Technical Officer, Evidence-based Policy

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

The Family, Health Promotion and Life Course (FPL) department of the Pan American Health Organization promotes, coordinates and implements technical cooperation at the regional, sub regional and country levels, emphasizing the central role of the family and community to foster a culture of health promotion and protection in which health is a social value and a human right. FPL focuses on the development and implementation of programs for women and men’s health; sexual and reproductive health; maternal and neonatal health; the integrated health and development of children and adolescents; the health of aging populations; comprehensive family immunization; and Health Promotion, equity and cultural diversity approaches.

Under the general supervision of the Director, Family, Health Promotion and Life Course (FPL), and the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Comprehensive Family Immunization (FPL/IM), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties\:

1. Provide technical support for strengthening national capacity for evidence-based decision-making on immunization; define the methodology and strategies to be used in the implementation of the different activities; identify and develop a plan of action that includes the countries, regional academic centers and organizations participating in the project;
2. Provide technical support for capacity building for evidence-based policy development; assist country teams in performing national-level cost-effectiveness analyses on new vaccines, and design post-introduction vaccine effectiveness and impact evaluations;
3. Provide technical assistance to National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups on immunization (NITAGs) in the Region including training, performance evaluation and standardized tools as needed;
4. Provide technical assistance to countries to generate evidence on reasons for under-vaccination and to inform the design and evaluation of targeted interventions; support the development of and use of standardized tools to monitor trends across time and location;
5. Facilitate the documentation of experiences and learning in relation to strategies that address barriers and facilitators to vaccination, particularly in the case of tailored interventions to boost uptake in vulnerable communities;
6. Provide technical cooperation for the development of formative research and tools, and scientific papers for the publication of results on immunization and vaccines in the Region;
7. Foster collaboration with Partners in the fields of evidence-based policy and vaccine acceptance and demand and support networking activities;
8. Identify Member States’ immunization-related policy needs and design tools and strategies to address them;
9. Identify and propose regional strategies to establish and strengthen national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) with the aim of promoting evidence-based decisions; foster linkages between national, sub-regional and regional technical advisory groups;
10. Provide technical cooperation to national immunization programs in the analysis and use of evidence to inform strategic decision making and routine planning;
11. Coordinate inter-organizational collaboration between the Immunization unit and other technical units on evidence-based immunization policy and scientific methods for generating evidence for immunization programs;
12. Provide technical cooperation to countries in the use of theory-based approaches to identify local barriers and drivers to vaccination and use these insights to develop tailored, evidence-based interventions to reach vaccination target populations, evaluate their impact and share their findings with other countries. Liaise with key donors and partners on behalf of FPL/IM;
13. Monitor and adapt the implementation of work plans according to progress and results obtained;
14. Develop grant proposals and contract agreements with diverse organizations and agencies to support the work plan activities; collaborate in the implementation of grant funds for technical cooperation, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting on activities funded by grants;
15. Perform other duties, as assigned.

Essential\: A bachelor’s degree in a health or social science from a recognized institution.

Desirable\: A Master’s degree in public health 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.

Essential\: Seven years of combined national and international experience in supporting project management of public health related programs, including monitoring and evaluation of health programs.

Desirable\: Work experience in supporting evidence-based decision-making would be an asset.

• 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.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences\: Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes 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.
• Teamwork\: Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.
• Communication\: Quality and quantity of communication targeted at audience. Listens attentively and does not interrupt other speakers. Adapts communication style and written content to ensure they are appropriately and accurately understood by the audience (e.g., power-point presentations, communication strategies, implementation plans). Shares information openly with colleagues and transfers knowledge, as needed.
• Producing Results\: Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Takes responsibility. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.
• Moving forward in a changing environment\: 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.
• Producing Results\: Prioritizes work and makes planning/Organizational adjustments as necessary; seeks clarification from supervisor on timelines, as needed. Uses feedback and inputs from supervisor to achieve results. Produces quality results and has frequent discussions with supervisor to achieve results. Is action-oriented and sees tasks through to completion. Shows understanding of own role and responsibilities in relation to expected results. Solicits and accepts direction and guidance from supervisor and team members and takes responsibility for own work and actions, as appropriate.

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of vaccine-preventable disease epidemiology and recent vaccine developments, including the design of epidemiological studies.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of public health policy, program planning and evaluation of immunization projects.
• Strong research and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to work collaboratively on multi-disciplinary teams with tight schedules.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of international technical cooperation, with emphasis in the negotiation and management of international cooperation programs and projects.
• Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical and conceptual skills; demonstrated ability to assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendation of key technical issues.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues at the national and international level, and to provide leadership and monitor progress.
• Strong professional oral and writing skills, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

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

Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook. Other data analysis and management software knowledge (for example, Tableau, STATA, SAS, etc) would be an asset.

Post Adjustment\: 47.6% 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.

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

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

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

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.