World Health Organization Job Vacancy

NPO (AMR and Labs)

Grade: NO-B
Contractual Arrangement: Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 1 Year
Closing Date: Sep 13, 2021, 3:44:00 AM
Primary Location: Nepal-Kathmandu
Organization: SE_NEP WR Office, Nepal
Schedule: Full-time

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device’s system settings.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The objective of the WHO Nepal Country Office is to implement the Country Cooperation Strategy by supporting the Government of Nepal in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national health policies, strategies and plans and developing and managing WHO’s technical cooperation programmes at the country level. The Country Office collaborates with the Government of Nepal and relevant stakeholders in support of their efforts of achieving national health goals; of ensuring the attainment of universal health coverage and of contributing to global and regional public health action by providing need-based technical assistance in national level policy formulation, setting norms and standards, improving knowledge dissemination and management, monitoring country health situation and building sustainable institutional capacity, to play a greater leadership role in different national level policy and technical forums. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) supports the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to direct and co-ordinate the rapid provision of life-saving emergency health interventions at scale in the aftermath of multi-hazard disasters and subsequently assists in the rapid recovery of the health system in collaboration with national and international partners. Thereupon it provides technical support to the MoHP and partners to enhance health sector emergency risk management through risk reduction or mitigation; preparedness and response readiness to build a health system that is resilient to multi-hazard disasters including public health emergencies including epidemics and pandemics and other major emerging issues of public health concern such as AMR. Enabling the development / strengthening of national core capacities for compliance to IHR (2005) are mediated through the national strategies and plans such as the National Action Plan on Health Security (NAPHS) and NAP-AMR. The WHE Team is responsible for leading and coordinating the office-wide contributions for the development and implementation of these plans by the mandated stewards such as EDCD – the National Focal Point for IHR (NFP-IHR) and the NPHL – the National Coordination Center and National Reference lab for AMR in coordination with relevant institutions in other line ministries and all One-Health partners and stakeholders in Nepal. The incumbent, a member of the WHE Team will focus on two of the IHR core capacities – public health laboratories and AMR.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the Team Lead – WHE and the direct supervision of the Technical Officer – Public Health Laboratories, WHE and in close coordination with other members of the WHE team and in collaboration with other teams within WCO Nepal, the TNP-Lab/AMR will perform the following:

– Provide and mobilize the required technical support and assistance to the MoHP other relevant Ministries and partners on containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as delineated and prioritized in the NAP-AMR;
– Lead the WHO contribution for planning, prioritization and supporting the implementation of all interventions focused on strengthening the microbiology laboratories at national, provincial and local levels in the human, animal and environmental health sectors to build and sustain a nation-wide AMR surveillance network with a One-Health orientation that contributes to quality evidence on the levels and trends on AMR in the country and globally through effective participation in the WHO-GLASS platform;
– Enable implementation of hospital and community antimicrobial stewardship programmes in line with country contextualized WHO guidelines through an array of interventions including promotion of appropriate use in prescribing and dispensing of antimicrobials through development and implementation of regulations, guidelines and protocols, optimal infection prevention and control and establishment of mechanisms for surveillance of hospital acquired infections;
– Facilitate mechanisms in collaboration with other relevant WHO teams and technical colleagues, the establishment and sustainable functioning of mechanisms and systems for routine and periodic monitoring of antimicrobial consumption and use; integration of advice on control of antimicrobials in human health, animal health and environmental sectors to ensure continuity of successful prevention and treatment of infectious diseases;
– Facilitate WHO’s strategic and operational contributions to enable effective information, communication and education of all relevant stakeholders with potential to prevent and contain AMR in the country;
– Support building of organizational and national operations research capacity to effectively use the data and information on AMR to generate evidence dissemination, development of policy advocacy and enable sustainable changes in practice and policies.-Facilitate partnerships and collaborations for driving sustainable investments and innovations to address AMR.
– Perform any additional duties and undertake additional responsibilities assigned by the Technical Officer
– Public Health Laboratories and Team Lead, WHE

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in Medicine/Medical Microbiology / Bio-Technology from an accredited / recognized institution
Desirable: Master’s degree in medical microbiology / Virology / Biotechnology (MSc / MPhil/ MD) or PhD (Medical Microbiology) would be desirable. Post-graduate diploma / degree in community / preventive & social medicine; public health; epidemiology or research and teaching in Medical Microbiology would be assets.

Experience

Essential: At least 2 years of professional work experience in human / animal health laboratories with focus on microbiology / virology after graduation.
Desirable: Demonstrable significant engagement in the development and implementation of the AMR surveillance / Anti-microbial stewardship (AMS) / research on AMR / AMS at the national/sub-national/ institutional levels would be an asset. Relevant work experience in WHO and/or UN sister agencies with experience in public health programmes would be desirable.

Skills

– Self-motivated with ability to work with a minimum supervision.
– Ability to generate options, decide, prioritize and execute under pressure.
– Technical expertise and Overall attitude at work are also required mandatory competencies.

WHO Competencies
Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Moving forward in a changing environment
Producing results

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of Nepali.
The above language requirements are interchangeable.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at NPR 2,982,903 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an 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.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO’s workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.