Advisor, Health Information and Analysis

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 154,831 USD and 199,622 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 Department of Evidence and intelligence for Action in Health (EIH) is responsible for leading the Organization into a full fluid cycle that begins with the production and availability of quality basic and disaggregated data and the strengthening of information systems and digital transformation for health as fundamental pillars, the subsequent ethical use of data to produce health intelligence through analysis, modelling, forecasting, and data science to guide decisions and actions in health, knowledge generation and management to improve the access, use, and sharing of evidence in health, the prioritization of research agendas and resources to respond to Regional priorities, and culminating with knowledge translation to support evidence-based decisions and policy making in public health, including the implementation of research policy and bioethics programs and the management of the Pan American Journal of Public Health.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Health Analysis and Equity Metrics (EIH/HA) and the general supervision of the Director, Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health (EIH), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a) Provide statistical and analytical expertise, technical guidance and strategic direction to support evidence-based decision making in addressing critical public health priorities among Member States;

b) Lead the analysis of projects using quantitative and qualitative techniques on disease incidence, prevalence, cause-of-death data, and epidemiologically relevant diseases and events to inform Member States and the Organization’s technical entities in prospective planning;

c) Manage large data sets from a variety of data sources using programming skills, data analysis tools, and statistical software, including Excel, SQL, Python, R, Stata, SAS, SPSS, and others;

d) Collaborate and provide advice and guidance on public health epidemiological surveillance and analysis, with a focus on generating actionable data for decision making and building capacity in this area;

e) Advise on promoting the statistical use of the Family International Classifications (FIC) and the International Classification of Disease (ICD), in the analysis of morbidity and mortality data with the aim of improving vital statistics and health data quality and coverage in the Region;

f) Lead and collaborate with others on research project design and execution in using vital and health statistics;

g) Produce concept papers, preliminary analyses, and briefings to support the generation of health intelligence through the use of data analytics and business intelligence throughout the Organization and in Member States;

h) Provide Member States with technical cooperation to develop and implement methodologies and techniques to integrate data and analysis as part of the routine decision-making process, tailoring information to non-technical audiences when relevant;

i) Generate analytical reports, charts, tables, figures, presentations and other materials (including manuscripts, publications for printed and/or online dissemination, presentations, fact sheets, etc.) tailored towards different audiences based on the interpretations of the conducted analyses;

j) Tailor key messages to effectively communicate analytical findings and recommendations to colleagues, officials, and the general public;

k) Participate in the development of standards to increase comparability and validity of international health statistics;

l) Advise on and coordinate the collection and dissemination of relevant technical and scientific information to ensure technical excellence in all materials produced for their inclusion in the initiative;

m) Gather, process, and organize necessary input data (structured and unstructured), utilizing data from UN interagency estimates, surveys, administrative data, and other metadata;

n) Collaborate closely with PAHO technical teams to conduct analyses to assess the potential impact of policy and intervention options on the disease burden, factoring in costs, policy options, time, etc.;

o) Contribute to other analytical efforts of the EIH Department, including SDG monitoring, health equity monitoring, the Health in the Americas project, strengthening Information Systems for Health (IS4H), among others;

p) Promote the mobilization of national and international (human and financial) resources in support of the Department’s programs and/or projects at the regional, subregional, and national level;

q) Participate in the preparation of the Department’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP), budget and technical evaluation reports;

r) Review, produce and/or update training materials and other technical documents related to the application of statistical methods in public health;

s) 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;

t) Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in a health, social science, or quantitative-related discipline and a master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, demography, health economics, biostatistics, statistics, data science, mathematics, international public health, or in any of the areas related to the functions of the position, from a recognized university.

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 conducting complex statistical health analyses; monitoring global public health indicators such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inequalities in health. Experience managing and analyzing large datasets from health and related areas using analytical software such as SAS, SPSS, STATA, and coding languages such as R, and Python.

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: Write effectively/Share knowledge - 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 - 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:

− Technical expertise in evaluation of national vital statistics systems and the development and implementation of strategies to improve data quality and coverage.

− Demonstrated ability to apply complex analytical techniques to public health issues using large data sets from various sources, including from non-health sectors such as education, agriculture, democracy and governance, environment, among others.

− Proven experience in applying research methodologies and statistical techniques (e.g., regression models, time series analysis, probability distribution models, etc.)

− Excellent knowledge of the principles and recent developments in epidemiology and public health surveillance.

− Expertise and skills in health situation analysis.

− Expertise in transforming analyses into briefing documents and other technical and policy materials for senior leadership within the Organization and for PAHO Member States.

− Strong professional oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across multi-disciplinary areas, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization, making use of appropriate data visualizations and reporting technologies. − Demonstrated skills in coordinating the preparation and compilation of technical materials and written outputs for inclusion in publications or other health or social science-related initiatives.

− Expertise in analyzing morbidity and mortality data, cost and economic data, and social determinants of health to generate health intelligence.

− Demonstrated experience in applying business intelligence to strategic approaches to improving public health

Languages:

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

IT Skills:

Demonstrated expertise to effectively utilize statistical software programs such as STATA, SAS, SPSS, R, Excel, and other related programs is essential. 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

REMUNERATION

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

USD $77,326.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 63.5% 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.