Technical Officer

The mission of the Division of WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) is to build the capacity of Member States to assess, prevent and manage health emergency risks, and lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations.

The WHE Division brings together and enhances WHO’s operational, technical and normative capacities in outbreaks, emergencies and risk analysis to address all health hazards across the risk management cycle in a predictable, capable, dependable, adaptable and accountable manner. The Programme is designed to operate within the broader humanitarian and emergency management architecture in support of people at risk of, or affected by, outbreaks and emergencies, consistent with ways that strengthen local and national capabilities.

Duties:

The position is responsible for supporting Early Warning and Response System (EWRS):

• Implement comprehensive training modules on EWRS, Epidemic Intelligence, and digital event-based surveillance provided by WHO, targeting central and provincial level staff. Emphasis is placed on Public Health Emergency Management, Emergency Risk Communication, and CBRNE.”
• Create a well-organized curriculum for e-learning packages on EWRS, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and adherence to industry best practices and liaising with relevant RO or HQ counterparts as needed to adopt WHO endorsed training packages where relevant.
• Regularly assess the quality of e-learning materials, guaranteeing accuracy, relevance, and interactivity, and revise content based on feedback and field updates.
• Together with RO/HQ technical team, lead digitalization efforts for event-based surveillance systems, integrating technological solutions for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to implement digital tools and platforms enhancing event-based surveillance capabilities.
• Deliver training on epidemiological data analysis, including statistical tools, data visualization, and interpretation of surveillance data.
• Provide guidance on best practices for analyzing and interpreting epidemiological trends and patterns.
• Work with the transfer of knowledge team to develop user-friendly risk communication materials and training.
• Assist the Ministry of Health in carrying out real-time monitoring of infectious disease outbreaks by utilizing a combination of Google Trends search results or other methodologies.
• Establish strong collaborations with WHO and partner agencies to cover various aspects of public health response to outbreaks.
• Support multi-disciplinary, cross-cutting approaches to work and facilitate participation in such approaches.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies and best practices in EWRS, proactively recommending enhancements and updates.
• Perform other related duties including replacing and backstopping as required.

Education:

Essential:

• First university degree in Medicine or Public Health or other health related fields from an accredited institute.

Experience:

Essential:

• At least 5 years’ experience working on the control and prevention of infectious diseases including on epidemic diseases and networking with clinicians. At least 3 of the 5 years with international exposure.

Skills:

• Proven ability to successfully coordinate, manage and lead projects, and build partnerships, across agencies and organizational departments in the context of health emergencies.
• Expert level knowledge of infectious diseases, particularly in those areas such as influenza, critical for promoting a public health perspective and approach, such as infectious disease epidemiology, prevention or control, monitoring and vaccination and significant practical application of this knowledge in an international context.
• Proven understanding of the management of acute and urgent public health responses, including infectious disease outbreaks and experience in outbreak investigation and management. Proven experience in management (finances, budgets and staff) and clear proof of responsibility for management of work plan activities.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in building sustained partnerships and working with others in international settings.

Language Skills:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Source: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2409770