National Professional Officer (Public Health)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

Coordinate technical supportto the country in the fight against communicable diseases, provide support forhuman resource capacity building in relation to planning, prevention,surveillance and monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation plans incollaboration with AFRO/UCN/TVDs.Support the country in thefight against malaria through the deployment of innovations and new initiativesand their implementation, in liaison with the country office, the RegionalOffice and Headquarters;Facilitate the development of PTS Malaria Care,Prevention and Surveillance policies in collaboration with the Ministry ofPublic Health and AIDS Control and development partners to inform policydevelopment in the African region. Support the Disease Control Programme Coordinatorin achieving the objectives of the National Malaria Control Programme in PTSProvide technical support tothe National Programmes in charge of NMTs PCC (Leprosy, Buruli Ulcer) in termsof planning, implementation and monitoring-evaluation of control activitieswith a view to either eradication, elimination orcontrol (in alignment with the PNDS and the National Master Plans for the fightagainst NMTs). To provide technical support to the manager of the nationalprogramme for the fight against NTDs by Preventive Chemotherapy (MTN-CTP),namely: Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Geohelmintiases and Trachoma forthe scaling up of Mass Drug Treatments.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision andguidance from the WHO Representative, and technical guidance from the RegionalOffice, the incumbent will be expected to: 1. Provide technical assistance for the scale-up and management ofthe malaria control programme by working with colleagues in the Office and withcounterparts in the Government and partners in the preparation of work plans,action plans, budgets, procurement specifications and reports as required bythe Government, the Global Fund, USAID, the World Bank and the European Unionand other partners; 2. Facilitate the coordination of community health worker activitiesin early diagnosis and treatment of malaria, including community-basedmanagement of childhood illness, monitoring and evaluation, and documentationof best practices/innovations in community-based interventions indifficult-to-reach/underserved endemic areas;3. Work to improve the national malaria information system, incollaboration with the Directorate in charge of the National Health InformationSystem (DSNIS);4. Facilitate the development of Public-Private partnerships for thedelivery of malaria control services; provide technical guidance to partnersfor entomological surveillance, and conduct national surveys and otheroperational research studies and evaluations;5. Collaborate with other programmes to strengthen supply chainmanagement of antimalarial drugs and other commodities, including qualitymonitoring and the fight against substandard and counterfeit drugs;6. Serve as the WHO Focal Point for activities against NTDs in thecountry and provide consistent support to all NTD Programmes, governmentinstitutions and civil society actors working in the field of NTD control;7. Support the Ministry of Health in the coordination of NTDs andassist in advocating for strong and sustainable government support for NTD controlactivities. Support capacity building of NTD Programmes 8. Support the country in advocating for the mobilization ofresources and drugs for the treatment of NTDs.9. Support the country in the establishment of a monitoring andevaluation system for basic data on NTDs.10. Perform any other tasks as requested by the WHO WHO Representativeand the direct supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in medicine with post graduate degree, Master's level or above in epidemiology or public health from an accredited/recognized institute.
Desirable: Health related training in malaria and/or NTDs

Experience

Essential: At least 5 years of professional experience at national or international level in planning, implementing and monitoring-evaluation of disease prevention and control activities.
Desirable: Relevant work experience in WHO or other UN agencies; experience working in relevant non-governmental or humanitarian organizations

Skills

1.Excellentknowledge of strategies for the prevention, control and elimination of NTDs,Technical competence in the different aspects of malaria prevention andcontrol, with knowledge on the formulation and implementation of treatmentpolicies, epidemiological surveillance and community-based interventions, aswell as research.2.Provencompetence in epidemiological surveillance and research Ability to develop andmaintain effective working relationships with partners, including thoseoperating at the provincial and district levels.3.Familiaritywith the policies and procedures of donors, in particular the Global Fund,USAID, the World Bank and the European Union.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of Local Languege.
Desirable:

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at MWK 29,808,000 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

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.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.