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Consultant – TB comorbidities and health-related risk factors

Multiple locations

  • Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
  • Location: Multiple locations
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Public Health and Health Service
    • Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
    • Malaria, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases
  • Closing Date: Closed

Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical advice to the Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB) in normative guidance development, advocacy to scale-up research and implementation of collaborative action on TB and comorbidities as well as technical guidance for countries and monitoring and evaluation of the joint burden and impact of interventions to address TB and comorbidities.

Background

The WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB) aims to guide the global response to the TB epidemic and facilitate partnerships; provide evidence-based norms, standards and policies; support Member States in adapting and adopting the End TB Strategy within strengthened health systems; measure global progress, monitor and assess national programme performance, financing and impact; and enable progress across the continuum of TB research, linked within a wider health research strategy. The objective of the GTB’s Vulnerable Populations, Communities and Comorbidities (VCC) unit is to develop global public health goods and tools for TB vulnerable populations including children and adolescents, TB related co-morbidities and determinants of TB, and for optimizing national strategic planning; and lead community and civil society engagement, strengthen related advocacy and partnerships, and provide specialised technical support for country adaptation and implementation.

The End TB Strategy outlines the global approach to reduce TB incidence, deaths and catastrophic costs attributable to TB and has the goal of ending TB as a public health problem. Pillar 1 of the End TB Strategy, namely integrated patient-centred care and prevention, includes the scale-up of integrated, collaborative action on TB/HIV and other key comorbidities. The Political Declaration of the 2018 United Nations General- Assembly on the Fight against Tuberculosis includes a commitment to the provision of health services for integrated care for related health conditions and risk factors for TB, such as HIV, undernutrition, mental health, diabetes and chronic lung disease, and tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and drugs.

Normative guidance and frameworks for TB and many of the TB-related comorbidities exist globally, but apart from TB/HIV, there has been limited uptake by countries of policies to address TB and comorbidities. Building upon the success of the WHO Policy on Collaborative TB/HIV Activities, the GTB has developed a Framework for Collaborative Action on TB and Comorbidities and is in the process of updating related WHO guidelines and developing associated operational handbooks on TB and key comorbidities. Furthermore, these guidelines and operational handbooks represent an important component of WHO’s Consolidated Guidelines and related operational handbooks on Tuberculosis, under Module 6: Management of Tuberculosis and Comorbidities.

The work provided by the consultant will involve collaboration across units within GTB, and across departments, in particular, the department of Nutrition and Food Safety, and the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes.

Deliverables

  • Task 1: Contribute to the finalization of the guidelines and operational handbook on TB and undernutrition.
    • Deliverable 1: Regular inter-unit and departmental guideline steering group meetings and systematic reviewers convened and documented.
    • Deliverable 2: Guideline Development Group meeting prepared and organized following WHO’s due processes for preparation and reporting.
    • Deliverable 3: Evidence to decision tables drafted with input from GDG member incorporated.
    • Deliverable 4: Guidelines and operational handbook drafted.
    • Deliverable 5: Finalization of the TB undernutrition project in GRADEpro to allow linkage to GTB Knowledge Sharing Platform.
    • Deliverable 6: Terms of reference developed for technical editing, layout and design.
    • Deliverable 7: Executive clearance and production clearance developed.
  • Task 2: Contribute to the development and update of advocacy materials and communications as well as websites such as the knowledge sharing platform and the research tracker, according to WHO Global TB report, and reports from other departments, and latest evidence.
    • Deliverable 1: Fact sheets and websites updated for TB/HIV, TB and diabetes and TB and under-nutrition, alcohol and smoking according to the latest Global TB Report data.
    • Deliverable 2: Relevant guidelines and operational handbooks on TB and comorbidities uploaded to the Knowledge sharing platform and Recmap.
    • Deliverable 3: Research and publication tracker updated with relevant publications and upcoming research on TB and comorbidities.
  • Task 3: Provide technical guidance on TB and comorbidities to high burden TB countries.
    • Deliverable 1: Review and technical input provided to National strategic plans and/or Global Fund applications of high burden TB countries for content on TB and comorbidities.
    • Deliverable 2: Backstop GTB focal point for one high burden TB country.
  • Task 4: Review and verify data submitted by TB and HIV programmes, including submission of queries to countries for ensuring quality data on HIV-associated TB in the Global TB Report 2024 and the UNAIDS Global Report on HIV.
    • Deliverable 1: Data reviewed for the high TB/HIV and TB burden countries for the Global TB Report.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

  • Advanced university degree in Public Health or Global Health.

Desirable:

  • University degree in medicine.

Experience

Essential:

  • 5-10 years professional experience in public health, with experience working in infectious diseases, including TB and one or more comorbidities.
  • Demonstrated experience in TB control, in infectious diseases, in policy analysis, and in stakeholder coordination and health policy development.

Desirable:

  • Previous work experience with WHO or an international non-governmental organization.
  • Documented experience in writing WHO normative documents.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

  • Excellent understanding of the End TB Strategy, WHO TB-related policies and guidelines, including those related to TB and comorbidities.
  • A good understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to addressing TB and undernutrition in high TB burden countries.
  • Demonstrated strong writing skills, including policy documents, reports or scientific publications.
  • Highly developed organizational and coordination skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal, networking, communication and diplomacy skills.
  • Ability to work as a team member and to work unsupervised on specific tasks to deadlines.
  • Excellent skills in commonly used computer software including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
  • Awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural differences when working with colleagues and when presenting to audiences.
  • Knowledge of GRADEPro.

Languages required:

Essential:

  • Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

  • Intermediate knowledge of another UN language.

Location

Off-site – Home based.

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B - USD 7,000 – 9,980 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

11 Months.

Additional Information

  • This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
  • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
  • A written test may be used as a form of screening.
  • If your candidature is retained for 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.
  • For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
  • WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
  • Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
  • WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
  • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
  • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
  • WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
  • Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html
This vacancy is now closed.
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