Consultant - Infection Prevention and Control

Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical expertise to the WHE IPC team by contributing to IPC activities and products needed for readiness and response including for IPC in the context of health emergencies (infectious disease outbreaks, disasters, and humanitarian emergencies).

Background

Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) is central to public health emergencies, including outbreak response and containment. IPC constitutes the foundations of safe essential health services, resilient communities, and health systems, ensuring quality care, and protecting against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and anti-microbial resistance (AMR). The success of ensuring IPC measures are implemented for outbreak response, in health facilities and communities, is dependent upon maintaining IPC operational readiness to rapidly respond to cases and putting in place at least the IPC minimum requirements at the national and healthcare facility levels as soon as possible.

As such, strengthening IPC capacity in the context of operational readiness and response to health emergencies is key for Member States, especially where there are risks of outbreaks from high-threat pathogens (HTP).   

Capacity strengthening for health and care workers and IPC leads/focal points is essential to enable operational readiness and response for high threat or emerging pathogens in low- and middle-income countries. The creation of a comprehensive approach focusing on education and training on IPC in emergencies will support health and care workers to provide safe and quality care.

Deliverables

• Objective 1. To provide technical expertise to the IPC operational readiness and response during public health emergencies
  • Deliverable 1: Contribute to the development and dissemination of the Ebola Disease (EBOD) and Marburg Disease (MARD) IPC guideline derivative package known as the “EBOD/MARD IPC toolkit/package” that includes but not limited to various operational and implementation resources/ tools such as SOPs, assessment tools, training materials, posters, infographics amongst other products. 
  • Deliverable 2: Provide technical expertise for the EBOD and MARD guideline development process including facilitating evidence reviews and planning, developing presentations, and preparing the content for GDG meetings in collaboration with the technical team, the methodologist, and the systematic review team with a focus on IPC in community and special populations for Ebola and Marburg disease outbreaks.
  • Deliverable 3: Contribute to the development of guidance and derivative products related to the technical product “IPC operational readiness package.”
• Objective 2. To support IPC capacity strengthening during public health emergencies.
  • Deliverable 1: Contribute to the development of the IPC capacity-strengthening strategy and framework.
  • Deliverable 2: Contribute to the coordination and development of the implementation plan to promote for knowledge dissemination to strengthen capacity in low-middle-income countries and fragile, conflict-affected vulnerable settings in infection prevention and control practices.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• University degree in health sciences.

Desirable:

• Postgraduate certification/degree in Infection Prevention and Control.
• Advanced degree in Public Health or infectious diseases.

Experience

Essential:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience in the areas of IPC and public health including some at the international level.
• Experience working with or supporting low and/or middle-income countries.

Desirable:

• Experience in guideline development including use of GRADE methodology.
• Experience in the development of training materials.
• Experience in the field of public health policy development and implementation for IPC.
• Experience in the development of high-level multi-sectoral partnerships towards a common goal.

Skills:

• Expert knowledge of IPC and application to ensure quality and safety for patient care delivery in a variety of development and emergency settings.
• Knowledge of guideline development processes and principles including GRADE.
• Knowledge of adult learning principles for development of training materials.
• Knowledge of dissemination and implementation strategies for IPC materials.

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of French or another UN language.

Location

Off site: Home-based.

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B - USD 7,000 - 9,980 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

6 months. Additional contracts may be offered based on satisfactory performance and funding availability.

Additional Information

• 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.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• 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 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 final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever 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.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html