Advisor, Environmental Public Health

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 130,815 USD and 168,659 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health Department (CDE) promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation activities directed toward the surveillance, prevention, control, and elimination of communicable diseases, zoonosis and environmental determinants of health that are technically sound and appropriate for the political and sociocultural context in which they are implemented. It strives to achieve a sustainable impact on health by providing normative guidance, furthering the implementation of evidence-based interventions, and fostering alliances that strengthen country capacity, improve the effectiveness of inter-country collaboration, and facilitate policy and decision-making processes through improved health information coverage, analysis, and quality at all levels.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the technical guidance of the Director, Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health (CDE), the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health (CDE/CE), and the administrative supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative, the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Provide technical, policy, and strategic advice and programmatic direction for the development of technical cooperation strategies at the regional and subregional levels related to the establishment of essential environmental public health services such as climate-resilient access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, the sound management of solid waste, and the preparation and response to environmental contingencies, emergencies, and disasters;
2. Provide technical cooperation to strengthen the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, plans, programs, and activities related to delivering and sustaining essential environmental public health services to reduce the burden of diseases attributed to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), particularly focusing on health care facilities, and rural, rural-disperse, and marginalized communities;
3. Coordinate and ensure the timely response of CDE/CE to demands related to the international health regulations and cases of environmental public health emergencies and disasters in general;
4. Participate in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) cluster when activated in response to emergencies, and work collaboratively with other areas within and outside PAHO in the prevention and control of water and sanitation-related diseases, including the neglected tropical diseases and vector-borne diseases of relevance in the Americas;
5. Cooperate with Member States in the development and improvement of environmental public health surveillance systems, in particular, but not exclusively, related to water, sanitation, and hygiene;
6. Identity, promote, establish, maintain, and coordinate liaison across the Organization, within WHO and with other United Nations organizations, and in compliance with WHO guidance for engagement with third parties, foster collaboration with the academia, civil society, and any other sector of relevance to deliver WASH services in the Region of the Americas;
7. Support the development of human resources capacities on essential environmental public health services in national institutions;
8. Mobilize political, technical, and financial resources to support and expand regional, subregional and national programs and activities;
9. Coordinate the management of resources with CDE/CE to achieve the short, medium, and long-term objectives identified in PAHO’s Strategic Plan, managing specific portfolio activities, ensuring team-based project development, and the timely reporting of results, information, and analyses, and other programmatic and administrative documents as required by the function;
10. Direct and participate in the development of policies and their implementation and provide advice in relation to policy and procedures under the areas of responsibility;
11. Coordinate team-based project development and execution of the program of work and the preparation of the biennial work plan (BWP), related budgets and work plans, progress reports, periodic analytical reports to donors, and briefing books in coordination with CDE/CE;
12. When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities;
13. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A university degree in health, environmental science or engineering and a master’s degree in public health, environmental health, engineering, or any other discipline related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

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: Nine years of combined national and international experience in technical cooperation in institutions concerned with water and/or sanitation, and/or public health, and/or environmental health.

Desirable: Experience directly related to management, designing and/or implementing projects, plans, and programs to reduce the impact of disasters on the health and welfare of populations related to WASH services would be an asset.

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.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences****: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity – Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes 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.
• Teamwork****: Collaborate and cooperate with others – Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.
• 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.
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment****: Provide direction – Manages individual and group projects and ensures that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clearly defined, understood and accepted; delegates work appropriately to achieve best results.
• Producing Results****: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results – Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.
• Ensuring effective use of resources****: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well – Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.
• Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond****: Develop networks and partnerships and encourage collaboration – Builds and negotiates strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure Organizational results and success. Creates innovative opportunities for promoting synergies inside and outside the Organization to improve Organizational success.

Technical Expertise:

• Theoretical and practical knowledge in establishing and managing public health emergency response operations, including formulation of strategies, plans of action, project proposals, budgets and reports; familiarity with the international actors in emergency preparedness and humanitarian assistance.
• Practical expertise on technical issues related to water and sanitation during emergency and disaster situations, including the assessment of public health risks, and the development of mitigation plans and institutional management.
• Ability to identify priorities and develop strategies and activities to bring together all stakeholders and additional expertise needed to promote disaster response and preparedness.
• Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical, conceptual, interpersonal, and communication skills; demonstrated ability to identify, assess, analyze, synthesize, and provide recommendations on key political, technical, and administrative issues.
• Ability to integrate political, technical, and managerial inputs into recommendations for decision-making.
• Ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment and to re-prioritize actions on short notice.
• Strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of Spanish or English with a working knowledge of the other language. 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.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary****: (Net of taxes)

US $75,602 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 34.7% 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.