Technical officer

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Description

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• Promoting innovative research and the development of vaccines to address health priorities and good health at key stages of life in the African Region, with a focus on preventing morbidity, mortality and disability from vaccine-preventable diseases, the incumbent contributes to the Coordination, Governance and Leadership to support NRAs and Ethics Committees of Member States

• To provide authoritative advice on R& D innovations for priority vaccines and support Member States regarding vaccine preventable diseases, providing technical and scientific guidance on vaccine safety and regulation, including building the capacity of National Regulatory Authorities for registration of vaccines.
• To strengthen the regulatory oversight of clinical trials conducted in the Region, including the facilitation of joint reviews for clinical trial applications.
• To coordinate and implement activities related to vaccine quality, safety, and standards in collaboration with WHO HQ RSS, Safety, PQ, the Blueprint Team, and other WHO entities and partners.
• To develop work plans for vaccine regulation for the Region, including formulation of milestones to evaluate the performance of vaccine regulation activities.
• To provide technical guidance for consolidation and implementation of the AVAREF platform, including developing, implementing, coordinating, and providing timely reports.
• To undertake resource mobilization for activities related to vaccine regulation, norms, and standards.
• To liaise with AFRO and/or AFRO legal bodies to ensure consistency in the interpretation of legal instruments within the framework of WHO Constitution and AFRO Rules and Regulations, with emphasis on bringing to light and supporting the implementation of regulatory activities in the African Region.
• To collaborate with and coordinate activities with other clusters and departments at AFRO to ensure joint planning of vaccine and medicines regulation activities.
• To support the implementation of WHO plans and recommendations pertaining to the Global and Regional Advisory groups (GACVS, RITAG, and AACVS).
• Monitoring and reporting on the implementation of recommendations of WHO governing bodies.
• Facilitating coordination with AACVS, RITAG, NITAGs, and partners;
• Facilitating alignment of the support to NRAs of the AFR Region with appropriate regional policy frameworks and the resolutions of the Regional Committee and World Health Assembly; proactively advising and guiding regional and national partners on vaccine safety at the regional and country levels;
• Coordinating and implementing resource mobilization and advocacy strategies; .
• Updating existing guidelines, policies and standard procedures for implementation of regulatory functions and frameworks at the regional, sub-regional and national levels.
• Supporting the development and implementation of harmonized regulatory pathways, and strategic plans and guidelines for emergency response.
• To perform other related responsibilities as assigned.

• WHO benchmarking and Partners Results Framework;
• Coordinating the collection of Clinical Trial Review timelines within member States for performance evaluation;
• Facilitating monitoring and evaluation of pipelines of vaccines in clinical development

• Publication of periodic reports, including feedback bulletins in close collaboration with team members (at the regional, sub-regional and country levels); submission 
• information-sharing for annual global progress reports; and maintenance of AVAREF Website and up-to-date regional and national databases on clinical trials and safety;
• Facilitating innovations in electronic clinical trial submission and review processes as well as the tracking of safety data.
• Coordinating country support to members states, including technical support as required and in pursuit of enhanced programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and institutional and human resource capacity building.  
• Research, evidence, and data for decision making on vaccine development, regulation and safety through:
• Facilitating development and implementation of vaccine research and innovation agenda with focus on understanding regulatory bottlenecks and deploying appropriate resolution strategies.
• Building capacity of NRAs and Ethics Committees.

• Essential: Degree in Medicine/Veterinary Medicine with post-graduate degree/training, preferably a PhD in Immunology or Medical Microbiology or related field.
• Desirable: Specialization in Vaccinology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health, including expertise in the production, evaluation, and regulation of vaccines.

• Essential : A minimum of ten (10) years’ progressive experience at the national and international levels in clinical research, including biological standardization, regulatory evaluation, and capacity building, with at least of 5 years at the international level in low and/or middle-income countries.
• Desirable: Experience in regulatory policy formulation and working with regulatory authorities, preferably in a resource-limited environment.

• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in Facilitating development and implementation of vaccine research and innovation agenda with focus on understanding regulatory bottlenecks and deploying appropriate resolution strategies Building capacity of NRAs and Ethics Committees.

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