United Nations UN EPI Team Leader Jobs – World Health Organisation (WHO)

Job Title:       NPO/EPI Team Leader
Organisation: World Health Organisation (WHO)
Vacancy Notice No: AFRO/16/FT425
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Grade: NO-C
Reports to: WHO Representative
About WHO:
The
World Health Organisation (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for
health within the United Nations (UN) system. It is responsible for providing
leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda,
setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options,
providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health
trends.
About WHO Programme:
WHO’s
global vision for immunization and vaccines is to support all countries to
deliver quality immunization services as part of an integrated, people-centered
platform of disease prevention that spans the human life-course. Within this,
the objectives are to achieve the control, elimination or eradication of
vaccine-preventable diseases as stated in the Global Vaccine Action Plan, thus
contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. The delivery of immunization
services by any method should happen in concert with other interventions and
activities within the national health system.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:  
1. Management Capacity:
Strategic direction –
national immunization policies and work plan:
  • Actively promotes establishment of
    decision-making bodies at national level to facilitate consensus among
    national players and their external counterparts.
  • Offers technical support in the development
    and implementation of strategies and activities within the cMYP and annual
    EPI plan strengthening service delivery and surveillance of new vaccine
    sentinel sites.
Project/Programme
management
  • Supports the WHO Representative in overall
    project coordination and resource management for new vaccine introduction,
    monitors programme indicators for NVI and analyses programmatic and new vaccine
    surveillance data for use in programme management.
  • The incumbent will co-ordinate, prepare and
    submit technical and financial progress reports to donors as required, in
    particular for GAVI.
As a team leader
  • Promote coordination between partners and
    national authorities to ensure achievement of GVAP indicators and
    milestones.
  • Actively participate in developing,
    implementing effective and sustainable strategies for routine
    immunization, supplementary immunization activities, disease surveillance
    activities. Identify priorities and needs in close collaboration with the
    EPI team for changes in national policies and strategies, assist in
    developing or revising national plans of action and promote coordination
    between donor agencies to ensure adequate resource utilization.
  • Support preparations and timely submission of
    all technical and financial reports including donor supported activities.
2. Technical Capacity
Developing
evidence-based policy recommendations and guidance:
  • Encourages the national immunization
    programme to include regional and global immunization policies and
    strategies in the Country Cooperation Strategy, through nationally
    relevant evidence and discussions with the National Regulatory Authority
    (NRA) and the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG)
  • Solicits feedback from national technical
    experts on global and regional policies to strengthen recommendations made
    at global and regional level and ensure feasibility of implementation at
    national level.
  • Supports UNEPI to get evidence to justify new
    vaccine introduction in the country
  • Support national authorities to conduct PIEs
Monitoring and using
data for analytics:
  • Keenly monitors and evaluates national
    immunization policies and programmes, supporting the national immunization
    programme to collect, collate, analyse and use high quality data for
    action.
  • Regularly monitors and evaluates performance
    of new vaccine sentinel surveillance sites to collect, collate, analyse
    and ensure use high quality data for action/decision making
  • Supports the national authority to strengthen
    the AEFI surveillance system
  • Develop and promote research programs related
    to different operational and epidemiological components of immunization
    programs and related activities at the country level
  • Supports the country to investigate
    opportunities for internal and external information sharing and strengthen
    the capacity of national authorities to build and sustain national health
    observatories ensuring immunization data is integrated within.
  • Facilitates innovation by promoting new ideas
    and technologies (including ICT) to make data collection, analysis and use
    more effective and efficient.
  • Monitor new vaccine coverage to ensure by 2nd
    year of introduction coverage is above 80%
Support to
strengthening routine immunization system:
  • Supports the national government to develop
    Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) applications to the Global Alliance for
    Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
  • Support the government in submitting new
    vaccine applications to GAVI
  • Offer technical advice and support in
    mobilization of resources from national, and international sources
  • As a team leader, the incumbent will
    coordinate, provide technical support and lead WCO EPI team. Under the
    supervision of the WHO CO representative will provide strategic direction,
    management and supervision of WCO EPI team and ensure coordination with
    other partners. Oversee preparations and finalization of strategic
    technical and financial reports
Support to
establishing and strengthening surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases:
  • Implements, monitors and evaluates regional
    networks for laboratory-based surveillance of disease preventable by new
    vaccines, including, bacterial meningitis, other invasive bacterial
    diseases (bacterial pneumonia and Sepsis) and rotavirus gastroenteritis
    surveillance.
  • Keenly reviews and provides technical support
    to strengthen vaccine preventable diseases surveillance data and
    indicators.
  • Collaborate in the introduction of new
    vaccines, including against rotavirus, YF, Men A, MCV2 and others
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
  • The ideal candidates for the World Health
    Organization (WHO) NPO/EPI Team Leader job opportunity should hold a University
    degree in Medicine or Public Health or related field, and Masters’ Degree
    in Public Health or Epidemiology or other related field from an
    internationally recognized university.
  • Possession of a Post graduate training in
    public health or epidemiology.
  • A minimum of seven years of relevant work
    experience at the national level in immunization programmes, vaccine
    preventable diseases surveillance and data management, including
    demonstrated experience in low-resource environments.
  • Significant experience in working with
    development partners on the development, planning, implementation or monitoring
    and evaluation of immunization strategies and programmes.
  • Proven experience to work to deadlines and
    budgets, in collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders.
  • Extensive training/experience in
    immunization, surveillance and data interpretation is desired
  • Previous experience in resource mobilization
    and policy development is an added advantage
  • Detailed knowledge of principles, practices,
    methodology and techniques of immunization programmes
  • Excellent capacity in analysing
    vaccine-preventable diseases and EPI-related data, synthesizing
    information and presenting clear and concise conclusions to foster
    decision-making.
  • Broad knowledge and understanding of measles
    and rubella control and elimination strategy and introduction of new
    vaccines.
  • Familiarity with the UN system, including
    knowledge of WHO country, regional and global functions. Ability to work
    as a team member, and sensitivity to working in a multi-cultural
    environment.
  • Proficiency in all MS Office applications,
    spreadsheets and data analysis. Proficiency in epidemiology or statistical
    software packages would be an asset.
  • Languages: Excellent knowledge of English. A good
    working knowledge of French is an advantage. Knowledge of another UN
    language would be an asset.
     
Competencies:
  • Producing results;
  • Communicating in a credible and effective
    way;
  • Fostering integration and teamwork
How to Apply:
All
candidates who so desire to join the United Nations World Health Organisation
(WHO) by sending their online applications to enable WHO to store their
personal profiles in a permanent database. Visit WHO’s e-recruitment website
below and follow the instructions for online application procedures.
NB: 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.
Deadline: 27th July 2016
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