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Qualifications

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

 

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

 

The objective of the Health Emergencies Department (PHE) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is to increase health sector resilience to emergencies and disasters. PHE assists Member States to strengthen the health sector’s capacities in prevention, risk reduction, preparedness, surveillance, response, and early recovery for emergencies and disasters related to any hazards (natural, man- made, biological, chemical, radiological and others) and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain disasters, including outbreaks, and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. PHE is responsible for ensuring the implementation and updating of the PAHO/WHO Institutional Emergency and Disaster Response Policy.

 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

 

Under the general supervision of the Deputy Director, Health Emergencies (PHE), and the direct supervision of the Unit Chief, Infectious Hazard Management (IHM), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

 

a)   Provide technical advice and guidance to Member States related to the health care system’s response during epidemics and pandemics with particular focus on clinical management and infection prevention and control;

 

b)   Develop and update technical guidelines and provide guidance on clinical management of patients with pandemic and epidemic diseases for use of national health authorities, medical personnel and pertinent stakeholders;

 

c)    Implement and manage an interactive information network with various counterparts and develop tools and materials to train health care workers to detect and respond to epidemics;

 

d)   Provide technical advice for the implementation of the program of work on Infection Prevention and Control and develop technical cooperation activities to strengthen national infection prevention and control programs;

 

e)   Advise and support Member States to develop and implement strategic plans to strengthen regional and national response capacity for the management of clinical activities during outbreaks, including infection prevention and control;

 

f)    Collaborate with other expert groups to foster research on innovative clinical aspects of infectious hazards, and organize clinical technical working groups, identifying experts, establishing objectives, composition, leadership, and timeliness; support the work of these groups;

 

g)   Foster clinical research on epidemic diseases before, during, and after emergencies, including ethical approach and sharing of information, through collaboration with WHO, other PAHO departments, research agencies and technical partners;

 

h)   Support Member States to improve preparedness of health care facilities to reduce risk of transmission of epidemic diseases, including but not limited to development of triage/screening protocols, case definition for early case detection, strategies for clinical sampling, and infection prevention and control and healthcare facility management;

 

i)     Provide technical advice for inter-programmatic coordination with other technical departments, such as the laboratory and epidemiology teams, to identify and guide data collection for surveillance of pandemic and epidemic diseases;

 

j)    Cooperate and collaborate within and outside the Organization, to achieve efficient coordination of activities, systematic utilization of resources and comprehensive development of educational, research, and analytical capacities required for clinical management of epidemic diseases;

 

k)   Promote the mobilization of resources in relation to clinical management of epidemic diseases, including preparation of project proposals for external funding;

 

l)     Contribute to the preparation of biennial work plan and budgets (BWP), semiannual work plans and periodic evaluations for assigned projects; participate in the performance evaluation of the Unit;

 

m)  Support the Organization’s emergency and disaster response operations, and serve as a member of the Regional Disaster Response Team;

 

n)   When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities;

 

o)   Perform other related duties, as assigned.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

 

Education:

 

Essential: A university degree in medicine and a master’s degree in epidemiology, public health, infectious diseases or in any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized institution.

 

Desirable: A PhD in epidemiology, public health, infectious diseases or a related field from a recognized institution would be an asset.

 

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/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

 

Experience:

 

Essential: Nine years of combined national and international experience in activities related to medical or clinical management/research of infectious diseases, especially in outbreak settings, and practical experience adapting clinical management guidance and training for healthcare workers and clinicians.

 

Desirable: Experience in surveillance of epidemic infectious diseases would be an asset.

 

SKILLS:

 

PAHO Competencies:

 

·       Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

 

·       Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity – Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes on such diversity. Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

 

·       Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others – Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.

 

·       Communication: Write effectively/Share knowledge – Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

 

·       Creating an empowering and motivating environment: Provide direction – Manages individual and group projects and ensures that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clearly defined, understood and accepted; delegates work appropriately to achieve best results.

 

·       Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results – Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.

 

·       Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well – Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

 

·       Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond: Develop networks and partnerships and encourage collaboration – Builds and negotiates strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure Organizational results and success. Creates innovative opportunities for promoting synergies inside and outside the Organization to improve Organizational success.

 

Technical Expertise:

 

·       Theoretical and practical expertise in infectious diseases with emphasis on clinical management and treatment of communicable diseases.

 

·       Technical skills and leadership qualities on the principles and application of standard and innovative practices, methods and techniques in the field of infectious diseases.

 

·       Ability to transfer technology to national counterparts and to promote the implementation and/or application of appropriate technology that would be responsive to the different social, cultural, and economic realities in the countries.

 

·       Ability to respond objectively and promptly to unforeseen problems, and exercise sound judgment in recommending feasible technical solutions.

 

·       Knowledge and skills in the formulation of technical cooperation interventions and in the development of criteria for evaluating program interventions in the field of infectious diseases.

 

·       Ability to analyze current surveillance systems and capability to develop and plan innovative and appropriate solutions for improvement.

 

·       Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical, conceptual, and interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated ability to identify, assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendations on key political and technical issues.

 

·       Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

 

Languages:

 

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

 

IT Skills:

 

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

 

REMUNERATION

 

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

 

USD $77,326.00 post adjustment

 

Post Adjustment: 63.5% of the above figure(s).  This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

 

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

 

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

 

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

 

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

 

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

 

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

 

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).  Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

 

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

 

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

 

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post.  The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.