Technical Officer (Epidemiologist)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries, and to coordinator international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified, based upon the technical needs of the Programme. 1.Provide technical support and assist in the development of surveys and monitoring/surveillance systemsfor detection, verification and response to public health incidents; ensuring efficiency of data collection,correlation, analysis, interpretation and timely reporting at health facility at the district levels.2.Collate and verify data on reported outbreaks or rumours received from multiple sources, conductretrospective analysis of reported incidents\: determine trends, distribution patterns, and efficiency of theverification mechanism.3.Brief the team on data quality improvement, use of data for monitoring of trends, ALERT and ACTIONthresholds (triggers), as well as methodologies for performing Data Quality Audit (DQA) at district andhealth facility level.4.Provide technical assistance for the establishment and functionality of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs)and Public Health Management Committee (PHEMC) for potential hazards such as infectious diseases,zoonotic events, food safety events and chemical events at the district level as per the national guidanceand standards.5.Contribute in building the core surveillance, alert and response national capacities in accordance withthe requirement for IHR 2005; provide trainings for subnational incident management team and healthfacility level staff, support the team in the supervision and on-the-job training at health facility level.6.Support the development of early warning systems (including event based and indicator basedsurveillance) for epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases for early detection and response to public healthincidents; conduct field investigation. Provide technical support for vulnerability assessment, riskmapping and development of preparedness/contingency plan at district level.7.Maintain an incident management system database of reported outbreaks and public health incidents, atthe district level, and document all steps taken in the verification and response process.8.Facilitate the district surveillance monthly review meetings including the tracking of the surveillanceperformance indicators. In cooperation with the team, monitor and evaluate the implementation of theplanned surveillance activities, as well as alert and response capacities for incidents detection,verification and response in compliance with IHR 2005.9.Prepare and disseminate disease outbreak news, technical documents, updates and assessments to keydecision-makers in the organizational hierarchy and to the national health authorities, as required usingstandard tools and templates (e.g. OSCAR).10.Perform any other incident-specific related duties, as required by the functional supervisor

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential\: First university degree in epidemiology, statistics, database management or public health from an accredited/recognized institute.
Desirable\: An advanced university degree in health related field or quantitative epidemiology, specialized training in communicable diseases.

Experience

Essential\: At least five years related experience, at the national and international levels, in implementation of public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and response. Previous experience in implementation of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) is a requirement
Desirable\: Experience in the areas in developing countries. Previous experience working in collaboration with multiple actors in public health surveillance is desirable. Prior humanitarian working experience at field level with WHO/UN, health cluster partners, recognized humanitarian organization or with an international nongovernmental organization with expertise in disaster and outbreak response.

Skills

Sound knowledge and skills in database management and statistical analysis, secondary data review,survey designing and implementation, monitoring and evaluation systems design or use, and public health information management.Proven ability to multitask across various planning and implementation processes within a highly demanding environmentDemonstrated knowledge, competency and professional skills on the public health aspects of infectious disease control, epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response with particular attention toapplication of an all hazard approach in the context of the International Health Regulations and the useof event based and indicator based surveillance, as well as descriptive epidemiology and principles ofpublic health in communicable disease surveillance and response

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Ensuring the effective use of resources
Moving forward in a changing environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential\: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable\: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of Arabic.

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 60,962 (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 1158 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's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.

• 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.

• For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.