Scientific and Technical Support Specialist, VRIU/AVAREF Secretariat

Mission and objectives

Provide broad scientific and technical support to the AVAREF Secretariat’s implementation of the ecosystem and life cycle approach to capacity strengthening under the VRIU 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, assisting the technical team across reliance-network, Clinical Trial Pilot, and regulatory science activities.

Context

The position is situated within the AVAREF Secretariat, housed in the Vaccine Research and Innovation Unit (VRIU) of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) Programme, Department of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control (DPC). VRIU is the custodian of AVAREF’s network of networks, coordinating regulatory and ethics capacity-building across the African Region, where 9 of 55 member state NRAs have reached maturity level 3 (ML-3). The Secretariat coordinates a rapidly growing portfolio: multi-country joint reviews of clinical trial applications, scientific advice procedures, facilitated registrations and emergency use authorizations, the 16-country Clinical Trial Pilot, regional training workshops in English, French, and Portuguese, monthly webinars, and the development of a digital platform for clinical trial applications, on top of new priorities in comparative ethics analysis and local production readiness. This volume has outgrown the Secretariat’s current staffing; the position manages the information backbone of the Secretariat and provides broad scientific and technical support where dedicated technical staff capacity is limited.

Task Description

1- Joint review workflow and registry management

• Maintain the central registry of Clinical Trial Applications, scientific advice requests, joint reviews, and facilitated registrations, including status, timelines, and decisions.
• Support the joint review workflow: administrative screening of submitted dossiers, compilation of reviewer questions, tracking of sponsor responses, and scheduling of evaluation meetings.
• Organize and maintain the technical documentation of the Clinical Trial Pilot and the rollout of the centralized digital platform for clinical trial applications. 2- Technical and scientific support to Secretariat activities
• Provide technical and logistical support to the Clinical Trial Pilot, reliance-network meetings, joint reviews, and capacity-building activities.
• Support literature reviews, background research, and evidence synthesis for AVAREF technical products, including the comparative ethics framework analysis, the Regional R&D Strategy, and local production readiness work.
• Assist Secretariat technical staff and consultants in preparing briefing notes, technical summaries, and background documents for meetings and missions.
• Support the preparation of summary documents and technical reports for National Regulatory Authorities, National Ethics Committees, and partners. 3- Data management, monitoring, and reporting
• Assist in setting up and maintaining dashboards and monitoring tools tracking the Clinical Trial Pilot’s 48 reviewers, roster experts, and reliance-network activities across the 16 pilot countries; compile activity statistics for the Secretariat performance dashboard (applications, countries, review timelines, training metrics).
• Prepare the data-collection instruments for the clinical trial ecosystem assessment surveys, based on designs from the Technical Officers, and follow up with stakeholders on response collection.
• Validate and analyze programme data to identify bottlenecks and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Provide first-line information technology support to the Secretariat: shared drive structure, access management, and basic user support.
• Contribute to regular progress briefs, presentations, and reports for Secretariat leadership and partners. 4- Webinars, knowledge capture, and capacity building
• Facilitate the technical coordination of webinars and virtual trainings, including acting as platform host: technology management, recordings, attendance logs, and compilation of pre- and post-test scores.
• Support the synthesis of technical outputs from meetings, joint reviews, and workshops into accessible knowledge products for member state regulators and ethics committees.
• Contribute technical content to AVAREF’s advocacy and donor-facing products, working alongside the Secretariat’s communications capacity.
• Assist in the preparation and delivery of training materials and workshop content for the AVAREF reviewer network and the Continental Regulatory Science Validation Programme.
• Perform any other tasks as requested by the supervisor. 5- Expected outputs and deliverables (initial 6-month term) These deliverables cover onboarding and progressive take-over of the functions below across the initial 6-month assignment; they inform the formal performance review at month 6 that supports any decision to renew.
• Webinar and training materials archive organized and accessible (Month 1).
• Central registry of all Clinical Trial Applications, scientific advice requests, and joint reviews created and maintained.
• Clinical Trial Pilot and digital platform documentation fully organized; routine technical support delivered without supervision (Month 2).
• Documented procedure for administrative handling of incoming applications established (Month 3).
• Literature reviews and concept notes for emerging issues prepared (Month 5).
• Monthly performance dashboard (applications, timelines, countries, status) produced (Month 5).
• Clinical Trial Pilot and other networks documentation fully organized; routine technical support delivered without supervision (Month 6). 6- Indicative deliverables if the assignment is renewed (months 7 to 12) The following reflect autonomous operation of the function and would apply to a renewed term; they are not deliverables of the initial 6-month assignment.
• Central registry and performance dashboard maintained continuously; quarterly statistical reports produced for the Coordinator (Months 7–12).
• Technical coordination of all webinars and virtual trainings of the semester delivered autonomously, including platform hosting (Months 7–12).
• Ecosystem assessment survey rounds supported end to end: data-collection instruments prepared, stakeholder follow-up completed, and response rates reported (Months 7–12).
• Contribution to the AVAREF annual report (activity statistics and joint review records) submitted (Month 12).
• End-of-assignment handover note and updated procedures documented (Month 12).

Competencies and values

• Professionalism
• Integrity and ethics
• Working in teams
• Planning and organizing
• Accountability
• Communication
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Commitment to continuous learning
• Technological awareness
• Respect for diversity
• Commitment and motivation

Living conditions and remarks

Brazzaville is a family duty station with access to basic services, medical facilities, and international travel connections. The environment is culturally rich but requires adaptability and resilience. This is a family-duty station for most UN staff despite the limited operationality of health facilities; there is an American International school, a French Lycee and several other private institutions of education. All major cards can be used through a network ofautomated teller machines (ATMs) throughout the city. There is a wide range of housing options including what WHO offers in its multiple compounds (houses and apartments). An entry visa to the Republic of Congo is mandatory. Visas can be obtained at the Embassy or Consulate of the Republic of Congo in your country of nationality or residence. If there is no diplomatic representation of the Republic of Congo in your country, it is mandatory to please bring the following:

• The waiver provided by WHO, with the circular in French;
• A copy of your travel authorization or official letter of invitation. Congo provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in potentially difficult conditions, involving physical hardship and limited comfort, are essential. https://www.unv.org/