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Qualifications

Purpose of consultancy

The main purpose of the position is to provide technical support for the development of standard operating procedures to guide the implementation of Public Health Intelligence and Risk Assessment activities in the African region. The Public Health Intelligence and Risk Assessment subunit is responsible for identifying new public health events, assessing risks to public health, conducting epidemiological surveillance and field investigations, monitoring public health threats and interventions, and communicating public health information to technical partners.

Background

The mission of WHO’s Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Programme (WHE) 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 Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment (HIR) Programme area of the EPR focuses on three major streams of work: i) enhancing public health intelligence for early detection and risk assessment of health events; ii) strengthening public health surveillance and epidemiology based on the IDSR framework; and iii) modernizing information management systems and data analytics.

The main purpose of the position is to provide technical support for the development of standard operating procedures to guide the implementation of Public Health Intelligence and Risk Assessment activities in the African region. The Public Health Intelligence and Risk Assessment subunit is responsible for identifying new public health events, assessing risks to public health, conducting epidemiological surveillance and field investigations, monitoring public health threats and interventions, and communicating public health information to technical partners.

Since the advent of COVID-19, the public health intelligence landscape has evolved with new tools, structures, and ways of working. The lessons learned and experiences from response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies offer new opportunities and ways of harnessing and triangulating structured and unstructured information to unravel precursors or enhance early detection of outbreaks and health emergencies. Ensuring that these changes and evolutionary developments are taken into account is critical to ensure that public health intelligence activities are performed consistently and predictably in accordance with the WHO requirements and the expectations of Member States.

The incumbent will conduct wide ranging consultations, review reports and guiding documents and procedures, and utilize such information to support the development of the standard operating procedures for public health intelligence and risk assessment work in the African Region. The incumbent may be assigned other related work when required.

Deliverables

Under the supervision of the HIR Programme Manager and in close consultation with the Public Health Intelligence and Risk Assessment Team Lead, the consultant will perform the following activities:

·         Conduct scoping reviews and other such reviews as may be necessary on public health intelligence in the context of health emergencies;

·         Hold wide-ranging discussions and consultations with relevant teams across the three levels of the World Health Organization on public health intelligence work;

·         Consult with partners, ministries of health, and other relevant organizations on public health intelligence work;

·         Develop a draft standard operating procedures document for the African region to be used primarily at WHO Regional Office for Africa but can be adapted by the member states in the African region;

·         Collate and incorporate feedback and inputs on draft standard operating procedures document;

·         Ensure final version of the SoP is approved, published, and disseminated appropriately;

·         Within the framework of the delegated authority, the consultant is expected to ensure that the SoP contribute to the following;

·         Well-documented guidance and resources for staff undertaking public health intelligence and risk assessment activities in the African region;

·         Clarified roles, responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables for day-to-day public health intelligence work;

·         Strengthened public health intelligence practice in the African Region;

·         Final product;

·         A new SoP on public health intelligence and risk assessment for the African Region produced and published.

Educational Qualifications

Essential

ü  An advanced university degree in in epidemiology, public health, or related field, and master’s level qualifications in public health, epidemiology, infectious diseases, or emergency/disaster management.

.Experience

Essential

ü  At least seven years’ experience with successful track record in epidemiology, surveillance and/or control of acute public health events; epidemic surveillance at the national and/or international levels during epidemics or public health crisis at the national and international levels.

Desirable

ü  Experience in WHO and/or the UN System in the areas of public health surveillance and intelligence; field experience in public health programmes or emergency response programmes in developing countries. Experience in routine analysis and reporting of time-sensitive public health data. Good understanding of the Risk Assessment tools, and their implementation is an asset. Field experience in epidemiology, surveillance and/or control of acute public health events experience in resource limited countries; experience of working with event-based surveillance; good understanding in inter-agency collaboration or in WHO, UN, UN Agencies, or other international organizations. In-service training in field epidemiology such as Field Epidemiology (and Laboratory) Training Programmes (FELTP), the European Program for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service programme, or equivalent experience.

Skills/Knowledge

Sound strategic and tactical thinking with ability to formulate clear comprehensive policies, strategies and plans. Superior organizational skills with ability to multi-task and produce results under pressure. Excellent interpersonal with proven ability to communicate in a clear and effective way, with tact, diplomacy and courtesy. Authoritative and comprehensive knowledge of the theory, principles, methods and techniques in international emergency risk management and humanitarian response, with a broad-based understanding of its growing complexity including knowledge of the workings of relevant international policy-setting bodies.

Languages required

• Expert knowledge of English Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French The above language requirements are interchangeable

Location

On Site -site – Brazzaville WHO Regional Office for Africa

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B – USD – USD 7000-9980 per month

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

A living expense is payable to on-site consultants

Expected duration of contract

3 months initially

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.