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Qualifications

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of this contract is to contribute to Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) activities for the following:

(i) Implementation research for the introduction of malaria vaccine in west and central Africa,

(ii) Implementation research for addressing National TB programme control gaps, and

(iii) root cause analysis for understanding yellow fever resurgence.

The incumbent will work closely with the research for Implementation team (IMP) of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR).

Background

TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, is a global programme of scientific collaboration that helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty. As part of the research for Implementation portfolio, TDR has been working with public health programmes and international partners, to support research efforts in low- and middle-income countries.

More details of TDR work in malaria, Tuberculosis and yellow fever research can be found at these websites:

• https://tdr.who.int/tuberculosis-research
• https://tdr.who.int/home/our-work/research-for-implementation/malaria_research
• https://tdr.who.int/activities/yellow-fever

Deliverables

• Task 1: Contribute to TDR activities for facilitating the introduction of malaria vaccine in west and central Africa countries. This activity will be conducted in collaboration with researchers of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, researchers of the University of Thies, project officers of the WHO Malaria Vaccine Implementation Unit (MVIP), WHO Malaria department and WHO pharmacovigilance department under the guidance of the responsible TDR officer.
  • Output 1: (i) Draft a research package composed of a coverage survey research protocol, a guidance document for conducting interviews/focus group discussions to understand vaccine hesitancy, a case-control protocol to measure vaccine effectiveness (on non-severe malaria cases), and a cohort event monitoring protocol for measuring adverse events following immunization (AEFI), (ii) updated TDR website for malaria vaccine
    Expected by: June 2025
  • Output 2:  Technical assistance provided to at least 4 countries in west and central Africa for the conduct of research informing the introduction of the malaria vaccine.
    Expected by: end of the consultancy
• Task 2: Contribute to the delivery of a training programme on operational and implementation research for the west and central Africa regional network for TB control (WARN/CARN-TB) and provide support to at least 2 countries for TB research

  This activity will be conducted in collaboration with the secretariat of the WARN/CARN-TB under the guidance of the TDR officer.

• • Output 3: (i) development of a two-year training programme, (ii) coordinate with the secretariat on the delivery of the training module 2 (virtual one week training workshop), and (iii) technical support provided to at least 2 countries for the development and conduct of their research protocol.
    Expected by: end of the consultancy

• Task 3: Facilitate the finalisation of the publication process of the yellow fever root cause analysis toolkit
  • Output 4: (i) published document, (ii) TDR news to announce its publication and (iii) updated yellow fever TDR webpage
    Expected by: end of July 2025

• Task 4: Contribute to TDR projects related to the area of work as needed and contribution to TDR team activities
  • Output 5: virtual participation at the IMP unit meeting and TDR staff meeting
    Expected by: end of the consultancy

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Essential:

• Advanced university level degree (Master’s level or above) in public health, epidemiology, or other relevant disciplines.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience combined at the national and international levels, in planning, programming, implementation of health/Immunization programmes.
• Experience in research (operational / implementation research – OR/IR) and data analysis.
• Experience in the delivery of OR/IR training programme.
• Field experience in Africa, Latin America or the Caribbean.

Desirable:

• Experience in disease control and vaccination.
• Experience with WHO, UN agencies, US CDC or a health cluster member organization.
• Experience with the WARN/CARN-TB.

Skills/Knowledge

Essential:

• Proven ability in the development of a research toolkit
• Expertise in vaccination coverage surveys, vaccine hesitancy investigations
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work as a team with a variety of stakeholders and meet deadlines
• Proficiency in the Microsoft office suite of applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint) and remote working technologies

Desirable:

• Background/familiarity with emergency settings
• Sound knowledge of vaccine preventable diseases
• Sound knowledge of Tuberculosis

Languages and level required

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English
• Expert knowledge of French

Location

Offsite: 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.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce 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 workforce. 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 [email protected]
• 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
• WHO shall have no responsibility 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.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].
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