles Officer will undertake the following tasks:
Task 1: Provide support for NCD risk factors prevention and control, including nutrition and tobacco control, as well as the school health program. This will include:
• Support for the nutrition program, including inputs for technical documents and coordination support for engaging implementing partners, and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities
• Support for public-facing events on tobacco control, especially when there is senior-level WHO representation.
• Support for the school health program, including preparation for meetings and workshops.
• Support monitoring of surveys when required.
• Support for translation of some documents when needed.
Task 2: Provide support for injury and violence prevention programs
• Support for the road safety program, including Viet Nam Project 2000 Partnership meetings, workshops, and events
• Support for the drowning prevention program.
• Support for the violence against children and women program.
Furthermore, Junior Healthy Lifestyles Officer is required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.