PURPOSE OF POSITION

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is based in Lyon, France.

The Early Detection, Prevention, and Infections (EPR) Branch focuses its research on the evaluation of multi-level/multi-component interventions (i.e. vaccination, screening) to decrease cancer incidence, improve cancer early diagnosis, and decrease cancer mortality in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) using implementation research frameworks. EPR studies will contribute towards WHO global cervical cancer and Hepatitis elimination targets for 2030, as well as WHO global breast cancer initiative targets.

The position will assist the Public Health Decision Science team in a range of different projects focusing on evaluating cervical cancer elimination in high and low- middle income countries (HICs and LMICs), accounting more specifically for the integration of HPV vaccination and HPV risk-based cervical cancer screening strategies. Furthermore, this will include the extension of the open-source IARC modelling platform (Modelling Tools for HPV Infection-related cancers) and the development of cervical cancer progression models to support global scale-up of cervical cancer prevention in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

1)      Assist the IARC’s Public Health Decision Science team by:

·        Developing and applying analytical modelling frameworks to assess effectiveness, screening-related harms, and cost-effectiveness of risk-based screening algorithms in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

·        Contributing to the development of relevant public health decision tools to facilitate health economic assessments of cervical cancer prevention.

·        Assisting in the extension of the IARC open-source integrated modelling platform for modelling the integration of HPV vaccination and HPV risk-based cervical cancer screening.

2)      Contribute to statistical modelling on IARC collected epidemiological and health economic data to project and/or evaluate the impact of cervical cancer prevention strategies.

3)      Support modelling studies to project and /or evaluate the impact of innovative strategies of cervical cancer prevention across high-, low-, and middle-income countries.

4)      Prepare scientific manuscripts and alternative communication material to disseminate studies’ results to scientific and non-scientific stakeholders.

5)      Identify key internal and external partnership opportunities to facilitate the research plans implementation.

6)      Supervise and guide students and trainees to strengthen the capacity of the public health decision science team.

7)      Contribute to grants proposal writing to stimulate research funding from direct or competitive sources for research related to cervical cancer prevention.

WHO COMPETENCIES

·        Producing results.

·        Teamwork.

·        Communication.

·        Technical expertise.

·        Creating an empowering and motivating environment.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential: 

·        Strategic, critical, and analytical thinking.

·        Scientific background in cancer prevention topics.

·        Ability to develop innovative approaches and solutions.

·        Advanced mathematical and statistical skills.

·        Excellent drafting and communication skills.

·        Mastery knowledge of public speaking techniques.

·        Proven track record in supervising students and/or trainees.

Desirable:  –

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Essential: PhD degree in Public Health or any other closely related discipline.

Desirable: Specialisation in cancer screening decision modelling. Additional qualifications in Statistics, Health Economics and/or Microsimulation modelling.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential: At least one year of professional experience in developing, adapting, or validating simulation models for assessing cancer burden and/or cancer control.

Desirable:

·        Post-doctoral experience.

·        Experience in cancer research in international organizations.

·        Experience in handling and analysing cancer registry databases.

·        Working experience in more than one large European research consortium.

·        Proven hands-on experience in developing, validating, and running cancer progression models and in reporting the results in scientific publications (at least 5 publications).

USE OF LANGUAGE SKILLS

Expert knowledge of English is essential, working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Other Considerations (e.g. Physical Workplace Condition, if other than normal office environment; IT Skills; etc.)

·        Advanced knowledge of statistical software R.

·        Programming experience in High Performance Computing (HPC)

·        Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 package.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 39,401 (subject to applicable deductions), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 1,953 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

·        Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

·        A written test and/or presentation/seminar may be used as a form of screening.

·        If 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. IARC/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. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

·        According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

·        Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules, and Manual noting that first year of fixed term contracts is a probationary period which maybe extended subject to performance evaluation.

·        For information on IARC’s operations please visit: https://www.iarc.who.int, and for more general information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

·        IARC/WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The IARC/WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

·        IARC/WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Participating States  https://www.iarc.who.int/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-iarc are strongly encouraged to apply for IARC/WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int.

·        An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. IARC/WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the IARC/WHO Values Charter https://www.iarc.who.int/about-iarc-who-ethics into practice.

·        IARC/WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the IARC/WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to IARC/WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment, and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, IARC/WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

·        IARC/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

·        IARC/WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to fully express and develop their talents.

·        The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

·        Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

·        Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with IARC/WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service.  Candidates appointed to an international post with IARC/WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.