National Consultant - Public Health Intelligence (PHI)– Roster

..

Qualifications

1.       Area of expertise :  

       National Consultant - Public Health Intelligence (PHI)– Roster

2.       Purpose of consultancy  

The purpose of this national consultant roster is to provide technical implementation, and surge support under WHO technical guidance for the implementation and strengthening of Public Health Intelligence (PHI) capacities in Member States of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Consultants selected from the roster will provide technical support to PHI training, workshops, mentoring, and capacity-building activities; contribute to EIOS and other epidemic intelligence and event-based surveillance initiatives; provide technical assistance for the application of artificial intelligence and other innovative approaches to PHI; and support the development, adaptation, implementation, assessment, evaluation, and operationalization of PHI tools, guidance, frameworks, and systems at country and regional levels.

3.       Background  

Public Health Intelligence (PHI) is a core function of emergency preparedness, readiness, and response. WHO EMRO has been supporting Member States to strengthen PHI capacities through the implementation of Event-Based Surveillance (EBS), Indicator-Based Surveillance (IBS), Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS), rapid risk assessment methodologies, electronic Public Health Emergency Management (ePHEM) platforms, and other intelligence and surveillance initiatives.

Several countries across the Region have initiated PHI implementation activities, while additional countries continue to express interest in strengthening their epidemic intelligence and collaborative surveillance capacities. WHO EMRO is also supporting the establishment of regional networks and communities of practice to facilitate technical exchange, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and the dissemination of best practices.

To sustain these efforts and respond to increasing technical support needs, WHO EMRO seeks to establish a national consultant roster. The roster will enable timely deployment of qualified consultants to support the implementation and strengthening of PHI capacities, delivery of training and mentoring, EIOS and event-based surveillance activities, innovation and AI-related PHI work. It also provide technical assistance for the development and implementation of tools and frameworks, assessments and evaluations, the operationalization of country and regional PHI systems, and surge support during public health emergencies when additional PHI expertise is required.

4.       Deliverables

Output 1: Provide technical support to the implementation and strengthening of PHI capacities in Member States

Deliverable 1.1: Provide technical support to PHI capacity assessment activities, gap analyses, stakeholder consultations, and country or regional implementation planning, and support the preparation of assessment reports, implementation plans, and technical recommendations.

Deliverable 1.2: Provide technical support for the implementation and strengthening of epidemic intelligence, event-based surveillance, EIOS, signal detection, verification, risk assessment inputs, documentation, and event management functions.

Deliverable 1.3: Support in the assessments, evaluations, operationalization, monitoring, and documentation of PHI systems at country and regional levels, including lessons learned, good practices, implementation progress, and recommendations.

Output 2: Provide technical support to the development, adaptation, and implementation of PHI tools, guidance, frameworks, and innovative approaches

Deliverable 2.1: Provide technical support to the development, adaptation, testing, implementation, and documentation of PHI tools, guidance, frameworks, standard operating procedures, templates, dashboards, reporting mechanisms, and user-support materials.

Deliverable 2.2: Provide technical assistance for the application of artificial intelligence and other innovative approaches to PHI, including practical use cases, implementation examples, validation support, and documentation.

Deliverable 2.3: Prepare or assist in the development of epidemic intelligence products, PHI analytical outputs, rapid risk assessment inputs, technical briefs, situation analyses, and other information products required for preparedness, readiness, and response.

Output 3: Provide technical support to PHI training, workshops, mentoring, capacity building, coordination, and surge support

Deliverable 3.1: Support in the development,  update, and delivery of PHI training materials, learning resources, presentations, mentoring packages, workshop materials, and other capacity-building products.

Deliverable 3.2: Support in the planning, facilitation, mentoring, and documentation of PHI workshops, trainings, webinars, simulation exercises, technical meetings, communities of practice, and knowledge-sharing activities.

Deliverable 3.3: Provide technical support to the coordination, programme monitoring, progress reporting, and surge technical support during public health emergencies when additional PHI expertise is required, including preparation of workplans, concept notes, mission or activity reports, and end-of-assignment reports.

5.       Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

- Qualifications required:

•          First university degree in Health Science, Public Health, Epidemiology, or related field.
•          Desirable: Advanced university degree (Master or higher) in Public Health, Epidemiology, or related field.

- Experience required:

•          At least 2 years of relevant professional experience in public health, epidemiology, disease surveillance, epidemic intelligence, event-based surveillance, PHI implementation, or related areas.
•          Demonstrated experience in supporting implementation, strengthening, assessment, evaluation, or operationalization of surveillance or PHI systems at national or subnational levels.
•          Desirable: Experience with EIOS, event-based surveillance, PHI tools or frameworks, training and mentoring, digital health solutions, artificial intelligence or innovation in PHI, or emergency response support.

- Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

•          Strong knowledge of PHI, epidemic intelligence, event-based surveillance, EIOS, rapid risk assessment, disease surveillance frameworks, and WHO approaches for public health emergencies.
•          Ability to support development, adaptation, implementation, testing, and documentation of PHI tools, guidance, frameworks, dashboards, analytical products, and innovative approaches, including AI-related applications where relevant.
•          Strong technical writing, facilitation, mentoring, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills, including preparation of reports, guidance documents, workplans, concept notes, and training materials.
•          Ability to translate surveillance and PHI information into actionable products and to provide surge technical support during public health emergencies when required.

- Language requirements:

•          Proficiency in English (Read - Write - Speak: Expert level) is required for effective communication, report writing, and training delivery.
•          Proficiency in Arabic (Read - Write - Speak: Intermediate or higher) is desirable due to the potential regional application of EWARN systems in humanitarian settings.

6.       Location

The consultant is expected to work remotely (off site).

7.       Travel

Travel will be required to deliver trainings and country support.

8.       Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

a.       Remuneration: National Level of NOB

b.       Expected duration of contract: 6 months – Part-time

·         This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

·         The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.

Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to  reasonableaccommodation@who.int

·         An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
• WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
• In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates .