Medical Officer

Overview

Provide authoritative advice for leprosy control and health integration.

You have:

• Bachelor's degree in medicine and master's degree in public health or related field.
• At least ten (10) years of experience in leprosy control activities.
• Expert knowledge of English.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and provide high quality technical advice to the countries.
• Ability to plan, design and implement public health programmes.

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 110,869 USD and 138,944 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 main objective of the Global Leprosy Programme is to further reduce the burden of leprosy in all Member States, with particular focus on the disease burden (including new and existing disease and leprosy-related disabilities) towards interruption of transmission and elimination.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Director and the direct supervision of the Team Leader (Global Leprosy Programme), the Medical Officer is responsible for following:

1. Working in close collaboration with leprosy experts, provide authoritative advice to Member States to implement WHO's Global Leprosy Strategies (2016‒2020 and post-2020), parts relevant for leprosy of the NTD Roadmaps (2012‒2020 and 2021‒2030) and other WHO documents (including but not limited to those related to primary health care and universal health coverage);

2. To provide technical support to national leprosy programmes in the development of country-specific plans for further reducing the leprosy disease burden, in priority countries, in collaboration with WHO Regional and Country Offices, and coordinate activities at country level with partners working in the field of leprosy;

3. To actively support the development of global plans for leprosy control and mobilize resources to implement these plans in relevant priority countries;

4. To develop innovative approaches, adapting them to individual country needs, integrate leprosy services into the national health policies of Member States;

5. To evaluate results of field programmes and projects in endemic countries, with emphasis on countries reporting large number of cases annually, countries with identified hot spots for leprosy or countries with particular characteristics (e.g. post-conflict);

6. To identify sub-national areas where further efforts are required, identify benchmarks of successful implementation with a view to implement similar projects in other areas where indicated, including the development of toolkits and to support and advise Member States, national programmes and partners regarding the planning, implementation and subsequent evaluation of such campaigns and projects;

7. To monitor results and progress towards the reduction of the leprosy burden at the global, national and sub-national levels, and to prepare technical reports for publication in the annual reports on global leprosy situation;

8. To foster the development of collaborative linkages with key stakeholders in all WHO Regions, enlisting their support and expertise to facilitate the implementation of leprosy activities in countries, and assisting them in the integration of leprosy services within the general health care system;

9. To develop and strengthen networks to promote awareness in Member States and to identify opportunities for collaboration with research institutions to promote collaborative research on leprosy;

10. Addressing leprosy related social issues like reduction of stigma and discrimination against persons and communities affected by leprosy, promote community participation in leprosy services, prevent leprosy-related disabilities and promote community-based rehabilitation; and

11. To take on any other related responsibilities as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Bachelor's degree in medicine and master's degree in public health or related field. Desirable: Epidemiology or communicable diseases preferably at a doctorate degree level.

Experience

Essential: At least ten (10) years of experience in leprosy control activities, communicable or infectious diseases, including development and implementation of programmes related to communicable diseases prevention and control, with considerable experience obtained in an international context.

Skills

• Thorough knowledge of epidemiology and control aspects of leprosy.
• Ability to plan, design and implement public health programmes.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and provide high quality technical advice to the countries.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Ensuring the effective use of resources
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

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 90,664 (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 2697 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 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 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.

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

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. 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.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

Potential interview questions