International Consultant - Market Surveillance and Control (MSC) in the Western Pacific Region
World Health Organization (WHO)
WP/DHS Division of Health Systems and Services
Consultancy Internationallly Recruited Close on 26 May 2026
The Consultant will support Member States in preventing, detecting, and responding to substandard and falsified (SF) medical products, including in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) and other medical devices, through strengthened Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) reporting, incident management, risk communication, risk-based post market surveillance (rbPMS) activities, and Quality Control Laboratory (QCL) enablement.
Substandard and falsified (SF) medical products pose a serious and growing threat to public health, undermining patient safety, health system confidence, and progress toward universal health coverage. SF medical products – including medicines, vaccines, in vitro diagnostics (IVDs), and medical devices – can lead to treatment failure, increased morbidity and mortality, antimicrobial resistance, and avoidable economic costs. To support Member States in addressing these risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) operates the Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) for SF medical products, which enables the reporting, analysis, and sharing of information on suspected and confirmed incidents. Strengthening Member State engagement with the GSMS, alongside risk-based post market surveillance, laboratory enablement, inter sectoral coordination, and effective risk communication, is critical to enhancing early detection and response to SF medical products across the Western Pacific Region.
The Consultant is expected to complete the following outputs and deliverables:
Output 1: Technical support to Member States
Deliverable 1.1 Conduct rapid assessments of national market surveillance and SF medical product response systems in selected countries, including regulatory, laboratory, and enforcement linkages.
Deliverable 1.2 Support development and implementation of policies and strategies to prevent, detect and respond to SF medical products in the Pacific Island Countries.
Deliverable 1.3 Provide technical advice to national authorities on incident response pathways, including coordination between regulators, customs, law enforcement and laboratories.
Deliverable 1.4 Support technical assistance to national quality control laboratories (NQCLs) in at least 2 countries, including through on-site visits, twinning programmes and peer-learning initiatives.
Output 2: Regional network and partnership coordination
Deliverable 2.1 Maintain collaboration with national regulatory authorities in the Western Pacific Region and laboratory networks, including the GSMS focal point (FP) network, WHO Global Network of Quality Control Laboratories for Pharmaceuticals (WHO-GNP), and the WHO Network of National Control Laboratories for Biologicals (WHO-NNB).
Deliverable 2.2 Coordinate day‑to‑day FP engagement, onboarding, mentoring, and regional/subregional FP meetings.
Deliverable 2.3 Support joint activities with partners in official relations with WHO, including United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Customs Organization (WCO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Interpol, and academic laboratories. Support the development of an interagency strategy for collaboration on addressing SF medical products.
Deliverable 2.4 Provide input into regional planning and reporting processes, ensuring timely and accurate documentation of activities and outcomes.
Output 3: GSMS data cycle and analytics
Deliverable 3.1: Coordinate regional GSMS reporting and incident management related to SF medical products.
Deliverable 3.2: Produce localized threat assessment reports and thematic briefs for national authorities and the HQ and WPRO regulatory system strengthening teams.
Output 4: Training, Capacity building and Risk communication
Deliverable 4.1: Adapt and disseminate global risk communication (RC) tools to regional contexts; support country‑level RC plans and provide surge support during incidents. (supporting countries in responding to GSMS alerts).
Deliverable 4.2: Contribute to the development, dissemination, and evaluation of training materials, guidance tools, and technical resources for SF medical products.
Educational Qualifications:
Essential: University degree in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, regulatory sciences, public health, or another relevant health or life sciences field from a recognized university.
Desirable: Advanced university degree (Master’s level) in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, regulatory sciences, public health, quality assurance, laboratory sciences, or a related field from a recognized university.
Experience
Essential: At least five years of professional experience in medical product market surveillance, post-marketing control, or pharmaceutical quality assurance, including demonstrated experience in strengthening regulatory systems, laboratory systems, or regulatory–laboratory interfaces.
Desirable: Practical knowledge of risk-based pharmaceutical quality surveillance, including product-defect reporting and investigation, use of incident or quality-defect data systems, and coordination with national quality control laboratories for for-cause testing and regulatory decision-making.
Skills/Knowledge:
Essential:
Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):
Essential: Expert knowledge of English (read, write, speak)
Desirable: Basic knowledge of other languages spoken within the Western Pacific Region
On site: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific – Manila, Philippines
The consultant may need to travel to selected countries in the Western Pacific Region.
a. Remuneration: Payband level B – USD – 7,000 to 8,000 per month
b. Living expenses: USD 2,100 per month
c. Expected duration of contract: 6 months
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