Consultant - Ethics Review Committee

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of this part-time consultancy is to support the Ethics Review Committee at WHO in the Western Pacific region in reviewing research proposals to ensure they meet ethical guidelines, safeguard participant welfare, and comply with regulatory requirements.

Background

The World Health Organization Ethics Review Committee in the Western Pacific (WPRO-ERC) was established in 2010. Its role is to provide ethics review of all research projects involving human participants that are funded or otherwise supported by WHO in the Region to ensure it only supports research of the highest ethical standards.

WPRO-ERC is composed of one Chair, one Vice Chair, one Secretary and eight members from different technical expertise from the WHO Regional and Country Offices.

To support the work of WPRO-ERC, the secretariat has been established with a technical advisor and an administrative focal point.

WPRO is looking for a capable expert who will perform the role of the technical advisor of WPRO-ERC secretariat. It will be an off-site part-time consultancy.

Deliverables

Under the supervision of the WPRO-ERC Secretary, the consultant shall perform the following tasks. It will be done virtually and will require regular meetings with the WPRO-ERC Secretary, other members of WPRO-ERC secretariat and WPRO-ERC members.

Output 1: Coordinate the review of research proposals

Deliverable 1.1: Undertake a preliminary review of all submitted proposals to assess whether they are complete and, if not, to liaise with the WHO Responsible Technical Officer in order to bring them up to the required standards.
Deliverable 1.2: Report the result of preliminary review to the Chair through the Secretary to determine the proposal review mode and select reviewers among WPRO-ERC members
Deliverable 1.3: Facilitate the research proposal review process to ensure that the WHO RTO receives a review outcome within the stipulated time frame as set by the WPRO-ERC SOP
Deliverable 1.4: Schedule, coordinate, and organize Committee meetings to ensure prompt reviews of new and pending research proposals.
Deliverable 1.5: Inform the WHO RTO in a timely manner of the Committee’s decision for each research proposal reviewed.
Deliverable 1.6: Monitor action items and follow up with relevant stakeholders to ensure timely responses.

Output 2: Manage the Health Research Portal and maintain the documentation of WPRO-ERC

Deliverable 2.1: Handle correspondence and queries related to ERC activities from WPRO staff members on the Health Research Portal.
Deliverable 2.2: Liaison with WPRO IT team to provide change requests and improve the Health Research Portal
Deliverable 2.3: Prepare agendas and necessary documents for the Committee meeting and ensure that all necessary documentation is circulated to ERC members in advance of meetings.
Deliverable 2.4: Draft meeting minutes, the annual report and other reports as may be required regarding the work of the Secretariat and the Committee
Deliverable 2.5: Maintain and archive all ERC documentation stipulated at the WPRO-ERC SOP and communications.
Deliverable 2.6: Coordinate the dissemination of meeting minutes and decisions to all relevant parties.

Output 3: Provide capacity building on research ethics

Deliverable 3.1: Make readily available to WPRO-ERC members information educational
Deliverable 3.2: Coordinate training sessions for ERC members on ethical issues, new regulations, and review processes.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: Bachelor’s degree in health or medical sciences, Bioethics, Law, or related field.

Experience

Essential: At least five years of experience in health or biomedical research.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential: Proven track record for professional delivery of high-quality products
Desirable:

• Demonstrated ability of working in a high-level environment at an international level, and ability to collaborate across different disciplines
• Demonstrated analytical skills using quantitative and qualitative methods
• Excellent writing skills in English, including for technical and general audiences
• Strong communication skills

Languages and level required:

Written and spoken fluency in English (expert: read – write – speak)

Location

Off-site : Home-based

Travel

The supplier/contractor may be required to travel to WHO-WPRO in Manila, Philippines occasionally for tasks that require in-person communication

Remuneration and budget:

Remuneration: Payband level B, USD 350/day
Expected duration of contract: 11 months, 1 July to 31 May 2025 (50%)

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for 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.nehttp://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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