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Qualifications

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (NMH) is responsible for promoting, coordinating, and implementing technical cooperation activities related to the prevention, control, and surveillance of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders, including their risk factors, disabilities and rehabilitation, road safety and unintentional injuries, as well as prevention of and response to violence in all its forms. NMH raises political, public, and professional awareness and helps policymakers, health authorities, practitioners, and communities understand the burden of the most common NCDs, their related risk factors, and associated conditions. NMH promotes multi-sector and multi-stakeholder strategies that strengthen the capacity of Member States to promote and protect health through public policies, programs, services and surveillance, that reduce risks, improve NCD prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and self-management support to reduce the disease burden and improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of the population.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (NMH) and the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Noncommunicable Diseases, Violence and Injury Prevention (NMH/NV), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a)   Provide technical support for NCD surveillance capacity building in Member States, and support the monitoring of the NCD targets and indicators in the Global and Regional NCD Action Plans and NCD relevant indicators in the PAHO Strategic Plan;

b)   Collaborate with health authorities to provide technical support for the implementation of national NCD population-based surveys, monitoring and reporting activities;

c)    Contribute to the development of facility based NCD surveillance and monitoring activities as part of the PAHO Initiative Better Care for NCDs: accelerating actions for NCDs through Primary Health Care; d) Support NCD data collection, analysis, and dissemination, and produce relevant NCD publications to promote the use of NCD information in planning and evaluation of national NCD policies and programs;

d)   Participate and assist in the planning and execution of regional meetings and technical country missions and meetings related to NCD surveillance and monitoring;

e)   Collaborate in the production of technical documents, factsheets, presentation materials, guides, tools and reports on NCD data and assist in disseminating information in the Region;

f)    Collaborate in the review and posting of NCD data through the PAHO ENLACE data portal; h) Support interprogrammatic collaboration to ensure NCD surveillance and data are an integral part of PAHO’s program of work;

i)            Collaborate on the operational planning, monitoring and evaluation of NCD surveillance project activities, as related to the PAHO Strategic Plan, biennial work plan (BWP), as well as donor funded projects;

j) Provide technical support in the preparation of new project proposals on NCD surveillance for resource mobilization;

k) Participate as a member of the NV Unit team, to contribute to the successful implementation of the Unit’s activities;

l) Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in a social science, statistics, epidemiology or any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized university.

Desirable: A master’s degree in public health, demography, biostatistics, epidemiology, survey methodology or a related field from a recognized university would be an asset.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an 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/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience:

Essential: Seven years of combined national and international experience working with population-based surveys, including noncommunicable disease surveillance.

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

·       Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

·       Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others/Deal effectively with conflict – Creates team spirit; promotes collaboration and open communication in the team; proactively supports others; welcomes team responsibilities and drives team results; promotes knowledge sharing in the team. Proactively identifies conflicts and facilitates their resolution in a respectful manner; tactfully resolves conflicts between or with others and takes action to reduce any possible tension; effectively builds a rapport with individuals and teams, establishing good personal and professional relationships, as well as minimizing risk of potential conflict.

·       Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity – Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

·       Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Listen/Write effectively/Share knowledge – Foresees communication needs of audience and targets message accordingly. Facilitates open communication; encourages others to share their views openly and takes time to understand and consider their views. Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

·       Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results/Take responsibility – Prioritizes work, monitors own progress against objectives and adapts plans as required; communicates adjustments as necessary. Acts proactively and stimulates action as needed; handles problems effectively and constructively. Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs. Works independently to produce new results and sets own timelines effectively and efficiently. Shows awareness of own role and clarifies roles of team members in relation to project’s expected results. Makes proposals for improving processes as required and takes responsibility for own work and/or actions, as necessary. Demonstrates positive attitude in working on new projects and initiatives. Demonstrates accountability for own success, as well as for errors; learns from experience.

·       Moving forward in a changing environment: Propose change/Adapt to change – Actively supports Organizational change initiatives and demonstrates personal commitment to them, including when faced with new demands; proposes workable solutions to challenging situations. Engages in positive responses to a changing environment and promotes workable solutions to achieve own and team’s results. Welcomes, and actively seeks to apply, new ideas, approaches and working methods and technologies in order to improve own and/or team’s work processes and results; demonstrates commitment to Organizational change initiatives.

Technical Expertise:

–      Technical expertise and skills on surveillance for NCDs and their risk factors.

–      Technical expertise in survey methodology, especially on population-based surveys.

–      Demonstrated ability in data analysis, and ability to synthesize information in a clear and articulate manner on NCD issues.

–      Knowledge and skills in project management.

–      Ability to mobilize resources, including conceptualizing and writing surveillance funding proposals.

–      Ability to coordinate execution of NCD surveillance activities.

–      Mature judgement, strong technical and analytical skills.

–      Excellent organizational skills combined with strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oralpresentations, and technical documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with working knowledge of the other. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential. Knowledge and proficiency in use of statistical packages such as STATA, EPINFO, SPSS and R. Visualization software such as Tableau and Power BI would be desirable.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $64,121.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment: 70.2% of the above figure(s).  This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).  Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post.  The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.