National Professional Officer (Vaccine Preventable Diseases)

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The purpose of this position is to assist the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Ukraine in strengthening the surveillance for vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). This position will enable the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) to be more responsive and to play a leading role in strengthening of the diseases preparedness and control. Under the overall guidance of the Head of WHO Office in Ukraine and direct supervision of the Health Programme Lead, with close collaboration with the Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization (VPI) unit in WHO European Regional Office in Copenhagen, the incumbent will undertake the following specific responsibilities:

1. Support the implementation of monitoring and evaluation mechanism, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, case investigation, reporting, and response.
2. Serve as a technical focal point for regular disease-specific risk assessments, preparedness, investigation, and response to VPD outbreaks (with a focus on measles, rubella, and poliomyelitis) at both the national and subnational levels.
3. Coordinate and support capacity-building and training initiatives on VPD surveillance, outbreak investigation, contact tracing, outbreak response, and reporting.
4. Provide technical advice to strengthen lab-based disease surveillance networks, determine priority pathogens for sequencing as part of the national strategy, and other related tasks.
5. Review the need for and support the establishment of an environmental surveillance system to complement the routine VPD surveillance system.
6. Assess the relevance of event-based, syndromic, and other non-conventional surveillance initiatives to improve early warning and alert systems.
7. Support national counterparts in conducting sero-prevalence surveys as part of elimination and eradication strategies, when applicable.
8. Contribute to the Epidemiological Bulletin and other analytic products, and prepare and present updates on the epidemiological status of VPDs at the national and international levels.
9. Liaise with national counterparts and partners (UN and bilateral) to harmonize the implementation of activities related to vaccine-preventable diseases in the provinces.

Required Qualifications

Education

Essential: A first-level university degree (Bachelor's level) in medicine, epidemiology, health informatics, public health, or equivalent areas relevant to this position.

Desirable: Master’s degree or advanced training in any of the above

Experience

Essential: At least two years of professional experience at the national level working in health systems/public health, health information, public infectious diseases surveillance, infectious diseases surveillance, VPD Surveillance, epidemiology Surveillance. Demonstrated experience working with/within public projects and working with multiple stakeholders, such as national policymakers, NGOs, and the private sector. Good knowledge of infectious diseases surveillance architecture and other relevant systems in Ukraine.

Desirable: Demonstrated experience in working with infectious diseases surveillance. Demonstrated experience in planning and implementing health-related projects or programmes.

Functional Knowledge and Skills

1. Demonstrated knowledge of infectious diseases surveillance systems and global and regional standards.
2. Familiarity with national immunization and public health systems.
3. Knowledge of the principles of health information, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
4. Demonstrated analytical, presentation, and report-writing skills.
5. Proven ability to work comfortably in an international, multi-disciplinary, fast-paced environment.
6. Demonstrated knowledge of the goals and procedures of international organizations (United Nations system, donors, major non-governmental organizations).
7. Ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as helping others do the same.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting & promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing Results
• Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of Ukrainian.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of any other UN language.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 47,491 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

Link to apply: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2603862&tz=GMT%2B03%3A00&tzname=Europe%2FKiev