Technical Officer - Temporary staff 420.4 (with competition) template

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries, and to coordinator international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.The Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Department is responsible for identifying new public health events, assessing risks to public health, conducting epidemiological surveillance and field investigations, monitoring public health interventions, and communicating public health information to technical partners.Under the coordination of the director of HIM, Solidarity II is a global collaboration led by the World Health Organization that promotes the implementation of serological surveys of SARS-CoV-2. Solidarity II provides a collaborative environment for public health agencies and academic institutions around the world to work together to answer some of the most urgent questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the occurrence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 infection is critical for the world to know how frequently infection occurs among different populations, how many people have had mild or asymptomatically infection, how many people have been infected but may not have been identified by routine disease surveillance, and what proportion of the population may be immune from infection by SARS-CoV-2 in the future.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following duties. Duties may be modified, based upon the technical needs of the Programme:

• Manage the Solidarity II participants database Coordinate the weekly collaborators meeting, including inviting relevant speakers.

• Review literature relevant to sero-epidemiology.

• Develop studies and produce tools to standardize findings from serological surveys.

• Set up a systematic reporting mechanism between the participating study groups.

• Develop protocols to support serological laboratory work Maintain and update SOPs to document collection and validation processes for data collection, management and analysis.

• Participate other activity as required by the supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

• First level university degree in biomedical science, medicine, or a relevant field.

Desirable:

• Advanced degree in Public Health, Laboratory Science, or a relevant field.

Experience

Essential:

• At least five years' relevant experience combined at the national and international levels public health research studies with focus on serology of infectious diseases or other relevant research areas.

Desirable:

• Experience of delivering studies in partnership with multiple study collaborators.

• Experience of coordinating studies in multiple countries.

Skills

1. Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience in immunoassay development and validation.

2. Demonstrated knowledge in infectious diseases serology.

3. Advance ability in design, coordination and analysis of interdisciplinary and multiple partners laboratory-based projects.

4. Demonstrated experience in setting up human sera collection operations, sample processing and international distribution

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Moving forward in a changing environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Expert knowledge of French.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 60,962 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 4547 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• 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.

• 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/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

• For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.