Program support officer, immunization in emergencies

WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health work of an international character within the United Nations system. It is responsible for leading global health action, setting health research agendas, setting standards and benchmarks, presenting evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries, and monitoring and to assess trends in public health.
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility that requires equitable access to essential care and collective defense against transnational threats.

WHO has a strong mandate to work with Member States on immunization and the response to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Detecting, preventing and responding to these outbreaks are part of the core capacities required by the IHR (2005), and key to achieving global health security.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical support to immunization interventions during new and ongoing emergencies, including, but not limited to coordination, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and early recovery of routine vaccination services. This includes risk assessments to determine the rationale for vaccination; review of vaccine options based on contextual considerations; ensuring effective and inclusive coordination mechanisms for planning and implementation of vaccination activities; facilitation of partnerships and cross border collaboration when required; establishing a monitoring framework and sharing of information timely; facilitation of re-establishment or maintenance of routine immunization in the emergency context.

The mission of WHO's Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Cluster is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The EPR Cluster is responsible for identifying gaps and strengthening national capacities in preparedness and response to respond effectively to emergencies while ensuring resilience of health systems during these emergencies.
The incumbent undertakes coordinated, transparent and collaborative assessment, planning and implementation of vaccination response approaches for WHO to engage as a trusted partner in outbreaks and health emergencies, providing unique and valued capacities.

• Help with preparation of documents, reports, talking points and work plans as needed to support programme activities and strategic priorities;
• Weekly briefs on the vaccination response for ongoing incidents (e.g., diphtheria, mpox, cholera, COVID-19);
• Support cluster in completing paperwork related to reporting, events & administration;
• Representation of the vaccines pillar at the weekly event coordination meetings;
• All countries with active outbreaks and a vaccination pillar supported to develop and implement costed vaccination action plans;
• Contribute to development of tools and technical guidance documents on vaccination response and strategies to ongoing vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks;
• Coordinate WHO support for vaccination in emergency context by ensuring regional coordination and guide decision making on vaccination interventions immediately after the onset or during planning in anticipation of a likely acute emergency;
• Providing guidance and technical support to countries in determining and setting policies for vaccination in emergencies;
• Contribute to the preparation of slides presentation vaccination activities that are coordinated out of the EPR cluster;
• Contribute to the development of scientific publications;