Advisor, Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control

Vacancy Notice No: PAHO/11/FT47 Title: Advisor, Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Grade: P4 Contract type: Fixed-Term Appointment Duration of contract: Two years, first year probationary period	Date: 9 February 2011 Application Deadline: 23 March 2011 (23 day(s) until closing deadline) Currently accepting applications Duty Station: La Paz, Bolivia Organization unit: AM Americas (AM) PAHO/WHO Representative/Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control (HSD)
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME : Promote, coordinate, and implement technical cooperation activities to reduce health, social and economical burden of communicable and non communicable diseases, focusing in the surveillance, prevention and control, in ways that are technically sound and appropriate for the culture and society and strives to achieve sustainable impact through strengthened country capacity and effective inter-country collaboration; and to strengthen the coverage and quality of the health and vital statistics in the Region as the national capacity to monitor their health situation.
Description of duties: Under the technical guidance of the Manager, Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control (HSD), and the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative, the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties: a) Provide technical cooperation to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the implementation of the International Health Regulations at the local level and national level, including the activities of alert and response to epidemics; b) Collaborate with and promote the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable and non communicable diseases, including zoonosis, food safety and neglected diseases. c) Promote the collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the academic sector and other pertinent sectors (i.e., animal health) to strengthen the capacity to monitor potential public health risks and impact of public health interventions; d) Collaborate with national authorities in the process of verification of information and risk assessment on reported disease outbreaks; e) Provide technical cooperation for communicable and non communicable disease in disaster situations; f) Provide technical cooperation to the Ministry of Health and other institutions of the national health system on treatment schemes, diagnosis, patient management, identification of risk factors, methods and technologies of control of communicable and non communicable diseases; advise in the development of laboratory activities in support of communicable and non communicable diseases control; g) Collaborate in the development and implementation of prevention programs and health services for the control of communicable and non communicable diseases, with emphasis in the strengthening of local health services to carry out program activities; h) Develop standards, guidelines, and procedures for the organization, operation, and evaluation of program activities; optimize the use of the country's health systems and related socioeconomic infrastructure; i) Collaborate in the application of epidemiological concepts, principles, and methods to the planning, programming, administration, and evaluation of disease surveillance, prevention, and control programs; j) Cooperate in the development and strengthening of human resources in communicable and non communicable diseases at all levels of the health services, and cooperate in their continuing education; k) Provide technical advice for the management of information systems to ensure availability of core data country files and other information on health services; collaborate in the development of national information systems for monitoring and reporting epidemiological surveillance of communicable and non communicable diseases; l) Analyze, systematize, and disseminate scientific and evidence-based technical information and knowledge to support the development of public policies and regulations for disease prevention and control; m) Promote and coordinate research on communicable and non communicable diseases at all levels of the health system and in academic institutions; n) Participate in obtaining extra budgetary funds by assisting national authorities in the preparation of communicable and non communicable diseases control project proposals for the appropriate national, bilateral and international financial agencies for research and for health services capacity building; collaborate in the implementation, monitoring and reporting of those projects; o) Promote the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the academic sector to strengthen the capacity to monitor programmatic progress and impact of public health interventions; p) Collaborate in the preparation of the Representation's Biennial Work Plan (BWP) and the execution of international cooperation, including the analysis of political, technical and socioeconomic realities. q) When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities r) Perform other related duties, as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A university degree in a health-related profession and a master's degree in epidemiology, public health or related field from a recognized university.
Skills: Key Behavioral Competencies Intra-institutional Action: Leads team efforts toward full understanding of the policies the organization must operate within as well as the Standard of Conduct for the International Civil Service. Leads employees and co-workers toward operating in a fair, consistent and equitable manner, and displays such behavior by example. Behaves consistently in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Organization. Performance Management: Plans and takes concrete steps on one's own initiative to improve job performance and required competencies. Learns from one's mistakes, adjusts goals and courses of action to meet changing needs. Conducts evaluation meetings with subordinates at the times stipulated, using the Organization's instruments and others specific to the area. Consistently motivates the staff members to improve their abilities, gives them tasks and activities that represent a challenge to them. Leadership: Uses complex strategies to promote team morale and productivity. Obtains needed personnel, resources and information for the team. Makes sure the practical needs of the team are met. Information Management : Processes and analyzes the data objectively, presenting it clearly and equitably. Leads the effort to acquire relevant and selected information that facilitates the achievement of organizational results. Evaluates/leads the evaluation of information systems on the basis of its advantages/disadvantages for processing information relevant to the area of work. Devising the budget for interventions and cost optimization: Demonstrates initiative and managerial capacity in obtaining alternative sources of financing and in mobilizing extrabudgetary resources for interventions. Acquires adequate funding, based upon the resources allocated in intervention plans. Thinking, planning and the strategic management of technical cooperation interventions: Selects priority ideas for executing the interventions after anticipating their potential problems and solutions. Participates in the preparation of strategic plans, providing input about their impact, quality, critical points, and risks. Evaluation of technical cooperation interventions: Evaluates criteria for the interventions at the process, management, and outcome level, in addition to technical cooperation evaluation plans, in keeping with the PAHO's strategic direction. Resource Mobilization: Works in an objective manner to obtain an apportion resources (financial and non-financial) according to need. Supports and advises technical areas to enable best use of resources are aligned with the mission and vision of the Organization. Is able to work in a multicultural environment. Is flexible and has the ability to work well under pressure. Is able to give feedback to partners within and outside the organization about the use of the resources and the results acquired. Technical Expertise - Theoretical and practical expertise at the highest level in all aspects related to surveillance of communicable and non communicable diseases, as well as a thorough knowledge of epidemiology, prevention and control methods. - Knowledge and practical expertise in the application of the International Health Regulations, outbreak control at national and international level. - Professional expertise in preventive public health, epidemiological research, diseases control and health services. - Ability to analyze current surveillance systems and possess the capability to develop and plan innovative and appropriate solutions for their improvement. - Knowledge and skills in the formulation of technical cooperation interventions and in the development of criteria and instruments for evaluating program interventions. - Managerial skills for the development, implementation and analysis of technical cooperation programs and activities, including budget programming and control. - Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization. IT Skills Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook. Other IT skills and knowledge of other software programs such as Visio and Project would be an asset.
Experience: Nine years of combined national and international experience working in epidemiology and control programs or in the administration of health services related to control of diseases, health analysis and statistics. Practical managerial experience in the operational aspects of prevention and control programs.
Languages: Very good knowledge of Spanish or English with working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.
Additional Information: A WRITTEN TEST AND/OR INTERVIEW MAY BE HELD FOR THIS POST. APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED ONLY IF THEY ARE UNDER SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN ON-LINE PERSONAL HISTORY FORM. THE POST DESCRIPTION IS THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSES.
Annual salary: (Net of tax) $67,395.00 at single rate $72,373.00 with primary dependants	Post Adjustment: 28.4 % of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.
Online applications are strongly encouraged to enable WHO to store your profile in a permanent database. Please visit WHO's e-Recruitment website at: www.who.int/employment. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement.