Technical Officer (Laboratory Specialist)

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 134,294 USD and 175,847 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 Division of Country Health Programmes (CHP)assists country efforts to reduce the burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases and address the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, and promotes policies and actions for health through stewardship of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. It focuses on health promotion measures; prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, and risks related to tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and the harmful use of alcohol; communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, and vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases; elimination and control of vaccine-preventable diseases and advocacy for increased use of vaccines; containing and controlling antimicrobial resistance; addressing existing and emerging environmental health risks, and supporting violence and injury prevention. A determination to ensure universal access to people-centred quality health services across the continuum of care is matched by enriching the evidence base for policy design and interventions using social, cultural and behavioural approaches, to drive implementation of innovation at national, regional and local levels.

The Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization unit, a flagship initiative through the implementation of 2030 European regional immunization agenda, will set a course for everyone in the WHO European Region to enjoy the full benefits of vaccines, including Covid-19 vaccine, across their life-course. It will focus on addressing immunization inequities between and within countries, based on local data and evidence, through innovative local level programming and tailored interventions for a demonstrable impact. Within the domain of addressing immunization inequity in the Region, the agenda will support building a resilient immunization system in “Middle-Income Countries” by strengthening critical components of national immunization programmes. The unit will bring existing partners, WHO Collaborating Centres, sub regional platforms, community-based and civil-society organizations and non-traditional immunization partners to forge renewed partnerships and harness the available technical expertise of academic institutions in the Region towards making the 2030 European regional immunization agenda a reality.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The purpose of the post is to provide technical and expert support in laboratory diagnostics quality assurance, strengthening the capacity of the Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunization Programme of the Division of Country Health Programmes (CHP) to ensure continuity of operations of the measles/rubella and polio laboratory networks in the WHO European Region (EURO).Under the guidance of the Regional Technical Officers, Disease Control and Elimination, and Immunization Analytics and Monitoring, the incumbent will assume the following responsibilities:

Measles and Rubella LabNet accreditation review

• To review data from serology and molecular EQA reports, serology retesting reports and annual accreditation checklists submitted by the laboratory members of the WHO European Regional Measles Rubella Laboratory Network (68 checklists are expected from national and subnational laboratories, of which 23 in Russian language).

• To tabulate the data of EQA and retesting reports and annual accreditation checklists from the 68 national and subnational laboratories of the WHO European Regional Measles Rubella Laboratory Network.• To identify the missing information in the annual accreditation checklists of WHO European Regional Measles Rubella Laboratory Network and to liaise with network laboratories for clarifications on their submissions accordingly.

• To prepare the WHO/EURO individual summary table with recommendations for each laboratory.

• To follow-up on EQA panels and reagents orders with IRR and respective laboratories.

• To discuss key issues and regularly update the Technical Officer - MR Laboratory during the contract period Measles and Rubella verification process

• Laboratory database: review and extract laboratory information from country annual status updates submitted to the RVC and populate an excel database.

• Check the completeness and the accuracy of molecular data, using MS annual reports and data available in MeaNS and RubeNS.

• To support the preparation of background laboratory documents for RVC meeting(s): tables, charts, maps and country profiles as appropriate.

• Global Rotavirus and Paediatric Diarrhea Surveillance Networks

• To coordinate sampling of collected specimens for GRSN and logistics for testing through TAC cards and genotyping in regional reference laboratory WHO/Europe Polio Laboratory Network accreditation review

• To review the data from the external quality assurance (EQA) reports and annual accreditation checklists submitted by the laboratory members of the WHO European Regional Polio Laboratory Network(47 checklists are expected from national and subnational laboratories).

• To identify the missing information in the annual accreditation checklists of WHO European Regional Polio Laboratory Network and request clarifications from laboratories accordingly.

• To tabulate the data of EQA reports and annual accreditation checklists from the 47 national and subnational laboratories of the WHO European Regional Polio Laboratory Network (populate the accreditation summary Excel database for current year)

• To prepare the WHO/EURO individual summary table with recommendations for each laboratory

• To prepare and coordinate the dispatch of the annual accreditation letters and annexes with recommendations for each laboratory• To discuss key issues and regularly update the Regional coordinator during the contract period.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Laboratory specialist in medical microbiology / virology (Bachelor'sdegree in microbiology, virology, biology or laboratory science). Desirable: Additional university degree or postgraduate training in any of the above fields.

Experience

Essential: At least 5 years of documented work experience in and/ or with medical microbiology / virology Desirable: Relevant work experience with WHO or another international public health organization / UN agency in the area of quality assurance monitoring in public health laboratories supporting disease elimination or eradication programmes.

NB: This is a part-time post at 80% full time equivalent.

Skills

Excellent knowledge of laboratory quality management and EQA monitoring

Working experience of WHO laboratory accreditation criteria and procedures

Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams

Emotional intelligence; Ability to identify and manage one's own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Producing results Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of Russian. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French, German.

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 64,121 (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 4018 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.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• 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.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion)are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.

• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. 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.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

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

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

• In case the website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates