| Job Description - International Consultant – Pharmacovigilance (2601632)

International Consultant – Pharmacovigilance-(2601632)Contractual Arrangement:External consultantContract Duration (Years, Months, Days):11 months## Job Posting:Jun 1, 2026, 4:08:38 AM## Closing Date:Jun 29, 2026, 5:59:00 PM## Primary Location:India-New Delhi## Organization:SE/HSD Department of Health Systems Development## Schedule:Full-timeIMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device's system settings...Purpose of consultancyUnder the supervision of the Unit Head, Medical Products Regulation and the Pharmacovigilance Team Lead in WHO headquarters (HQ), and in close collaboration with the WHO country offices in the region, the Technical Officer (Pharmacovigilance) will support Member States and regional networks, especially the South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN), to implement the WHO Resolution on, and to operationalize the global smart pharmacovigilance strategy, including risk based prioritization, reliance/work-sharing, integration in regulatory systems, and strengthened safety communication.BackgroundMedicines and vaccines have transformed the prevention and treatment of diseases. In addition to their benefits, medicinal products may also have side effects, some of which may be undesirable and / or unexpected. Pharmacovigilance is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine/vaccine related problem. Since it was established in 1968, the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring (WHO PIDM) has sought to put medicines and vaccine safety at the heart of global healthcare. Published in 2025, The global smart pharmacovigilance strategy represents a comprehensive and adaptive framework that establishes a risk-based prioritization, meeting the need to address innovation and also to implement reliance mechanisms, within global multilateral cooperation mechanisms.DeliverablesDeliverable 1: Attendance in induction meeting.Deliverable 2: Activity plan agreed within the first month with Unit Head and HQ counterpart covering the following deliverables:- Facilitate regional uptake and tailoring of global normative guidance and technical tools for smart pharmacovigilance and support measurement of uptake and impact of the global smart PV strategy (e.g., prioritized product lists, AESI risk registers, reliance/work‑sharing, VigiBase use, PV maturity progress). - Support pharmacovigilance system assessments (e.g., WHO Global Benchmarking Tool – GBT) and assist countries in addressing and implementing PV components of Institutional Development Plans (IDPs). - Support the establishment, maintenance and development of activities of related WHO Collaborating Centres in the Region and SEARN Regional centres of excellence, including through assisting centres in adapting the WHO ISoP PV curriculum , training material and coordinating the required expertise. - Support regional implementation of HQ-developed PV tools and protocols (e.g., reporting forms: VigiMobile, VigiFlow/VigiLyze, active surveillance protocol, Background data on Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI), Risk Management Plan (RMP) assessment templates and risk management strategies, including for the introduction of prequalified and new medicines/vaccines, and contribute to ensuring relevant data are shared with HQ advisory committees. - Participate in providing feedback to HQ on feasibility and contextualization of global PV metrics; coordinate and support pilots in selected countries and scale‑up. - Strengthen regional PV collaboration, including information‑sharing mechanisms, reliance and work‑sharing arrangements, and joint signal and safety issues reviews with NRAs and programmes, especially through SEARN. - Support countries in prioritizing risk‑based PV actions and strengthen collaboration of PV within immunization and public health programmes, to reduce data silos, align case definitions, investigations and risk communication. - Advocate for the Vaccine Safety Net (VSN) and promote trustworthy communication channels. - Contribute to the Regional activities in PIDM forums (e.g., annual meeting) and support organization of regional PIDM activities when hosted by a Member State. - Provide technical assistance to countries to detect and act on local signals and participate in convening regional network meetings on priority topics, including through SEARN. - Advance the use of responsible AI in PV in the context of the region. - Participate in the conduct of surveys and landscape analysis of uptake of Smart Strategy and SEARN workplan. - Support the coordination and project management of the related SEARN groups. - To perform any other relevant duties assigned by supervisors. - Deliver comprehensive, timely, client and solution-oriented technical and administrative support across all budget centres, proactively strengthening country office capacity through responsive engagement, collaboration, and accountability to deliver measurable results for Member States. Deliverable 3: Six-month Progress report agreed with Unit Head and HQ counterpartDeliverable 4: Nine-month Progress report agreed with Unit Head and HQ counterpartDeliverable 5: Summary activity report agreed with Unit Head and HQ counterpartQualifications, experience, skills and languagesEducational Qualifications:Essential: An advanced university degree in pharmacy, medicine, public health, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmaceutical sciences or a related discipline.Desirable: Specialized training in pharmacovigilance, regulatory science, epidemiology/biostatistics, data science/AI ethics, or health informatics.ExperienceEssential:- Five to ten years of relevant experience in PV/ medicines or vaccine safety and regulatory science, including experience with signal detection/assessment and safety communication; - Significant experience with national authorities and/or medical products manufacturing sector especially in LMICs. Desirable:- Experience with GBT benchmarking/IDP implementation,; familiarity with UMC/WHO tools (VigiFlow, VigiLyze, VigiMobile/MedSafety) and MedDRA/WHODrug. - Significant experience in South-East Asia. Skills/Knowledge:Essential:- Applied knowledge of PV methods across the product life‑cycle; AESI case definitions; causality assessment at individual and population levels; RMP/PSUR/PBRER review; benefit–risk assessment. - Practical understanding of risk‑based prioritization, reliance/work‑sharing models, and integration of PV in regulatory and public‑health systems. - Data skills: management, quality assurance, basic analytics/visualization; familiarity with ICH E2B(R3) standards and data governance principles. - Excellent writing, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills; ability to develop guidance, SOPs and training. - Computer proficiency beyond the basics, particularly office environment (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):Essential: Expert knowledge of EnglishDesirable: Expert knowledge of South-East Asian language(s).LocationOn site: SEARO, New DelhiTravelAs required by the activities as agreed by Unit Head and Director.Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)Remuneration - Pay Band Level B - USD 77,000 (depending on the experience and the nature of work)Living expenses - Travel expenses and per diem will be covered as per WHO rules applicable to consultants for approved official travel during the contract period: currency and rate Expected duration of contract - 11 monthsAdditional 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.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review. - 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 workforce 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 workforce. 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 toreasonableaccommodation@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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates. - WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. - Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. - WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO. - Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int. - In case the recruitment 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.

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