Technical Officer (COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The IVB Department's mission is ‘To promote the health and well-being of all people, in all countries, by advancing the impact of vaccines and immunization programmes through partnership and leadership; policies and guidance; evidence and research'. Our work is aligned with the WHO 13th Global Programme of Work (GPW13), with a central focus to drive impact in countries, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages.The Strategic Objectives of the IVB Department include:1) Establishing global immunization agendas, strategies and policies to build and harness commitment to action.2) Promoting research and innovation to increase impact of vaccines, technologies and immunization practices.3) Advancing evidence-based introduction and access to vaccines and immunization innovations.4) Optimizing immunization delivery to ensure high-impact, sustainable and equitable programmes.5) Harnessing Vaccine Alliances and Partnerships, including collaborations with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and key WHO partners, towards cross-programme coordination and collaboration in pursuit of universal health coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The incumbent will be an active member of the EPI Programme Strengthening Team by contributing in particular to drive an aligned, coordinated approach to supporting countries with COVID-19 vaccineintroduction.Main responsibilities are to:Collaborate with WHO regional and country offices and vaccination partners to support successful introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in the context of overall immunization programming.• Coordinate global tracking of global COVID-19 vaccine introductions and support regions in updating of national deployment plans, operational implementation guidance and monitoring tools.• Upon delegation represent EPI in global COVID-19 vaccine coordination meetings on technical issues such as programmatic implementation, communications, financing, global allocation and supply and monitoring.• Participate in regional mechanisms to facilitate knowledge transfer and address issues related to COVID-19 vaccination.• Coordinate the monitoring and dissemination of the impact of COVID-19 related activities in other aspects of immunization programmes.Provide specialized technical assistance on the planning of immunization service delivery, supporting capacity building initiatives, developing strategies to identify and reach under-served populations and optimising local approaches to COVID-19 control.• Contribute to development of operational and training materials or webinars (or other public fora) for COVID-19 vaccine introduction.• Collaborate closely with multi-sectoral actors in optimising COVID-19 vaccination strategies and platforms.• Contribute technical expertise in execution of post-introduction evaluations.Coordinate information sharing and drive global synthesis on COVID-19 vaccine introduction trends including lessons learned.• Prepare and deliver technical presentations or briefings on status on vaccine implementation with particular attention on COVAX Facility issues.• Coordinate consolidation of country and regional lessons learned.• Maintain records (or contribute to maintain) of programmatic data on COVID-19 vaccination through the use of WHO HQ tools such as Immunization repository, eJRF, COVID-19 Partners Platform, and other dashboards.Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisory line.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Advanced degree (Masters level or above) in Medicine, Public Health, Paediatric Health, Global/International Health, Epidemiology.
Desirable: Degree in Medicine. Published literature in immunization.

Experience

Essential: - A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in the immunization sector, including several years of experience with immunization programming in low-resource environments.- Demonstrated global or regional experience in supporting ministries of health in the development, planning, implementation or monitoring and evaluation of national immunization programmes, with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccine introduction.- Demonstrated professional experience in preparing technical presentations and presenting proficiently to large audiences, including government or advisory panels on immunization.Demonstrated exposure at the international level.
Desirable: Demonstrated experience in working with local ministriesof health on immunization programmes.

Skills

- Strong kowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization systems in low-resource settings with familiarity on COVID-19 vaccines pipeline, supply logistics and delivery strategies.- Demonstrated familiarity with role of strategic advisory committees and translation of policy into implementation.- Excellent oral and written communication skills.- Ability to work as a team member and/or coordinate diverse groups of stakeholders.- Strong interpersonal, networking and diplomacy skills.- Conscientious, with the ability to take the initiative and work independently under general guidance and meet tight deadlines.- Familiarity with the UN system and international public health partners, including knowledge of WHO country, regional and global functions and objectives of ACT Accelerator and COVAX Facility.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Driving the Organization's Position in Health Leadership

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of WHO language.

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 74,913 (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 5306 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.