Roster of consultants – Statistics and mathematical modelling for the Global Tuberculosis Programme

Purpose of consultancy

To provide expertise in statistics and mathematical modelling to contribute to the core work of the TB Monitoring, Evaluation and Strategic Information Unit (TME) of the Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB).

Background

TME is one of three units within the GTB of the World Health Organization (WHO). The unit has three major areas of work, framed within WHO’s End TB Strategy. These are:

1. Leading global monitoring and reporting of the TB epidemic and progress in financing and implementation of response efforts, in the context of global TB commitments, strategies and targets, the annual WHO global TB report is one of GTB’s flagship products.
2. Providing normative guidance, global tools and specialized technical assistance to support countries to monitor the burden of TB disease and the performance of TB services through national TB surveillance systems and periodic national surveys, and to analyse, report and use the resulting data.
3. Providing normative guidance, global tools, specialized technical assistance and global syntheses of evidence related to TB economics and financing, to support countries to plan, design and fund TB services and reduce costs faced by TB patients and their households.

To contribute to these three major areas of work, TME periodically needs to draw on external expertise in statistics and mathematical modelling.

Deliverables

• Output 1: Results and documentation of methods (including code and source data) from analyses requiring a high level of statistical and/or mathematical modelling expertise, which are needed for the core work of GTB/TME. Deliverable 1.1: Deliverables for a given consultancy may vary but will include at least one of the following:

  • Estimates of TB disease burden (incidence and mortality) at country level, with accompanying documentation necessary to understand the methods used (e.g., source data, assumptions, underlying code).
  • Disaggregated estimates of TB disease burden at global, regional and country levels (e.g., by age and sex), with accompanying documentation necessary to understand the methods used (e.g., source data, assumptions, underlying code).
  • Estimates of the incidence of drug-resistant TB at global, regional and country levels, with accompanying documentation necessary to understand the methods used (e.g., source data, assumptions, underlying code).
  • Analyses of datasets from TB surveys (e.g., national surveys of TB prevalence, drug resistance, and costs faced by people with TB and their households) or other studies, with accompanying code and source data.
  • Projections of TB disease burden at global, regional or country levels, with accompanying documentation necessary to understand the methods used (e.g., source data, assumptions, underlying code).

• Output 2: Expert guidance related to statistics or mathematical modelling provided to support the core work of GTB/TME. Deliverable 2.1: Deliverables for a given consultancy may vary but could include:

  • Expert contributions provided to country consultations on TB disease burden estimates convened by TME.
  • Advice on how statistical or modelling analyses should be designed and analysed. This advice may relate (but is not necessarily limited to) national surveys of TB prevalence, drug resistance, and costs faced by people with TB and their households.
  • Advice on methods used by WHO for production of TB disease burden estimates, including those specifically related to the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Output 3: Contributions provided to documents that provide WHO normative guidance related to TB surveillance and surveys, or the annual global TB report, that require statistical or modelling expertise. Deliverable 3.1: Deliverables for a given consultancy may vary but will could include:

  • Content required for chapters of WHO normative guidance (e.g., whole chapters, subsections of chapters, annexes) related to the design, analysis and reporting of national TB surveys.
  • Content required for the technical appendices of the annual global TB report.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• For Band level B: Advanced university degree in statistics or mathematics (or closely related, highly quantitative subject).
• For Band level C: Advanced university degree in statistics or mathematics (or closely related, highly quantitative subject).

Experience

Essential:

For Band level B:

• At least seven years of relevant professional experience as a statistician or mathematical modeler, including at least five years of recent experience in a university or equivalent research environment, and substantive analytical work related to TB data.
• Professional experience that includes working with data from multiple countries (beyond home country).
• Strong publication track record in peer-reviewed journals (lead or co-author of at least 25 publications), including several articles related to TB.

For Band level C:

• Over ten years of relevant professional experience as a statistician or mathematical modeler, including at least five years of recent experience in a university or equivalent research environment and substantive analytic work related to TB data.
• Professional experience that includes working with data from multiple countries (beyond home country).
• Extensive track record in peer-reviewed journals (lead or co-author of >50 publications, including several articles related to TB).

Desirable:

• Experience in contributing to the work of WHO’s Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement.
• Experience in contributing to the production of TB disease burden estimates for publication in WHO’s Global TB Report.
• Experience in working directly with national TB programmes.
• Experience in using version control software such as Git and Github.
• Experience in approaches to survey design and data analysis for national surveys of TB prevalence, national surveys of anti-TB drug resistance, or costs faced by people with TB and their households.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

• Excellent statistical and/or mathematical modelling skills, including an expert level of proficiency in at least one of the following: Stata, R, Matlab, Python or C .

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off-site – Home based.

Travel

The consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

• Band level B - USD 350 - 499 per day or USD 7,000 - 9,980 per month.
• Band level C - USD 500 - 625 per day or USD 10,000 - 12,500 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

1 to 11 months.

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• 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.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: <https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html>

For roster VNs:

The purpose of this vacancy is to develop a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in this advertised roster. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) upon conclusion of the selection process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection to a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.