Consultant - Ethics Review Committee, WPRO

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this part-time consultancy is to deliver ethics-related and to support the Ethics Review Committee at WHO in the Western Pacific region in reviewing research proposals to ensure they meet ethical guidelines, safeguard participant welfare, and comply with regulatory requirements.

Background

The World Health Organization Ethics Review Committee in the Western Pacific Region (WPRO-ERC) was established in 2010 to ensure that all research involving human participants, funded or otherwise supported by WHO in the Region, meets the highest ethical standards. The WPRO-ERC provides independent ethics review for such research and supports WHO's commitment to promoting responsible and ethical research practices.

The WPRO-ERC is composed of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and members with diverse technical expertise, drawn from both the WHO Regional Office and Country Offices. To support the work of the WPRO-ERC, a secretariat has been established, consisting of a technical advisor and an administrative focal point.

WHO is seeking a capable expert to serve as the technical advisor to the WPRO-ERC Secretariat. This will be an off-site, part-time consultancy role. The consultant will provide technical support for the ERC’s work, as well as contribute to broader capacity-building initiatives in the Region, including:

Training WHO staff, Ethics Review Committees, and Member States on the WHO Benchmarking Tool for Ethics Oversight of Health-Related Research Involving Human Participants.

Conducting training sessions on clinical research ethics to strengthen ethical standards and practices in the Region, in alignment with the World Health Assembly Resolution WHA75.8 on \"Strengthening clinical trials to provide high-quality evidence on health interventions and to improve research quality and coordination.\"

Deliverables

The consultant shall perform the following tasks. It will be done virtually and will require regular meetings with the WPRO-ERC Secretary, other members of WPRO-ERC secretariat and WPRO-ERC members.

Output 1: Coordinate the review of research proposals

Deliverable 1.1: Undertake a preliminary review of all submitted proposals to assess whether they are complete and, if not, liaise with the WHO Responsible Technical Officer to bring them up to the required standards.
Deliverable 1.2: Report the result of the preliminary review to the Chair through the Secretary to determine the proposal review mode and select reviewers among WPRO-ERC members
Deliverable 1.3: Facilitate the research proposal review process to ensure that the WHO RTO receives a review outcome within the stipulated time frame as set by the WPRO-ERC SOP

Output 2: Provide technical guidance in the maintenance of Health Research Portal and WPRO-ERC documentation

Deliverable 2.1: Support prepare correspondence and responses to queries related to ERC activities
Deliverable 2.2: Liaison with WPRO IT team to provide change requests and improve the Health Research Portal
Deliverable 2.3: Support desk research and the preparation, and notetaking of Committee meeting.

Output 3: Strengthen capacity on research ethics

Deliverable 3.1: Make relevant educational materials and resources available to WPRO-ERC members, WHO staff, and national ERCs.
Deliverable 3.2: Coordinate, prepare, and deliver training sessions on clinical research ethics to support the implementation of World Health Assembly Resolution WHA75.8, with a focus on strengthening research quality, ethical standards, and coordination of clinical trials.

Output 4: Deliver training on the WHO Benchmarking Tool for Ethics Oversight of Health-Related Research Involving Human Participants

Deliverable 4.1: Coordinate, prepare and deliver training sessions on the WHO Benchmarking Tool for Ethics Oversight of Health-Related Research Involving Human Participants to Member States. 

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:   

Essential: Bachelor’s degree in health or medical sciences, Bioethics, Law, or related field.

Experience 

Essential: A least five years of experience in health or biomedical research at international level. Experience in research administration roles.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

Language required:

Expert knowledge of English (read – write – speak)

Location

Off-site: Home-based 

Travel

The supplier/contractor may be required to travel occasionally for tasks that require in-person communication.

Remuneration and budget:

Remuneration: Payband level B, USD 3,500 (monthly) 
Expected duration of contract: 5 months, July to December 2025, at 50% part-time

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.
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•    Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. 
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