SSA-Tobacco Control Public Health Officer (NOB)

Role Overview

This position strengthens Kenya’s national response to tobacco use by giving the Ministry of Health and its partners hands-on technical and programmatic help. The officer works across policy, regulation, surveillance, cessation, laboratory capacity, and county-level implementation so that tobacco control measures are not just adopted on paper but carried out, monitored, and adjusted using evidence. The work matters because tobacco remains a major driver of noncommunicable diseases, and better coordination under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control helps Kenya align its health promotion, primary care, and universal health coverage goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise the Ministry of Health on drafting, revising, and rolling out tobacco control policies, strategies, and regulations that reflect WHO FCTC obligations and international good practice, including rules on smoke-free spaces, advertising bans, packaging and labelling, taxation, and newer nicotine and tobacco products.
• Convene and support multi-sectoral coordination among government ministries, civil society, academic institutions, and development partners to keep tobacco control measures moving from commitment to implementation.
• Strengthen tobacco surveillance and research by supporting population surveys, tracking tobacco use patterns, analysing data for policy decisions, and preparing national reports required under the WHO FCTC.
• Provide technical assistance to make the Kenya reference laboratory for tobacco product testing fully operational, including support for its systems, processes, and use in regulatory compliance.
• Help the Ministry of Health design and deliver integrated tobacco cessation services within routine health care, working with diverse stakeholders to ensure quality and accessibility.
• Support multi-stakeholder alternative livelihood projects in selected counties, helping communities shift away from tobacco-dependent income sources.
• Build capacity at national and county levels through training materials, workshops, and technical guidance on enforcement, compliance monitoring, and integration of cessation into primary health care.
• Write technical briefs, policy notes, funding reports, and strategic papers for advocacy and resource mobilization, while ensuring tobacco control is embedded in wider NCD prevention, universal health coverage, and primary health care efforts, and carry out other related duties assigned by WHO management.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in public health, medicine, epidemiology, health policy, health promotion, global health, health economics, or a closely related field is required. A master’s degree in one of these areas is desirable.
• Additional training: Formal training in tobacco control, NCD prevention, public policy analysis, health law, or implementation science is an advantage. A postgraduate qualification with research or policy work focused on NCDs or tobacco control is also beneficial.
• Essential experience: At least five years of progressively responsible public health experience, including a minimum of three years focused on tobacco control, noncommunicable disease prevention, health policy, or public health programme management.
• Programme and policy skills: Demonstrated ability to analyse policy, plan and implement programmes, conduct monitoring and evaluation, and coordinate public health interventions.
• Government and stakeholder engagement: Proven experience working with national and county government institutions