Technical Officer

Overview

Provide technical guidance for polio eradication efforts globally

You have:

• University degree in medicine and Master's level degree in public health, epidemiology, related science or health discipline
• At least seven years of relevant experience with international exposure in public health including developing country settings, out of which at least 4 years in disease eradication, immunization, or infectious disease control
• Expert knowledge of English
• Intermediate knowledge of French
• Intermediate knowledge of Arabic
• Good knowledge of public health and epidemiology, with broad practical knowledge of public health, infectious disease surveillance and control
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with governments, and in field conditions

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 122,991 USD and 158,572 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.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

SUCCESSFULL CANDIDATES MIGHT BE CONSIDERED ON TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

To eradicate poliomyelitis due to wild or vaccine related poliovirus. Complete the interruption of wild poliovirus transmission globally, and more rapidly detect and interrupt any new outbreaks due to wild or vaccine-derived polioviruses.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

1. Provide technical guidance for coordination and planning of Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIA) planning in endemic and outbreak-affected countries as well as SIA activities to reduce vulnerability in countries at high risk of outbreaks.

2. Plan and prioritize allocation of vaccine supplies, funding, and human resources based on thorough understanding of risks and poliovirus situation and in close coordination with HQ, countries and partners.

3. Provide effective response to any importation of wild poliovirus or outbreak of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus in previously polio-free areas through planning, implementation, and coordination with GPEI partners for response to outbreaks in accordance with global guidelines.

4. Conduct and administer three-and six-month assessments of status of outbreaks, effectiveness of response and the likelihood of continuing transmission.

5. Monitor progress and identify risks in countries or sub-regions assigned. Identify constraints to polio eradication in priority countries and areas and support the development of plans of action to overcome those constraints.

6. Promote activities to enhance Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance, including rapid surveillance assessments, development of action plans to improve surveillance, evaluation of the impactof these plans, and training/orientation of national and sub-national staff.

7. Develop guidelines and other tools that provide evidence and advice on the best practice strategies for interrupting poliovirus transmission and conducting AFP surveillance.

8. Promote and monitor in-depth analysis of polio priority areas to understand the root causes for continuing poliovirus transmission, the proposed strategies to address the problems, and the progress of the programme in implementing these strategies.

9. Identify training needs, evaluate and document outbreak response activities to ensure that all lessons learned are effectively incorporated into current best practices.

10. Develop and manage approaches in assigned countries that can achieve polio eradication while contributing to strengthening routine immunization systems.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in medicine and Master's level degree in public health, epidemiology, related science or health discipline Desirable:

Experience

Essential: At least seven years of relevant experience with international exposure in public health including developing country settings, out of which at least 4 years in disease eradication, immunization, or infectious disease control. Desirable: Significant experience with polio eradication programmes and in the management of large-scale public health programmes involving immunization. Working experience with international organizations and/or non-governmental organizations.

Skills

Good knowledge of public healthand epidemiology, with broad practical knowledge of public health, infectious disease surveillance and control, vaccine science, immunization and disease eradication policies and strategies and their application in developing countries. Strong ability and experience with analysis of surveillance, immunization monitoring and epidemiologic data.

Strong technical writing and analytical skills.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively with governments, and in field conditions.

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

WHO global Competencies model at http://www.who.int/employment/WHO_competencies_EN.pdf?ua=1

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of Arabic .

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 74,913 (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 2834 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 or on temporary appointment.

• 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.

• 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