Technical Officer, Western Pacific Surveillance and Response (WPSAR)

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 WHO Member States to manage health emergency risks, 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, todevelop 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 SustainableDevelopment 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, 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 and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2030.

The preparedness, readiness and core capacity (PCB) is the main hub for technical support to WHO's Regional Office 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 theIHR (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 and vulnerable countries.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:

1. Coordinate and manage an electronic publication on surveillance of and response to public health emergencies including emerging infectious diseases and other epidemic-prone diseases.

2. Oversee the editorial review process, including identifying and guiding associate editors and reviewers, providing technical editing and ensuring the review process is completed in a timely manner.

3. Critically review manuscripts at submission, post peer-review and pre-publication to ensure they fit the score of the journal, are technically sound and are of high quality. Where appropriate, support improvement of submissions to the standard required for peer review.

4. Serve as content manager for the WPSAR website

5. Organize and hose Editorial Team meetings.

6. Lead capacity-building efforts in scientific writing and adapt existing training materials to deliver a system-wide capacity-building programme that can be delivered in person or remotely.

7. Plan and drive the commissioning of content, including proactively suggesting topics and identifying authors within and outside WHE.

8. Seek opportunities to promote the journal including speaking at conferences and other events about the purpose and values of the journal, inviting potential contributors to consider submitting papers to the journal and identifying indexes in which the journal should be included.

9. Promote and collaborate in resource mobilization efforts, including timely preparation of proposals, briefs and comprehensive reports as per donor requirements.

10. Provide technical advice to countries on the development and evaluation of national surveillance and response systems in line with APSED III in advancing IHR (2005) implementation and develop technical documents on surveillance and response, if needed.

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

12. 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: Masters level university degree in medicine, public health or other health-related sciences from a recognized university. Desirable: Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) graduate, or doctorate degree in public health, epidemiology, or equivalent.

Experience

Essential: Minimum seven years of working experience in public health, epidemiology or health-related research either in programme or academic setting, including international experience. Desirable: Experience of working in public health surveillance and response activities in developing countries. Teaching experience at the graduate level. Experience in writing, editing or publishing. Previous experience in a similar role.

Skills

-Broad knowledge of the principles of the IHR (2005) and public health emergency management.

-Significant knowledge and skills in the development and implementation of measures to improve emerging disease surveillance and response.

-Excellent critical appraisal and problem solving skills

-Excellent editing and writing skills, paying strong attention to detail/accuracy.

-Very good interpersonal skills.

-Excellent project management and organizational skills to keep workflow on schedule.

-Knowledge of WHO mandate, policies and processes.

-Ability to multitask, work effectively and independently and meet deadlines.

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

-Excellent presentation skills.

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 written and spoken English. Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of other UN 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 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.