Technical Officer (Meningitis), P3

WHO - World Health Organization

Geneva, Switzerland

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals' (IVB) mission is “To promote the health and well-being of all people, in all countries, by advancing the impact of vaccines and immunization programmes through partnership and leadership; policies and guidance; evidence and research”. Our work is aligned with the WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW), with a central focus to drive impact in countries, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages. The Strategic Objectives of the IVB Department include:1) Establishing global immunization agendas, strategies and policies to build and harness commitment to action. 2) Promoting research and innovation to increase impact of vaccines, technologies and immunization practices. 3) Advancing evidence-based introduction and access to vaccines and immunization innovations. 4) Optimizing immunization delivery to ensure high-impact, sustainable and equitable programmes. 5) Harnessing Vaccine Alliances and Partnerships, including collaborations with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and key WHO partners, towards cross-programme coordination and collaboration in pursuit of universal health coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Technical Officer will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Contribute to the global coordination of the road map to defeat meningitis.
Assist the Team in ensuring timely implementation of all road map milestones, in coordinating the WHO global core secretariat to ensure the effective execution of all technical activities; and in tracking progress against milestones and identifying areas requiring action.
Develop, update and maintain appropriate dashboards and mechanisms to track the effective distribution of available financial support to Member States, partners and stakeholders.
Support the planning and organization of relevant meetings of expert groups, technical taskforce and strategy support group, and enable record keeping and dissemination of deliberations.
Serve as the focal point for the organization of periodic joint planning and review meetings with senior leadership, team members, collaborators and partners, with respect to relevant areas of work.
Participate in reporting to donors in a timely manner and in accordance with donor requirements and WHO standards.
Contribute to the development of key documentation (e.g. tenders, briefings, monitoring and progress reports, technical reports, etc.) required for technical assistance, recommendations, strategic decision making, communications as well as senior leadership and partners' updates.
Support and coordinate essential collaborations in the Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis.
Contribute to the identification of synergy opportunities with priorities of IVB, other existing global and regional initiatives, and the facilitation of integration.
Support advocacy and communications activities for the road map public profile and seek synergies with existing initiatives.
Facilitate the identification of synergies with existing activities and with the Department priorities.
Coordinate the contractual and administrative aspects for the different areas of work.
Contribute to other major priority areas of work of the Department and perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: A first university degree from a recognized university in the field of social sciences, international relations, public health, or other related field.
Desirable: An advanced university degree in the field of social sciences, international relations, public health, or other related field.

Experience

Essential:

A minimum of 5 years of experience in the domain of public health, including in the field of immunization.
Experience in multi-partners collaborations from multiple countries, government and non-governmental organizations and industry.
Experience in supporting technical working groups and in organizing technical meetings and global or national consultations on technical topics related to the position.

Desirable:

Work experience in WHO or other UN agencies.
Experience collaborating with academic institutions, non-governmental Organizations, public-private health partnership and major donors.
Experience in drafting and editing agreements between collaborative parties.

Skills

Good understanding of immunization, vaccine-preventable diseases, public health, clinical research and regulation.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with global and multisectoral partners: United Nations, academics, donors, manufacturers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others.
Good knowledge or expertise in project management with excellent organizational and analytical skills with the ability to plan and track/monitor multiple activities.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, both oral and written, especially in writing reports and briefings.
Ability to communicate with governmental and non-governmental partners, maintain effective working relations with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and contribute to a multi-site team-based organizational structure.
Diplomacy, initiative, tact, discretion and a high sense of responsibility.
Strong skills in computer applications such as Microsoft Word, Power Point, MS Project or similar tools.
Awareness of the WHO Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030 and Immunization Agenda 2030 is an asset.