Palliative Care Expert

Key Expert – Palliative Care Expert (Cat. II)

Project: Technical Assistance to the Syrian Ministry of Health – Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Governance.

Location: Damascus, Syria

Indicative Start Date: 9 December 2026

Implementation Period: 14 months (indicative end date: 9 February 2028)

NTU International is currently identifying qualified experts for the EU-funded project Technical Assistance to the Syrian Ministry of Health – Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Governance.

The assignment aims to support the institutional strengthening and governance capacities of the Syrian Ministry of Health, contributing to more effective institutional performance, evidence-based decision-making, accountability and sustainable capacity development.

In this context, we are seeking a highly qualified Key Expert – Palliative Care Expert (Category II) to provide technical assistance in strengthening oncology-related clinical protocols, medication safety, multidisciplinary coordination, clinical training and quality monitoring, while contributing to patient-centred care and the integration of palliative care considerations within health services.

Qualifications and Skills Required

• Master's degree in Public Health, Palliative Medicine, Nursing or a related clinical field.
• A medical degree with specialisation or advanced training in palliative care is strongly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, including sensitivity to the ethical and psychosocial dimensions of end-of-life care.
• Ability to design monitoring frameworks and quality indicators for palliative-care service delivery.

General Professional Experience

• Minimum 10 years of clinical or technical experience in medical oncology, including substantial direct experience in the development, harmonisation or revision of natl. or institutional systemic anti-cancer therapy protocols, particularly chemotherapy protocols.

Specific Professional Experience

• Demonstrated familiarity with current international cancer treatment guidelines (e.g. WHO Essential Medicines List for cancer, NCCN, ESMO) and their contextual adaptation to resource-constrained or fragile health systems.
• Proven experience developing or strengthening pharmacovigilance and medication-safety systems specific to chemotherapy administration, including adverse-event reporting, dose-verification protocols and safe-handling procedures.
• Experience designing structured clinical training for oncology teams (physicians, pharmacists and nursing staff) on protocol implementation, treatment sequencing and toxicity management.
• Experience developing monitoring and evaluation tools to track treatment adherence, clinical outcomes, protocol-related safety indicators across multiple oncology centres.
• Experience convening multidisciplinary technical working groups across oncology, primary care and nursing directorates.
• Professional experience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, or in post-conflict or early-recovery health systems, is considered a strong asset.

Language Requirements

• English: Excellent written and spoken command – mandatory.
• Arabic: Working knowledge is considered a strong asset.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply and upload your CV via LinkedIn or send to [Confidential Information]. Please note that only selected candidates will be contacted due to the large amount of applicants.