Director, Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination (CDE)

Contract

This is a D-1 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 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 219,059 USD and 276,430 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 Prevention, Control and Elimination (CDE) Department promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation activities directed toward the surveillance, prevention, control, elimination and/or reduction of communicable diseases and zoonosis, 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, fostering alliances that strengthen country capacity, improving the effectiveness of inter-country collaboration, and facilitating policy and decision-making processes.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director (D), and the direct supervision of the Assistant Director (AD), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Provide technical, policy, strategic and programmatic advice for the implementation of the Organization’s technical cooperation program of work related to Communicable Diseases; Zoonosis; Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control; Communicable Diseases’ Risk Factors and Food Safety
2. Advise Member States in identifying and implementing effective interventions aimed at the prevention, surveillance, control, and elimination of communicable diseases including, but not limited to, neglected tropical diseases such as onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis; vector-borne diseases such as malaria, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, dengue, chikungunya; zoonosis such as rabies and leptospirosis; foodborne diseases such as those caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites; HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections, while promoting the use of relevant global, regional and national health promotion programs and evidenced-based policies
3. Mobilize financial and technical resources and actively promote networking and the building of synergistic partnerships in support of the work of the Department
4. Advocate, both internally and externally, for communicable diseases to be maintained as a key priority on the regional and national political and development agenda
5. Lead and coordinate with different departments and partners on PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, an innovative, strategic interprogrammatic initiative to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030
6. Provide technical cooperation to Member States to reduce the risks caused by food transmitted diseases taking into account all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption, and ensure the fundamental pillars of a system of food safety are implemented including legislation, inspection, monitoring, diagnostic laboratories and education communication
7. Stimulate pertinent research and disseminate appropriate and relevant scientific, technical, and policy information, sharing experiences of successful practices from other countries in prevention, surveillance, control, and elimination of communicable diseases, zoonosis, and risk factors
8. Identify and mobilize financial resources including multi-year predictable grants to support program implementation, in collaboration with other Departments of the Organization and partners
9. Develop, define and establish the objectives, strategy, plan and budget of the Department in line with programmatic priorities and in accordance with Governing Bodies’ mandates; ensure that the strategies and objectives are aligned with the Organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, strategies, business needs and priorities in order to ensure continuing operations and maximize results; ensure that results and products delivered are aligned with the Organizational Strategy and make significant contributions for the achievement of the expected results and strategic objectives; report to Governing Bodies, through executive presentations and reports, on the status or results of the program of work
10. Identify, promote, establish, maintain, and coordinate liaison across the Organization, within WHO, with other United Nations organizations, the Inter-American System and with other partners including donor agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and civil society in order to maximize programmatic integration, efficiency and effectiveness
11. Administer, allocate and monitor the Department’s financial, logistical and staff resources; prepare, and justify the program and budget proposals included in the Biennial Work Plans and contribute substantially to the respective indicators in the Strategic Plan
12. Provide intellectual leadership to guide and mentor staff and motivate teams in a multicultural environment in order to ensure maximal responsiveness, high productivity and effective results; define the department’s personnel component including the departmental structure, competencies and terms of reference; initiate and recommend approval of personnel actions for all of the department’s staff and ensure guidance and monitoring of staff through setting of clear work objectives, use of performance reviews and feedback mechanisms, regular communications, and solving interpersonal or technical conflicts. Monitor workloads to ensure equitable distribution of work and maintain job satisfaction, efficiency and output and follow up on any deviation of work results from objectives
13. Promote a culture of ethical behavior and integrity in accordance with the Organization’s Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct in order to ensure a culture of respect, responsibility, accountability and compliance
14. Provide a stable managerial framework that demonstrates credibility, trust and value to Member States, clients and humanitarian and other donors, while optimizing staff performance; provide advice, when called upon, to institutions of Member States in the area of expertise
15. Direct and participate in the development of policies and their implementation and provide authoritative advice in relation to policy and procedures under the areas of responsibility
16. Perform other related duties, as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

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

Desirable: A PhD or D.PH would be an asset.

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): http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases http://www.chea.org and https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience****:

Essential: Fifteen years of combined national and international experience in progressively challenging managerial positions in communicable diseases, including the development and evaluation of policies and programs for prevention and control of communicable diseases, and the application of epidemiological methods to disease surveillance and public health program planning and evaluation.

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: 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: Advocates for collaboration across the Organization - Creates and encourages a climate of team- working and collaboration across the Organization; sees cooperation as a key Organizational priority and creates collaborative systems and processes to achieve Organizational goals. Actively identifies and tackles disagreements between internal and external counterparts that compromise the Organization’s goals and mandate; diplomatically facilitates the resolution of conflicts between others and ensures strategic partnerships with a range of key stakeholders; maintains and extends an effective collaborative network of individuals inside and outside the Organization.

Communication: Share knowledge - Articulates the Organization’s strategic objectives when formulating and delivering information and presentations and adapts presentation methodology to address the needs of different audiences. Shares decisions and directives of senior management and communicates them in a manner that ensures both understanding and acceptance; shares knowledge and best practice at the three Organizational levels (country, regional and global), as necessary.

Creating an empowering and motivating environment: Provide direction/Support, motivate and empower others - Oversees and provides teams and departments with clear managerial directions which are translated from Organizational strategy. Builds a performance culture in the Organization; contributes to setting Organizational performance goals and standards; monitors Organizational performance against milestones and strategic goals; identifies and nurtures talent as appropriate. Promotes autonomy and empowerment throughout the Organization; inspires enthusiasm and a positive attitude in people towards their work and contribution to the Organization’s success.

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.

Driving the Organization to a successful future: Constructive leadership style/ Set the vision and build commitment - Leads and develops a road map for successfully achieving real progress in the Organization’s mandate, including consultation with key stakeholders; demonstrates respectful, trustworthy, transparent and accountable behavior in order to develop a reliable and coherent identity for the Organization. Creates a coherent Organizational vision of shared and successful goals; fosters a culture of vision and long- term goals, recognizing and rewarding efforts to maximize the Organization’s value.

Technical Expertise:

• Technical: Extensive expertise at a senior decision-making level in public health and communicable diseases, including epidemiology, prevention, and control and considerable familiarity with other fields relevant to the Department’s responsibilities in particular in managing complex health programs/health systems at both national and international levels. Wide and varied knowledge of public health problems and health management processes, including monitoring and performance assessment in the health or social sector, and disciplines related to strategic planning.
• Managerial: Extensive expertise in senior, progressively responsible positions in the management of a large public or private administration of administrative and technical matters requiring sensitive negotiation, and high-level intervention. Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational, managerial and analytic work in health; resourcefulness, initiative, highly developed judgment and interpersonal skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas. Must further possess a recognized capacity to lead, strategize, and supervise by persuasion and through consensus building. Courtesy, tact, sensitivity to manage confidential information, and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different professional levels, discipline, nationalities, and cultural background.
• Administrative: Skills in resource mobilization (including fundraising and partner collaboration) and financial management for the delivery of expected results.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish 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 $106,023.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 63.5% of the above figure(s) figure(s) Variations may occur.

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 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.