Technical Officer

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 137,951 USD and 180,636 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.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

Health emergencies continue to have significant and sometimes catastrophic impacts on countries' health, economies and development. Both recent and ongoing public health events have demonstrated that the many communities remain at the high risk, and that strong levels of national preparedness across all relevant sectors are crucial to ensuring the effective management of health emergencies, when they occur. They also illustrate the need for scaling up the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) that requires countries to build and maintain the capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, anchored on strong and resilient health systems. The Emergency Preparedness Division contributes to the implementation of the WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW 13) and is guided by WHO strategic priorities to “keep the world safe, improve health and serve the vulnerable”. The WHO strategic priorities drive the progress in health towards Universal Health Coverage, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and speaks particularly to SDG 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The Health Security Preparedness (HSP) department supports Member States in enhancing national preparedness across the IHR core capacities to manage all-hazard risks and emergencies, and to build multisectoral approaches for health security. It ensures that WHO supports Member States to build sustainable preparedness capacities and scale up the implementation of the IHR (2005), and support the implementation of the Sendai Framework, the WHO Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework, Paris Agreement on Climate Change and other related global and regional frameworks. The department also establishes strategic links to and supports the advancement of global initiatives such as GPMB, GHSA, EU ACP, Health and Security Alliance, Foreign Affairs for Global Health initiative and the UN System Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. HSP works with partners and the broader global heath security community to ensure that the most vulnerable communities in all countries are protected from the impact of health emergencies.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, and under the technical guidance of the senior staff in HAI, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following activities:

1. Analyze the current level of preparedness in the most vulnerable countries using country-specific data collected from IHR-MEF (JEE and SPAR in particular), OIE PVS Pathway, IHR-PVS National Bridging Workshops, and other relevant frameworks. This will enable a deeper assessment of the level of preparedness in countries, and the identification of needs for strengthening capacities at the human-animal interface. As relevant in this process, additional indicators of vulnerability can be proposed to better reflect risks in specific areas, e.g. associated with wild animal trade or live animal markets (to be conducted in close collaboration with relevant teams in WHO and with tripartite organizations (FAO, OIE, UNEP)).

2. Analyze the main drivers of disease emergence as it pertains to the vulnerability of countries hosting zoonotic disease prone areas. This includes but is not limited to reviewing of the state of knowledge on EID hotspots and the main drivers associated with the risk of emergence of zoonotic diseases and their relative importance. This work will be conducted in collaboration with other teams in WHE working on risk modeling and epidemiology of emerging diseases. Support the development of tools and building Country capacities based on findings.

3. Collect risk factors affecting countries vulnerability from existing analysis conducted by various units and departments of WHO (working on health systems, food safety, natural disasters and hazards, etc), FAO and other global initiatives, with specific emphasis on zoonotic diseases.

4. Work in close collaboration with WHO regional offices to propose capacity building options to countries for improving performance at the human-animal interface based on their individual vulnerability profiles. This includes but is not limited to facilitating the use of the Tripartite OTs (Joint Risk Assessment OT, Multisectoral Coordination Mechanism OT and Surveillance and Information Sharing OT), Response Preparedness tool (REPREP), and additional tools and resources developed by WHO. Work will also include the development of relevant training modules to be published online on WHO platforms.

5. Participate in the development and management of other technical projects with an animal-human interface component in close collaboration with WHO Regional and Country Offices.

6. Provide technical support during zoonotic events risk assessment and response.

7. Perform other related responsibilities, including replacing and/or backstopping.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

• University degree in veterinary medicine or public health.

Desirable:

• Post-graduate degree in health policy with a focus on the management of zoonotic diseases.

Experience

Essential:

• At least five years' experience on prevention, surveillance, detection and response to infectious zoonotic diseases of which some at international level.
• Experience on One Health and multisectoral assessments of performance and capacities of national systems.
• Experience in adult learning methods and implementation of training workshops at national/international level.

Desirable:

• Previous experience in working with UN agencies and other relevant international organizations.
• Experience in the development and management of multi-partners projects.

Skills

Knowledge of WHO, and the UN System work in the field of disease detection and response relief and/or of their practices and policy procedures as related to the work.

Expertise in the application of One Health to support collaboration at the human-animal interface in support of zoonotic disease preparedness and response. Open-minded, and able to understand different perspectives.

Excellent organizational and analytical skills with the ability to coordinate activities and manage multiple projects at the same time.

Excellent presentation and interpersonal communication skills.

Ability to write in a clear and concise manner, and to present factual information.

Good experience of training approaches.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Producing results Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of French.
• Intermediate knowledge of WHO language.

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 62,120 (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 4442 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.

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