Infection Prevention & Control Officer

Contract

This is a NO-B contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education. More about NO-B contracts.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objective of the Health Security and Emergencies Cluster is to contribute to the reduction of the health consequences of public health emergencies, natural disasters, conflicts and minimize social and economic impact in the African Region through prevention, early warning, early detection, and rapid and effective response operations in acute and protracted emergencies arising from any hazard with health consequences.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the guidance of the head of the WHO Country office in Sierra Leone, the supervision of the HSE team Lead, and the direct supervision of the IPC Team Lead, the incumbent, will:1. Provide guidance and relevant technical support to the national IPC unit and other stakeholders and ensure IPC priorities and activities are managed effectively within the overall COVID-19 response and in compliance with the National standard operating procedures and the WHO IPC core components 2. Assist national and district IPC officers in planning and executing assessments in health care facilities, preparing official reports and development of IPC/ WASH related action plans and strengthen capacity for emergency response and beyond.3. Collaborate with MOHS - National IPC Unit (NIPCU) in the facilitation and supervision of national and district level IPC in-service and on-the-job trainings, with follow on quality supportive supervision, mentorship and corrective actions, to ensure that trainings are more effective and result in sustained positive changes in knowledge, competencies, attitudes and practices4. Provide guidance in the development, implementation and monitoring of health care associated infections among health workers.5. Develop systems for the analysis, interpretation, and use of IPC surveillance data for public health policymaking and provide on-going technical support for IPC data collection and analysis6. Support roll out of Surgical Site Infections surveillance and neonatal sepsis surveillance in pilot facilities and facilitate feedback of surveillance results and reports to stakeholders7. Support facility assessments, training, and implementation of healthcare associated infections surveillance activities and implementation of multi-sectoral AMR activities8. Produce regular and written feedback to MOHS and other response actors, and report to the IPC lead. 9.Perform other relevant tasks as assigned by the IPC team lead

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in Nursing or any other Clinical discipline Experience in IPC training /teachingAdvanced IPC certificate Desirable: Master's degree in Public Health or equivalent from a recognized University or College

Experience

Essential: At least 2 years of experience in implementing and monitoring IPC practices at national or district level. Desirable: Experience in outbreak response

Skills

Strong technical skills and knowledge in the area of Infection Prevention and ControlSkills and ability to timely synthesize key components and working group outputs.Ability to build and promote partnerships across the organization and beyond. .Demonstrated ability to produce results, while respecting WHO's professional, ethical and legal framework

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Producing results Moving forward in a changing environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable:

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at SLL 253,561,000 (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 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.

• 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.

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

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.

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

• 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.