.
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 Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination Department (CDE) promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation activities directed toward the surveillance, prevention, control, elimination and/or reduction of communicable diseases, zoonosis, and related conditions that are technically sound and appropriate for the political and sociocultural context in which they are implemented. It strives to achieve a sustainable impact on health by providing normative guidance, furthering the implementation of evidence-based interventions, fostering alliances that strengthen country capacity, improving the effectiveness of inter-country collaboration, and facilitating policy and decision-making processes.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the general supervision of the Assistant Director (AD) and the direct supervision of the Director of the Department of Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination (CDE), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:
a) Provide the Organization with technical, policy, strategic and programmatic advice for the timely implementation of the Elimination Initiative (EI), in pursuit of the overarching goal of eliminating a broad range of Communicable Diseases and Related Conditions in the Americas by 2030;
b) Facilitate effective coordination of the Elimination Initiative, consistent with its multisectoral and multidisciplinary profile, ensuring active participation in governance and support mechanisms, including in the Core Team, the Interdepartmental Working Group, as well as through any other ad-hoc functional Working Group;
c) Develop approaches and support the implementation of interventions to address populations in situation of vulnerability and inequities that are relevant to Communicable Diseases and Related Conditions listed for elimination, and ensure full consistency with PAHO corporate principles, values and working culture;
d) Articulate and link the overarching agenda of the Elimination Initiative with ongoing work streams geared towards the elimination of individual communicable diseases, along with integrated multi-disease platforms, such as the EMTCT in Maternal and Child Health, integrated laboratory networks, strategic information systems and supply chain management, with a focus on strengthening Primary Health Care and integrating priority programs;
e) Advise Member States in identifying and implementing effective interventions aimed at the prevention, surveillance, control, and elimination of communicable disease and organize and support provision of upstream technical cooperation, with the aim of promoting the development of National and/or subnational Strategies, Elimination Plans, and/or Road maps that are highly specific to local contexts, which may eventually be integrated within National Health Plans;
f) In collaboration with CMU and other relevant entities assist in the development and implementation of an “evidence-based advocacy and communication” plan commensurate for a priority corporate undertaking, to promote the Elimination Initiative and its overarching principles, to inform broad audiences of advances and achievements, and to maintain the highest attention and visibility within PAHO and amongst partners;
g) Provide secretariat support to the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) on Diseases Elimination, including following up and addressing recommendations from this advisory group;
h) Develop or update guidance documents, tools and capacity building materials to support the implementation of the Elimination Initiative, as needed;
i) Promote and facilitate the establishment of partnerships in support of the Elimination Agenda with interested subjects and concerned groups, including civil society organizations, to expanding their engagement and participation beyond single disease agendas;
j) Promote and support efforts towards the mobilization of resources, in collaboration with ERP and external partners such as the Task Force for Global Health;
k) Coordinate the collection of country profiles, the implementation of the Elimination Initiative monitoring and evaluation framework and production of periodic reports to Governing Bodies;
l) Coordinate with all relevant areas of the Organization the implementation of operational research, generation and dissemination of knowledge related to the elimination of communicable diseases, including through on-line knowledge sharing webinars and scientific publications;
m) Contribute to the preparation of the Biennial Work Plan (BWP) and Human resources Plan as required;
n) Provide leadership, guidance and monitoring of supervised staff by setting clear work objectives, ensuring timely and effective use of performance reviews and feedback mechanisms, engaging in regular communications, and solving interpersonal or technical conflicts; establish and support a learning environment, to include staff development in the Organization’s fundamentals, managerial competencies and technical expertise;
o) Promote a culture of ethical behavior and integrity in accordance with the Organization’s Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct in order to ensure a culture of respect, responsibility, accountability, and compliance;
p) Carry out other responsibilities and activities related to the Elimination Initiative as required both at the regional, subregional, and country levels;
q) Perform other related duties, as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Essential: A university degree in a health discipline related to the functions of the post, and a master’s degree in a health science from a recognized institution.
Desirable: A PhD in epidemiology, public health, infectious diseases, or a related field, 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: Thirteen years of combined national and international experience in leading and managing public health programs and projects aimed at the prevention, management, and elimination of communicable diseases. Experience in strategic thinking, managing negotiations with a wide range of partners, including academia, bilateral and technical institutions, donors, communities and civil society organizations; demonstrated resource mobilization skills and partnership development ideally in the field of international public health is essential.
Desirable: Proven experience in bilateral, multilateral and south-south collaboration, finances and integrated public health initiatives 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: 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: Advocates for collaboration across the Organization – Promotes a team-approach by working and collaborating across the Organization; sees cooperation as a key Organizational priority and facilitates collaborative systems and processes to achieve Organizational goals; helps others when asked and ensures strategic partnerships with a range of key stakeholders; maintains and extends an effective collaborative network of individuals inside and outside the Organization.
· Communication: Share knowledge - Articulates the Organization’s strategic objectives when formulating and delivering information and presentations and adapts presentation methodology to address the needs of different audiences. Shares decisions and directives of senior management and communicates them in a manner that ensures both understanding and acceptance; shares knowledge and best practice at the three Organizational levels (country, regional and global), as necessary.
· 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.
· Driving the Organization to a successful future: Constructive leadership style/ Set the vision and build commitment - Leads and develops a road map for successfully achieving real progress in the Organization’s mandate, including consultation with key stakeholders; demonstrates respectful, trustworthy, transparent and accountable behavior in order to develop a reliable and coherent identity for the Organization. Creates a coherent Organizational vision of shared and successful goals; fosters a culture of vision and long- term goals, recognizing and rewarding efforts to maximize the Organization’s value.
Technical Expertise:
· Technical: Extensive expertise in prevention, control, management, and elimination of diseases, including the management of public health programs at regional, subregional and country level. Experience in management of communicable diseases during the occurrence of natural disasters and outbreaks to overcome the interruption of essential periodic activities aimed towards the control and elimination of priority public health diseases. Wide and varied knowledge of public health problems and the management of projects and programs to effectively prevent and\\or eliminate selected infectious diseases. Demonstrated skills and experience in building partnerships, managing integrated approaches in public health, resource mobilization, and management in monitoring and evaluation.
· Managerial: Extensive expertise in progressively responsible positions in the management of infectious diseases programs, projects and\\or initiatives, on administrative and technical matters requiring sensitive negotiation with public health and government officials and other national and international bodies. Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational, managerial and analytic work; courtesy, tact, sensitivity to manage confidential information, and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different professional levels, discipline, nationalities, and cultural background; resourcefulness, initiative, highly developed judgment and interpersonal skills to deal with difficult situations and sensitive areas.
· Administrative: Skills in resource mobilization (including fundraising and partner collaboration) and financial management for the delivery of expected results.
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 Office, OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint, etc., are considered essential.
REMUNERATION
Annual Salary
This vacancy is archived.