Team Lead (Expanded Programme on Immunization)

Tags: Global Health English language Environment
  • Added Date: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
  • Deadline Date: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
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Qualifications

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

This position's core purpose is to lead the development and execution of national immunization strategies in line with global WHO recommendations and best practices, enhancing the country's immunization infrastructure and response capacity.

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Strategic Objectives:

The WHO country office works with the National Authorities to achieve the highest standard of health as a fundamental human right, based on equity and on SDGs principle of leaving no one behind. WHO actions are engrained in the WHO 14th General Programme of Work with its 3 prong objectives of promoting healthier populations, keeping the world safe through addressing health emergencies, and protecting the vulnerable through Universal Health Coverage. WHO's mandate revolves around six core functions: (i) providing Global Health leadership; (ii) shaping the health research agenda; (iii) setting norms and standards; (iv) articulating evidence-based policy options; (v) providing technical support to countries; and (vi) monitoring and assessing health trends. The WHO Country Office is an integral part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Its main role is to facilitate and coordinate all WHO activities at country level and to implement the European Programme of Work 2020โ€“2025 โ€“โ€œUnited Action for Better Health in Europeโ€ which sets out a vision of how the WHO Regional Office for Europe can better support countries in meeting citizensโ€™ expectations about health.ย 
WHO at country level delivers this through practical, actionable and country focused solutions to health challenges, keeping in perspective that achieving health and well-being is a whole-of-society endeavour; This is done through facilitating the implementation of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement with the country and its corresponding workplan. The WHO Country Office maintains good working relations and ensures information exchange between the country and WHO, policy and strategic guidance on Health issues to all national and international partners in the country, provision of direct technical expertise when needed and aims at more community engagement and participation, and to promote health equity .

Organizational Context

1. Work environment: The incumbent works under the managerial oversight and strategic guidance of the WHO Representative and Health Programmes Lead, and the expert technical guidance of the National Professional Officer on Immunization. S/he will closely work with different units in the health programmes like Surveillance, Laboratory units and other health related area of work. The incumbent will closely work with Disease Control and Elimination of VPI unit of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO), and other public health-related programmes as relevant.

2. The role of the individual: The incumbent is a national specialist in infectious diseases surveillance. S/he provides technical support and evidence-based advice, working jointly with the staff of the WHO Country Office and WHO/EURO and in close contact with the Ministry of Health, Public Health Center of Ukraine, and other relevant authorities and counterparts.ย 

3. Available guidelines: Include the European Programme of Work (EPW), GPW 14, SDGs, Biennial Collaborative Agreement and Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS), national goals and priorities of Governments, UN and other relevant partners; WHO Immunization Agenda 2030: A Global Strategy to Leave No One Behind, WHO Staff Rules and Regulations, WHO Manual, General Programme of Work, WHA and RC resolutions and technical documents related to immunization, cold chain, pharmacovigilance, VPD ssurveillance, Programme Budget, and other WHO basic documents. Programme specific guidance include technical documents related to Regional Action Plans.

Summary of Assigned Dutiesย 

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 (Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization
(Flagship) VIF) unit in WHO European Regional Office in Copenhagen, the incumbent will undertake the following specific responsibilities:

Team Management and Strategic Alignment:ย Manage a team of experts, ensuring alignment with national and international public health and immunization goals. Focal Point for Coordination: Serve as the main focal point coordinating WHO immunization activities with the Ministry of Health (MoH), national authorities, and relevant stakeholders. Policy and Strategic Development: Collaborate with MoH on the development, implementation, and evaluation of immunization policies, strategies, and operational plans. Technical Guidance and System Strengthening: Provide technical guidance to strengthen national immunization systems, including cold chain infrastructure, vaccine procurement, distribution, and delivery mechanisms. Introduction of New Vaccines: Support and provide technical assistance for introducing new vaccines into the National Immunization Schedule. Capacity Building and Training: Enhance capacities of health workforce and service providers through training programs and consultations on immunization, surveillance, and outbreak response. Partnership Coordination and Collaboration: Coordinate with professional associations, NGOs, and other partners to implement comprehensive vaccination programs, ensuring alignment with global immunization goals. Preparedness and Response Support: Support planning and implementation of immunization-related preparedness and response activities during disease outbreaks or public health emergencies. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting: Monitor, evaluate, and report immunization coverage, effectiveness, and impact through systematic data collection, surveillance, and reporting mechanisms, producing comprehensive performance reports. Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement: Promote immunization as a key public health priority through policy advocacy, partnership development, and engagement with national and international health stakeholders, undertaking additional duties as assigned by WHO management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Competencies

*Mandatory
*1) Teamwork
*2) Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
*3) Communication
4) Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Functional knowledge and skills

Demonstrated knowledge of immunization, infectious diseases surveillance, pharmacovigilance, cold chain systems and global and regional standards. Familiarity with primary health care, laboratory and public health systems. Knowledge of the principles of health information, infectious diseases, epidemiology, and biostatistics. Demonstrated analytical, presentation, and report-writing skills. Proven ability to work comfortably in an international, multi-disciplinary, fast-paced environment. Demonstrated knowledge of the goals and procedures of international organizations (United Nations system, donors, major non-governmental organizations) Ability to identify and manage oneโ€™s own emotions, as well as helping others do the same

Education

Essential: University degree (bachelorโ€™s level) in medicine, public health, health Management, or any relevant filed
Desirable: Masterโ€™s degree or advanced training in any of the above.

Experience

Essential: At least 5 years of relevant experience in immunization programmes/projects (implementing, planning..ect), emergency, surveillance, disease control, policy recommendations or public health programmes.ย 
Desirable: Good knowledge of the national immunization and other relevant systems in Ukraine.

Use of language skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of Ukrainian and English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of other Official WHO Languages.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 52,930 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

Additional information

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade levelย 

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.ย 

A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.ย 

๐Ÿ“š ๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐—๐—ผ๐—ฏ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ก ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ! ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿค ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—š๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ก ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—จ๐—ก๐—›๐—–๐—ฅ, ๐—ช๐—™๐—ฃ, ๐—จ๐—ก๐—œ๐—–๐—˜๐—™, ๐—จ๐—ก๐——๐—ฆ๐—ฆ, ๐—จ๐—ก๐—™๐—ฃ๐—”, ๐—œ๐—ข๐—  ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€! ๐ŸŒ

โš ๏ธ ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐‹๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž ๐๐จ๐ฐ: ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐“๐ž๐œ๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ž๐ญ ๐š ๐ฃ๐จ๐› ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐Ž๐–!

In the event your candidature is retained for an 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.ย 

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.ย 

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and E-Manual.ย 

The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics. ย 

The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply. ย 

Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.intย 

An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice. ย 

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 short-listed candidates.ย 

WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.ย 

WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully. ย 

The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.ย 

For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int ย 

This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.

Please note that WHOโ€™s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW).ย The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

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