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 & International Health Regulation (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). 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, 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.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Coordinate and manage an electronic publication on surveillance of and response to public health emergencies including emerging infectious diseases and other public health emergencies in -line with APSED III.
2. Oversee the editorial review process, including identifying associate editors, and reviewers, providing technical editing, and ensuring the review process is completed in a timely way.
3. Critically review manuscripts submitted for WPSAR for scientific merit, and where appropriate support improvement of submissions to a level that is appropriate for peer review and in-line with WPSAR scope and goals.
4. Serve as content manager for the WPSAR website.
5. Organize and host Editorial Board meetings.
6. Lead capacity-building in scientific writing through training and coordination, including development of learning materials and methodology, as well as analysis of a system-wide capacity programme and recommendation of improvement initiatives.
7. Plan and drive the commissioning of content, including pro-actively suggesting topics, and actively recruiting authors to contribute papers to the journal.
8. Seek opportunities to promote the journal including speaking at conferences and other events about the purpose and values of the journal.
9. Promote and collaborate in resource mobilization efforts, including timely preparation of proposals, briefs and comprehensive reports as per donor requirements;
10. Ensure that accepted manuscripts are in-line with journal editorial policy and work with first and second line supervisors on journal development plans, indexing strategy and recruiting associate editors.
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: University degree in health, science or communication with master’s level university degree in public health or other related field from a recognized university. Desirable: Recognised qualification in epidemiology.

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. Experience in technical writing, editing and publishing manuscripts for more than one journal in the field of epidemiology, public health, surveillance or outbreak management. Experience of editing non-native English writer's work for consistency and clarity

Desirable: Teaching experience at the graduate level. COVID-19 journal experience an advantage.

Skills

Broad knowledge of APSED III, the principles of the IHR (2005) and public health emergency management. 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 stong attention to detail/accuracy. Very good interpersonal skills. Ability to show good and appropriate judgement Excellent project management, and organizational skills to keep workflow on schedule. Knowledge of WHO mandate, policies and processes. Ability to multi-task, work effectively and independently, and meet deadlines. Ability to work independently as well as harmoniously as a member of a team, Ability to 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 English. Desirable: Working knowledge of other UN languages

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 75,602 (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 3037 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.