OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The WHE Response division (WRE) is responsible for rapidly detecting and responding to health emergencies while leveraging relevant national and international partnerships, ensuring that emergency-affected populations in acute and protracted emergencies have access to essential health services and that systems are maintained and strengthened in fragile, conflict and vulnerable settings while implementing at scale, proven prevention strategies for priority pandemic/epidemic-prone diseases. The HEI Department is responsible for ensuring that emergency-affected populations have access to timely and effective health services, ranging from humanitarian interventions, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Fragile, Vulnerable and Conflict Affected Settings (FCVs) to key high impact epidemic diseases including Cholera, Meningitis, Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) and Yellow Fever. The Department prioritizes support to the most vulnerable and low-capacity countries.


DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:
- Coordinate the setup of a systematic mechanism to monitor and analyse the occurrence of cholera globally.
- Develop and regularly update a global cholera database covering the epidemiological situation and the control measures undertaken.
- Generate epidemiological analysis, risk assessment, global situational reports and briefing notes for WHO and the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) as required.
- In close collaboration with Regional offices and WHO technical teams, develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the detection, reporting and monitoring of cholera outbreaks, including but not limited to, data minimum requirements, template epidemiological situation reports.
- In collaboration with WHO Regional Offices, and international and local partners, lead the development of the integration of cholera outbreak data and other data in the overall cholera information system to ensure that all data collected at country level are transmitted, compiled and analysed in timely manner to inform and guide public health interventions.
- Provide technical support to Member States and to WHO regional and country offices for the investigation and management of cholera outbreaks and improve the documentation of the dynamics of cholera transmission and the impact of control measures.
- Participate in the activities of the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) working groups (WG) on epidemiology and/or laboratory as required and provide technical support to the development of cholera surveillance related documents and tools.
- Identify opportunities for multi-disciplinary, cross cutting approaches that can benefit cholera surveillance and foster connections and synergies accordingly.
- Perform other related duties including replacing and backstopping duties as assigned.


REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in epidemiology, public health, international health, microbiology or related field; complemented by a degree or diploma in medicine, pharmacy, veterinary science, midwifery, nursing, medical biology, or a related discipline.
Desirable: In-service training in field epidemiology such as Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programmes (FELTP), or equivalent experience, and/or an advanced university degree in public health, epidemiology or a related field.


Experience

Essential: At least 7 years' experience in public health and / or medical research, of which at least 3 years in the area intestinal disease including experience in data analysis and data visualization in support to evidence-based public health decision making; field epidemiology and outbreak response experience at national and international levels; experience in cholera control; field experience in infectious diseases control in resource-limited countries; experience in the coordination of multiple technical partners/agencies; proven experience in writing reports and technical documents.
Desirable: Documented working experience on indicator-based surveillance as well as event-based or community surveillance. A previous experience with WHO organisation and knowledge of its mandate, goals and practices, including the coordination of multiple internal and external partners.


Skills

- Strong expertise in epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis methods, infectious disease surveillance and control;
- Good knowledge of cholera epidemiology and control;
- Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings to different audiences; and field experience in developing countries.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact in a multicultural environment and promote consensus.
- Strong experience in the coordination of multiple internal and external partners.
- Good knowledge of the principals stakeholders as well as a good understanding of the UN system.
- Good capacity for organizing, summarizing and presenting information to differences.


WHO Competencies

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


Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of French.
Desirable: 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 77,326 (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 5439 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.
  • According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
  • 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.
  • The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
  • The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.
  • Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int.
  • An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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.
  • Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. 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.
  • WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
  • The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
  • In case the website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates
At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.