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Qualifications
1.ย ย ย ย ย ย Area of expertise:
The Office of the WHO Representative in Mongolia announces the vacancy notice for international short-term consultant on laboratory network assessment
2.ย ย ย ย ย ย Purpose of consultancy ย
The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive laboratory network assessment in Mongolia including public health and clinical laboratories.
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Under the guidance of the responsible officer at WHO Country Office in Mongolia, the contractual partner shall perform the following tasks:
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Assist to conduct assessments of laboratories and develop the public health laboratory network structure and functionality
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Guide the government to develop a strategy to design the structure of the laboratory network, development of laboratory systems and identify areas of strengthening
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3.ย ย ย ย ย ย Background ย
Public health laboratories play a foundational role in national health systems, providing essential services for disease surveillance, outbreak detection and response, emergency preparedness, environmental health, and diagnostic testing. Positioned as central nodes in the health security infrastructure, these laboratories facilitate integrated functions spanning human, veterinary, and food safety domains. Their scope includes disease prevention and control, integrated data management, reference and specialized testing, laboratory oversight, emergency operations, public health research, capacity building, and intersectoral collaboration.
The overarching goal of the Pandemic Fund (PF) project is to enhance Mongoliaโs capacity for prevention, preparedness, and response to public health emergencies. This includes strategic investments in strengthening the disease surveillance system, laboratory networks, and workforce development.
ย Mongoliaโs laboratory infrastructure provides a critical foundation for public health security and continues to evolve in response to national needs and global health standards. It supports diagnostic testing for diseases prioritized under the International Health Regulations (IHR) as well as those identified as national public health concerns. This includes respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, rubella, and varicella, enteric infections including viral hepatitis and hand-foot-mouth disease, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhoea, and a range of zoonotic diseases including brucellosis, tick-borne infections, and malaria.
ย The public health laboratory system in Mongolia is composed of a tiered structure. At the national level, two major reference laboratoriesโthe National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) and the National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD)โanchor the system. These are supported by a decentralized network comprising 21 hospital laboratories at the aimag (provincial) level, nine district laboratories in Ulaanbaatar, and 14 zoonotic disease laboratories managed by NCZD across the provinces.
ย Each laboratory operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and aligns its functions with national legislation, strategic decisions, and operational guidelines. This structure reflects a significant opportunity for harmonization, interoperability, and integration into a unified public health laboratory network.
ย Parallel to the human health laboratory infrastructure, Mongolia also maintains a veterinary laboratory system consisting of 23 public and 29 private laboratories. These veterinary laboratories contribute to zoonotic disease surveillance and response within the broader One Health framework. Together with the zoonotic disease laboratory networkโwhich includes capital-based and provincial research centersโthese systems serve as an essential link between human and animal health domains.
ย While Mongoliaโs reference laboratories have participated in various EQA programs administered by WHO and other partners, the current engagement is largely voluntary and pathogen-specific. To achieve a system-wide impact, there is a need to institutionalize quality assurance practices and ensure their consistent application across all tiers of the laboratory network. Strengthening these quality systems will be instrumental in transforming the current setup into a robust, responsive, and integrated public health laboratory network.
4.ย ย ย ย ย ย Deliverables
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Inception Report including detailed work plan and methodology, and stakeholder engagement strategy
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Report on assessment and public health laboratory network structure and functionality
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Output/s
Output 1:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Develop and apply a standardized tool to assess Mongoliaโs public health andย clinical laboratory network
Deliverable 1.1: ย ย ย Assessment report including methodology, list of laboratories visited, evaluation of diagnostic capabilities, quality systems, and recommendations
Output 2: ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Design a proposed structure and operational model for an integrated public health laboratory network in Mongolia
Deliverable 2.1: ย ย Detailed strategy document including organizational chart, proposed lines of authority, interoperability recommendations, and phased implementation plan
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Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
ย Educational Qualifications: ย
Essential: Advanced educational degree in Pathophysiology, Clinical Immunology, Biochemistry, Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Laboratory Sciences, Health Systems Managment or related field
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Experience ย
Essential: At least eight years of experience in strengthening laboratory systems, including participation in the development of policy documents, implementation of external quality assurance programs, and application of national quality standards. Experience in conducting laboratory assessments and mapping public health laboratory systems is essential.
Desirable: Relevant experience in WHO or United Nations funds and programmes. Some of the above-listed experience to have been obtained at a country, regional or global level.ย
Skills/Knowledge:
Essential: Proficiency in developing laboratory assessment tools and analyzing laboratory network functionality. Experience with WHO or similar international standards. Ability to synthesize technical findings into actionable strategies.Capable of developing policy documents and building capacity in laboratory quality system. Excellent skills in planning, and time management
ย Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):
Essential: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English is essential.ย
Locationย
The contractual partner will be required to be based at the WHO Country Office Mongolia on a full-time basis to perform the tasks related to this activity and will be asked to be available for face-to-face technical discussions with other partners as needed.
Travel
With prior consultation and agreement with the supervisor, the contractual partner may be required to travel within the country to provinces for laboratory network assessment and other relevant activities.
ย Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):
Consultancy service (lump sum): USD 7,000 per month x 11 months = 77,000 USD
Total amount: 77,000 USD
ย Duration of the advertisement is 2 weeks unless informed otherwise. The hiring manager will receive a notification from Stellis when the consultancy has been posted.
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