Technical Officer, Malaria Surveillance, Prevention and Control

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 127,053 USD and 166,365 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.

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health Department (CDE) promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation activities directed toward the surveillance, prevention, control, and elimination of communicable diseases and zoonosis that are technically sound and appropriate for the political and sociocultural context in which they are implemented. It strives to achieve a sustainable impact on health by providing normative guidance, furthering the implementation of evidence-based interventions, and fostering alliances that strengthen country capacity, improve the effectiveness of inter-country collaboration, and facilitate policy and decision-making processes through improved health information coverage, analysis and quality at all levels.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director, Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health (CDE), and the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Neglected, Tropical and Vector Borne Diseases (CDE/VT), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Provide technical and programmatic support to Member States for strategy development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities related to malaria surveillance, prevention, control and elimination in the Region;
2. Coordinate the development and implementation of the regional strategy and activities towards transforming surveillance into a core intervention in elimination programs, as promoted in the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030;
3. Provide technical cooperation to countries, in collaboration with PAHO Country Office focal points, for the development of national capacities to make surveillance a core intervention in malaria elimination and facilitate decision making at local and national levels;
4. Collaborate with Member States and provide in-country assistance for the strengthening of routine information systems, including the analysis of national and local processes for the collection of necessary data; update and support development of surveillance information platforms to ensure real time notification of malaria cases; monitor detection efforts and performance in addressing key bottlenecks for timely diagnosis, treatment and vector surveillance, as well as other key malaria interventions.
5. Collaborate with countries on actions to strengthen information use by promoting the adoption of analysis routines, development and use of dashboards or other tools recommended by PAHO for periodic monitoring and decision-making at the local level;
6. Collaborate with the Regional Malaria Program on the development and implementation of regional strategies for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, vector resistance and other specific malaria related events;
7. Contribute with joint efforts to support malaria elimination efforts within the context of all goals and initiatives promoted by WHO and PAHO, including the PAHO Elimination Initiative (CE164/16), and the Plan of Action on Entomology and Vector Control 2018-2023 (CD56/11);
8. Collect, analyze, and disseminate information regarding malaria epidemiological data in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and provide support to Member States on data reporting and interpretation requested by WHO for the annual World Malaria Report;
9. Coordinate the development of malaria regional databases and reporting of data in compliance with PAHO Resolutions and collaborate on the development of the Regional Repository of Health Information with respect to malaria indicators;
10. Contribute to monitoring the implementation of the PAHO Plan of Action for Malaria Elimination 2021-2025 and Plan of Action on Entomology and Vector Control 2018-2023 ; provide technical support to the regional malaria and entomology programs to ensure that performance of the national and regional surveillance systems are monitored in order to identify weaknesses and enable actions to be taken to improve surveillance;
11. Collaborate in the collection and analysis of relevant information, including surveys, and in the publication of technical reports, including articles intended for publication in scientific journals;
12. Collaborate on the review, compilation and preparation of progress reports, situation analyses, evaluation tools and other strategic documents to support national and regional activities within the framework of PAHO Resolutions and agreements;
13. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in a health science related to the functions of the post from a recognized university.

Desirable: Postgraduate studies in epidemiology, health information, informatics or data analysis or a master´s degree in epidemiology, communicable diseases, public health, health informatics or a related field would be an asset.

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/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience****:

Essential: Seven years of combined national and international experience working in epidemiology and/or on of information systems for communicable diseases.

Desirable: Experience working in malaria surveillance and vector control, and control, management and prevention of malaria would be an asset.

SKILLS****:

PAHO Competencies:

• Overall attitude at work****: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.
• Teamwork****: Collaborate and cooperate with others/Deal effectively with conflict - Creates team spirit; promotes collaboration and open communication in the team; proactively supports others; welcomes team responsibilities and drives team results; promotes knowledge sharing in the team. Proactively identifies conflicts and facilitates their resolution in a respectful manner; tactfully resolves conflicts between or with others and takes action to reduce any possible tension; effectively builds a rapport with individuals and teams, establishing good personal and professional relationships, as well as minimizing risk of potential conflict.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences****: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity - Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.
• Communication****: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Listen/Write effectively/Share knowledge - Foresees communication needs of audience and targets message accordingly. Facilitates open communication; encourages others to share their views openly and takes time to understand and consider their views. Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.
• Producing Results****: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results/Take responsibility - Prioritizes work, monitors own progress against objectives and adapts plans as required; communicates adjustments as necessary. Acts proactively and stimulates action as needed; handles problems effectively and constructively. Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs. Works independently to produce new results and sets own time lines effectively and efficiently. Shows awareness of own role and clarifies roles of team members in relation to project’s expected results. Makes proposals for improving processes as required and takes responsibility for own work and/or actions, as necessary. Demonstrates positive attitude in working on new projects and initiatives. Demonstrates accountability for own success, as well as for errors; learns from experience.
• Moving forward in a changing environment****: Propose change/Adapt to change - Actively supports Organizational change initiatives and demonstrates personal commitment to them, including when faced with new demands; proposes workable solutions to challenging situations. Engages in positive responses to a changing environment and promotes workable solutions to achieve own and team’s results. Welcomes, and actively seeks to apply, new ideas, approaches and working methods and technologies in order to improve own and/or team’s work processes and results; demonstrates commitment to Organizational change initiatives.

Technical Expertise:

• Technical and professional expertise and skills in epidemiology of communicable diseases and in preventive public health, particularly vector borne diseases of public health priority.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of surveillance of communicable diseases and its vectors; knowledge and skills in providing technical support for the development of integrated surveillance systems and processes.
• Excellent database management and data reporting skills and strong background in design and implementation of health information systems and integrated surveillance systems for vector borne diseases of public health interest.
• Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical and conceptual skills; demonstrated ability to assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendations and highlight key technical issues.
• Ability to integrate managerial and technical inputs into recommendations for decision-making processes; ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment.
• Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of epidemiological situation reports, funding proposals, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use software programs for public health surveillance, data management, data visualization, data georeferencing and descriptive analysis, including biostatistical software like Stata, Epi-info or Access, other visualization software such as Tableau, basic knowledge of GIS, management of mapping tools and intermediate or advance Excel skills and knowledge of relational database concepts. In addition, demonstrated effective use of Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary****: (Net of taxes)

USD $62,692.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 54.1% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level****.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post. The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.