OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objectives of WHO’s emergency programme are to design and implement programs that prepare the health sector to deal with emergencies and improve health during and after crises. Within the emergency program, the objectives of WHO’s emergency response team are to support Member States by:

1.       Promptly assessing the health needs of populations affected by the crisis, identifying priority causes rehabilitation plans. This includes providing prompt, credible health information and ensuring the continuity of essential health services.

2.       Coordinating and monitoring emergency health relief efforts under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Health Cluster, of which WHO is the lead agency.

3.       Ensuring that critical gaps in the health response are rapidly identified and filled.

4.       Revitalizing of ill-health and death, preparing damage estimates, and developing emergency response; and

5.       Building the capacity of national health systems to deal with preparedness, mitigation, and response.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

In the context of the current emergency, the incumbent will play a crucial role in supporting emergency preparedness and response efforts by providing technical guidance and support in surveillance and outbreak response. During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified based on the technical needs of the program requirements.

To support the strengthening of the disease surveillance system for acute flaccid paralysis, polioviruses, measles, and other vaccine-preventable as well as selected non-communicable diseases, the incumbent will:

• Develop and/or adapt Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) for disease surveillance, case investigation, reporting, and response;

• Support the initiation of and guide outbreak investigation following Standard Operation Procedures;

• Work with relevant institutions and partners to develop/adapt training materials and to implement training on identified surveillance, investigation, reporting and response;

• Support the strengthening of laboratories for timely diagnosis of epidemic-prone diseases;

• Develop and apply monitoring and evaluation methods and materials;

• Cooperate with partners to plan, train and evaluate activities at subnational level;

• Collaborate with technical staff to secure sources of information and recommend work plans for medium- and long-term;

• Contribute content to the Epidemiological Bulletin and prepare and present updates on epidemiological status for different coordination meetings with all relevant partners and local actors/authorities;

• Prepare regular reports and updates on project implementation, including monitoring and resource management;

• Proactively participate in the development of project proposals to mobilize resources;

• Facilitate on bi-weekly basis the Surveillance, Outbreak Preparedness, and Response Taskforce – SOPR TF and ensure proper documentation and follow up of the taskforce meeting minutes and action points.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: First university degree in medicine or in public health and/or health-related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable: An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in epidemiology, statistics, database management or public health from an accredited/recognized institute.

Experience

Essential: At least five years’ experience in in quantitative epidemiology or public health programs in the area of surveillance, disease control, and immunization in humanitarian settings.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of WHO mandate and goals in Health Action in Crises or experience in UN organizations/agencies. Working experience in developing countries and/or emergency response.

Skills

• Technical and programmatic knowledge of the prevention and control of a range of communicable and/or noncommunicable diseases.

• Expertise to strategically plan, coordinate, and support the implementation of health programme interventions.

• Disease prevention and control.

• Knowledge of country situation in communicable and noncommunicable diseases.

• Health and safety regulations

• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

• Skills in developing and promoting collaborative multi-sectoral partnerships and mobilizing resources.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Communication

Producing results

Knowing and managing yourself

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Arabic/Turkish.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 47,857 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• 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/. 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.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The 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.

• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• 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. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• 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 WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to 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, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

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

• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• 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 express and develop their talents fully.

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

• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.

• In case the website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click this link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates