Specialist Veterinary Epidemiology

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

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

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through its Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease/Veterinary Public Health Center (PANAFTOSA/VPH), promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic burdens of zoonotic and food-borne diseases, as well as animal diseases with significant impacts on public health and food security, such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). PANAFTOSA’s technical cooperation is part of the Department of Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control, and Elimination (CDE). Its efforts are focused on the surveillance, prevention, control, and elimination of diseases, ensuring that interventions are technically sound and appropriate for the political and sociocultural contexts. PANAFTOSA strives to achieve a sustainable impact on health by providing normative guidance, promoting evidence-based interventions, and fostering alliances that enhance country capacity, inter-country collaboration, and policy and decision-making through improved health information, analysis, and quality at all levels.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Center Director (PANAFTOSA) and the direct supervision of the Advisor, Veterinary Epidemiology and Information Systems (AFT), the incumbent is responsible for, but not limited to, the following duties:

a)Provide support to the Center technical cooperation in defining and implementing methodological procedures for epidemiological tools and mathematical/statistical models;

b)Conduct analyses of epidemiological data associated to disease prevention, surveillance and response programs;

c)Provide training on the use of epidemiological tools and assist in developing technical guidelines;

d)Contribute to statistical analyses involved in the quality control of PANAFTOSA diagnostic laboratory processes and test validation;

e)Participate in scientific conferences, technical meetings, and workshops as required;

f)Promote inter-programmatic coordination with other technical entities for the development and implementation of epidemiological tools within the Region;

g)Advocate for research activities and capacity building in applied epidemiology;

h)Contribute to the development and dissemination of technical and scientific evidence-based reports, documents, and papers;

i)Perform other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in public health, Veterinary science, or equivalent from a recognized university.

Desirable: Certification in Epidemiology (e.g. MSc, PhD), training 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. PAHO, only considers official degrees 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: Three years of professional experience in implementing and utilizing epidemiological tools and statistical analysis; including participation in technical cooperation programs and the provision of training in this field.

Desirable: Experience working in international organizations and programs and/or Inter-American Systems 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.

Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others/Deal effectively with conflicts – Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve results; encourages cooperation and builds rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the teams’ successes and shortcomings. Identifies conflicts in a timely manner and addresses them as necessary; understands issues from the perspective of others; does not interpret/ attribute conflicts to cultural, geographical or gender issues.

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences:Relate well with diversity in others and capitalize 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.

Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Write effectively / Share knowledge – Quality and quantity of communication targeted at audience.Listens attentively and does not interrupt other speakers.Adapts communication style and written content to ensure they are appropriately and accurately understood by the audience (e.g., power-point presentations, communication strategies, implementation plans).Shares information openly with colleagues and transfers knowledge, as needed.

Knowing and managing yourself:Remain productive /Manage stress/Continuously learn – Remains productive even in an environment where information or direction is not available, and when facing challenges; recovers quickly from setbacks, where necessary. Manages stress positively; remains positive and productive even under pressure; does not transfer stress to others. Seeks informal and/or formal learning opportunities for personal and professional development; systematically learns new competencies and skills useful for job; takes advantage of learning opportunities to fill competencies and skill gaps.

Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently / Deliver quality results/Take responsibility – Prioritizes work and makes planning/Organizational adjustments as necessary; seeks clarification from supervisor on timelines, as needed. Uses feedback and inputs from supervisor to achieve results. Produces quality results and has frequent discussions with supervisor to achieve results. Is action-oriented and sees tasks through to completion. Shows understanding of own role and responsibilities in relation to expected results.Solicits and accepts direction and guidance from supervisor and team members and takes responsibility for own work and actions, as appropriate.

Technical Expertise:

·Expertise in the utilization and evaluation of various epidemiological tools, including risk analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), mathematical modeling, time-series analyses, and more.

·Advanced experience in working with epidemiological, statistical, and data management software and packages.

·Experience in providing technical cooperation.

·Knowledge and experience in implementing quality control analyses for diagnostic laboratories, including test validation, proficiency testing, and reproducibility/repeatability assessments.

·Practical expertise in implementing strategies for data management, including quality checks and ensuring timeliness.

·Ability to prepare scientific and evidence-based technical reports, policy documents, and position papers based on the results of epidemiological studies.

·Strong professional oral and written communication skills, including the development of reports, technical guides, oral presentations, and summary documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Languages Very good knowledge of Portuguese and a working knowledge of English and/or Spanish.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use epidemiological/mathematical software programs (such R, QGIS, ArcGIS, Sat Scan, among others) and knowledge of relevant electronic systems and/or platforms for information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs would be an asset.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

R$224,061.00

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Local Recruitment)

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.

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 offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary (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.

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

Candidates must hold a permanent local working visa (citizenship or permanent resident card) of BRAZIL.

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 organizational purposes.