Technical Officer (Monitoring Nutritional Status and Food Safety Events)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) is addressing the burden of disease from physical, chemical and microbial hazards in food and unhealthy diets, maternal and child malnutrition, overweight and obesity. The Department aims to ensure universal access to safe, sufficient nutritious food and effective nutrition actions, through setting science-based international food standards, promoting nutrition action in health systems, fostering sustainable food production and consumption, improving food environments and empowering consumers in all situations, monitoring nutrition status, and managing food safety events at the international level, closely working with Member States, UN partner agencies and non-State actors.
The MNF Unit defines indicators and nutrition surveillance systems, hosts and maintain nutrition databases, monitors nutrition trends and measures the impact of country food and nutrition policies. The Unit manages INFOSAN and collaborates with WHE for the management of major food safety events including PHEICs. The Unit provides comprehensive technical guidance and implementation support to Member States in different contexts and population groups. This position will help NFS track the trends in micronutrient status over time, support the work on the development and maintenance of the nutrition integrated platform.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
• Establish and regularly update a network of data providers for the identification of new survey reports on micronutrients;
• Analyze existing data and input new data into the WHO Micronutrients Database depicting national and sub-national data for over 40 indicators, including iron, vitamin A, iodine and folate, for monitoring nutrition status and building capacity in countries to enhance data availability;
• Provide technical input and support for the design and development of the new data visualization nutrition integrated platform, as part of the organization's efforts to strengthen WHO leadership on health data, through harmonizing data visualization and improving mechanisms for data sharing;
• Conduct the compilation of data for the development of estimates of micronutrient status that will enable the monitoring of the global nutrition target and SDG 2.2.3 target on anaemia in women of reproductive age;
• Support the analysis and review of data from surveys and research studies that include child anthropometric indicators to feed into the WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition ;
• Liaise with WHO IMT counterpart to ensure anthropometric estimates are uploaded into XMART platform, which will allow for automated updates of those indicators in WHO data repositories;
• Conduct the maintenance of the Nutrition Landscape information System (NLIS);
• Manage the checking/testing of updates of the WHO Global Nutrition Targets Tracking Tool and other nutrition monitoring tools;
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education
Essential: A first university degree in public health, with a focus on epidemiology and nutrition or closely related field relevant to the functions of the position.
Desirable: An advanced university degree (Masters level or above) in public health, with a focus on epidemiology and nutrition from a recognized institution.

Experience
Essential:
• At least 5 years of experience in health sciences, working in the field of epidemiology and nutrition.
• Within this experience at least 3 years of experience conducting data collection and database management.
• Demonstrated experience at the international level.

Desirable: -

Skills
• Knowledge and skills on methods for the assessment of micronutrient status.
• Excellent skills in Computer Applications such as advance Excel, data entry and performing structured literature searches.
• Ability to work independently as well as in close collaboration with different nationalities, scientific areas and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to focus and pay close attention to details.
• Strong skills in the area of data collection and database management.
• Acquaintance with the common WHO data platform XMART, nutrition databases, as well as the WHO monitoring tools, is desirable.

WHO Competencies
• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Knowing and managing yourself

Use of Language Skills
Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable:
• Intermediate knowledge of French.
• Intermediate knowledge of Spanish.

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 4511 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.