Technical Officer (Laboratory)

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 137,911 USD and 177,807 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 mission of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations.

WHE brings together and enhances WHO's operational, technical and normative capacities in outbreaks, emergencies and risk analysis to address all health hazards across the risk management cycle in a predictable, capable, dependable, adaptable and accountable manner. WHE is designed to operate within the broader humanitarian and emergency management architecture in support of people at risk of, or affected by, outbreaks and emergencies, consistent with ways that strengthen local and national capabilities.

The objectives of the programme area, Country Health Emergency Preparedness & IHR (CPI), includes the following: to monitor and evaluate country preparedness for health and humanitarian emergencies, to develop country capacity-building plan for countries with critical capacities and to act as the Secretariat of IHR (2005). The CPI prioritizes support to the most vulnerable and low capacity countries.

The intersectoral nature of emergency preparedness entails for CPI a large partnership with other international organizations and the consideration of several global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, emergencies and disasters, IHR (2005), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS Pathway), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, regional strategies such as the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (APSED III), the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR), the European health policy (Health 2020), and the regional strategies for disaster risk management. CPI coordinates its activities with international and national initiatives such as the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2030.

The Preparedness, Readiness and Core Capacity (PCB) is the main hub for technical support to WHO's regional and country offices in their effort to strengthen intersectoral national capacity for the early detection, timely and effective response, to public health emergencies as required under the IHR (2005). Working closely with the other WHE staff, the PCB ensures that needs listed in national action plans are translated into targeted capacity building in the priority/vulnerable countries.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilites:

1. Coordinate and implement activities related to the strengthening of the regional and national laboratory systems for detection and characterization of emerging and other infectious diseases of major public health interest in line with the requirements of APSED III and IHR (2005).

2. Work with Member States and regional partners to build effective national and regional laboratory networks. Improve laboratory quality management systems, perform/participate in laboratory evaluations, training, and laboratory External Quality Assessment programme.

3. Assist national counterparts with the development of protocols for collection, storage and shipping of laboratory specimens within country and to international reference laboratories.

4. Provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to national reference laboratories for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

5. Provide oversight, technical assistance and capacity-building to establish, strengthen and expand the regional genome sequencing surveillance network in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

6. Liaise with national laboratories and international/regional reference laboratories including WHO Collaborating Centres.

7. Respond to outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases and public health emergencies in collaboration with UN agencies and partners, supporting Member States to strengthen the laboratory-based component of outbreak investigations.

8. Strengthen capacity of national laboratories and improve access of subnational laboratories for the identification of AMR in human pathogens, including use of whole genome sequencing where appropriate.

9. Provide technical support for laboratory systems strengthening in line with APSED III, taking an all-hazards approach and, where appropriate, applying the One Health approach.

10. Act as the regional focal point providing advice on new technologies for regional and global activities related to laboratory investigations of outbreaks of emerging and other infectious diseases and public health emergencies.

11. Coordinate the development of tools, guidelines and policies and other laboratory-related documents to strengthen laboratory capacity in the Region.

12. Upon request, provide technical support, backstopping and gap-filling for emergency activities at any level of the Organization or scale of emergency.

13. Perform other related duties, as requested by supervisor, including provision of support to other areas of work and teams or programme areas within the WHE, as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Advanced university degree in the area of health laboratory services or related field. Desirable: Advanced degree or training in public health, epidemiology, infectious diseases or molecular biology. Certified training or qualification in laboratory techniques and/or biosafety.

Experience

Essential: At least seven years of practical and operational application and management of laboratory services, laboratory diagnosis of communicable diseases at public health or clinical laboratories including exposure at the national and international levels. Relevant experience in infection control, outbreaks and/or health emergency response.

Desirable: Experience of working in a public health laboratory. Experience in planning and conducting training activities. Experience in developing country setting in the area of surveillance and response to emerging and/or re-emerging diseases. Previous relevant international experience in working for WHO in a developing country context. Previous work experience in Asia is an asset.

Skills

-Excellent knowledge in microbiology and its applications for laboratory diagnosis and outbreak investigation.

-Knowledge of international public health laboratory systems including quality systems and external quality assessment schemes, especially in developing countries.

-Knowledge of the One Health approach to infectious diseases and its concepts.

-Ability to assess laboratory capacity and to find solutions to fill gaps.

-Ability to establish collaborations and mobilize partnerships to strengthen and expand networks, including the regional genomic surveillance network.

-Planning, management and analytical skills, with the ability to foster consensus and team spirit.

-Ability to work flexibly, autonomously and efficiently, in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to adapt to shifting priorities.

-Demonstrated ability to use and make sense of complex data and/or information to effectively solve problems and contribute to public health decision-making.

-Strong writing skills including for presentations, proposals, concept notes, reports and other documents.

-Excellent communication, interpersonal and diplomatic skills.

-Experience synthesizing information and communicating effectively in a timely manner to broad and diverse audiences.

-Strong commitment to international health.

-Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse cultural and educational background and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond Ensuring effective use of resources

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of written and spoken English. Desirable: Working knowledge of other UN language is an advantage.

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 3096 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.