Regional Adviser, Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization

at  World Health Organization

Grade: P5
Contractual Arrangement: Fixed-term appointment
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 2 Years
Job Posting: Aug 19, 2024, 6:26:10 AM
Closing Date: Sep 9, 2024, 4:59:00 PM
Primary Location: Denmark-Copenhagen
Organization: EU/CDE Communicable Diseases, Environment and Health
Schedule: Full-time
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device’s system settings.

EDUCATION

Essential: University degree (Master’s level) in medicine, social sciences, public health or epidemiology.
Desirable: Additional university degree in one of the above fields. Additional training in communicable disease prevention and control and/or immunization programmes.

EXPERIENCE

Essential: At least 10 years working experience in communicable diseases, prevention and control, at national and international levels, attaining senior managerial rank. Demonstrated experience in implementing or advising on key domains of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization and/or polio eradication, with particular emphasis in lower- and middle-income countries. Experience in management, planning, monitoring and programme evaluation.
Desirable: Demonstrated experience in advocacy and working with other national/international agencies active in the health sector and community-based organizations.

SKILLS

• Demonstrated in depth knowledge of the political, social and health systems of countries in the WHO European Region. Emotional awareness;
• The ability to identify and harness one’s emotions and apply them to tasks; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and helping others to do the same.

USE OF LANGUAGE SKILLS

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French, Russian, German.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Management of the technical programme including formulation of Regional Policies and Action Plans, country plans and projects, implementation, monitoring, and participation in evaluation of outcomes. To direct and supervise the implementation of activities and strengthen leadership and capacity of the Regional Office in the area of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization, including sustaining polio free status and measles and rubella elimination. To advise European member states on a regular basis with regard to strengthening national and sub-national capacities in developing and implementing policies, strategies and tools in relation to vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization as well as polio eradication. To manage relations with partners, supervise staff, and provide oversight of the programme’s financial resources and administration.

KEY DUTIES:

Under the guidance of the Divisional Director, the incumbent will assume the following responsibilities and achieve the following objectives:

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES AS A REGIONAL ADVISOR:

• To provide leadership and managerial oversight to the work of all Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization programme/project staff in regional and country offices;
• To establish, maintain and strengthen partnerships and mobilize resources to efficiently deliver services/products within country and intercountry workplans;
• To be responsible for the allocation of budget and resources within country and intercountry workplans in coordination with the Divisional Director.
• To perform the general management of the programme’s professional and general service staff, as first level supervisor (to include monitoring of workload, performance management and to establish mechanisms which ensure proper coordination within the team regarding travel, holidays), including, in liaison with the head’s of Country Offices, technical programme staff based outside Copenhagen;
• To regularly monitor and assess the performance of the technical programme through evaluation and reporting

Core responsibilities in assisting Member States in relation to vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization, and disease elimination/eradication as part of country efforts to strengthen health systems include:

• With the support of the relevant technical experts in the VPI and in main partner institutions, dialogue with and advise policy makers on national plans and policies to ensure that policies do not perpetuate social injustices and inequities, nor increase inequalities in access to health services and in health outcomes; and that redefined responsibilities in health systems are shared in a coordinated and pluralistic manner across all stakeholders with clear lines of accountability and transparency, with special emphasis on immunization system strengthening and other immunization priorities;
• Manage and oversee development and implementation of innovative approaches, adapted to regional/country needs with special emphasis on immunization systems strengthening, behavior change, new vaccine introduction and elimination and eradication goals for measles, rubella, and poliomyelitis;
• Oversee and mobilize expert technical advice and guidance for assisting national health authorities with the development of mechanisms, instruments and tools (i.e. national health strategies and policies, monitoring and evaluation, performance assessment and performance management and approaches to enhance effectiveness of stakeholder involvement); including the establishment and promotion of CISID and other surveillance systems to monitor and evaluate immunization programmes and interventions and the impact of new vaccine introduction;
• Oversee the development of mechanisms for performance assessment and performance management and approaches to enhance effectiveness of stakeholder involvement;
• Advocacy, knowledge transmission, advice and dissemination of best practices and lessons learned for the enhancement of the capacities and skills of health ministries in carrying out vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization functions, especially towards elimination and eradication goals and new vaccine introduction.
• Contribute to attaining health system goals and strengthening public health capacities in MSs, by advocating for and supporting action across government and society to improve the health and well-being of populations.

Core responsibilities in providing leadership and guidance in directing the advancement of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization Programme include:

• Ensure technical quality and competence in the Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization Programme and be responsible for the overall timeliness, management and quality of all programme deliverables of both country and intercountry work plans;
• Develop regional plans to implement global and regional strategies in vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization and harnessing European and other experience and knowledge (e.g. including influencing other sectors to incorporate health concerns in their policies and enhance effectiveness of donor and other stakeholder involvement), documenting gaps therein for the definition of the research agenda on the subject matter;
• Ensure consistency and cohesiveness with the WHO guidelines, approaches, and messages, contributing to the WHO normative function;
• Coordinate international activities with relevant organizations and partners in the technical area;
• Manage the collection and synthesizing of relevant knowledge to build the evidence base for dissemination to Member States as required Oversee the production of authoritative and relevant policy papers and briefs on the subject matter;
• Document and render explicitly pros and cons of various policy options applicable to vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization in terms of their implications and their impact on the level and distribution of health, responsiveness, and financial protection based on country experiences.