Epidemiologist

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 117,124 USD and 153,365 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.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objective is to enhance the ability of all levels of the health system to detect and respond to diseases and hazards that cause high levels of death, illness and disability by providing timely and reliable information for taking action. This will subsequently lead to the reduction of the health consequences of serious public health emergenciesAs lead agency in the area of health, WHO works closely with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, other UN agencies and partners to improve the health outcomes for the people of Sierra Leone. The country has a number of pressing health challenges, including high rates of maternal and child mortality, a severe communicable disease burden, and a rising incidence of non-communicable diseases.The Ebola virus disease outbreak in 2014/15 presented a severe shock for the health system of Sierra Leone. A 24-month recovery phase is coming to an end in 2017 and the health sector is emerging from the emergency to a focus on delivering quality health services to the people. WHO is supporting this transition from Ebola to Health through work in four broad areas of work: (1) reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; (2) public health security and emergencies; (3) communicable and non-communicable diseases; and (4) health systems strengthening.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

i. Provide technical advice to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and partners, in the development and implementation of strategies and programmes related to the epidemiological needs for public health surveillance and response, within the context of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR).ii. Provide technical support to MOHS in cooperation with technical partners to develop surveillance guidelines, protocols, tools and standard operating procedures (SOP) for detection, verification and response to public health events.iii. Support MOHS to develop appropriate training plans for building the core surveillance, alert and response national capacities in accordance with the requirement for IHR 2005; provide trainings for MOHS staff at national and Sub national levels including Points of entry/cross border.iv. Conduct real-time analysis of outbreak intelligence data (multiple sources) on infectious diseases with other team members for epidemic forecasting and detection, use of data for monitoring of trends and Triggers (Alert and Action thresholds) and guide MOHS on data quality improvement as well as methodologies for performing Data Quality Audit (DQA).v. Provide technical support during field investigation, management of public health events as well as strengthening coordination through Public Health Management Committee (PHEMC).vi. Provide technical support to MOHS to carry out vulnerability assessment, risk mapping and development of preparedness / contingency plan.vii. Support strengthening/implementation of e-IDSR and Community Based Surveillance (CBS) for priority diseases, conditions and events.viii. Facilitate the national quarterly surveillance review meeting including the tracking of performance indicators related to the implementation of IDSR and IHR 2005ix. Support MOHS in the production of information products and reports including weekly bulletin, situation reports, and outbreak investigation reports, among others.x. Any other duty assign to by the Head of WHO, HSE Cluster Coordinator and the IDSR Technical Team Lead

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: First university degree in Medicine, Epidemiology, Public Health or Community Health with substantial training in Epidemiology. Desirable: An advanced university degree in Epidemiology, Public Health or Community Health

Experience

Essential: At least five years related experience at the national and international level in implementation of public health surveillance. Proven experience in implementation of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) and International Health Regulations (2005) is a requirement. Desirable: Experience in the areas of outbreak investigation and response for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in developing countries. Previous experience of working with UN Agencies and Ministry of Health (MOH) is an added advantage.

Skills

-Sound knowledge and skills in database management and statistical analysis, secondary data review, survey designing and implementation, monitoring and evaluation and public health information management.-Proven ability to multi-task across various planning and implementation processes within a highly demanding environment-Demonstrated knowledge, competency and professional skills on the public health aspects of infectious disease control, epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response with particular attention to application of an all hazard approach in the context of the International Health Regulations and the use of descriptive epidemiology and principles of public health in communicable disease surveillance and response.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Ensuring the effective use of resources Producing results

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable:

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 64,121 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2853 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

• 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.

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

• 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.

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

• 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 [email protected].

• 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.

• *For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.

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