Roster of consultants – Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – experts in epidemiology, statistics, data visualization or bioinformatics

Purpose of consultancy

The technical unit is seeking experts in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance from the following fields: (i) epidemiology, statistics, mathematical modelling, (ii) computer programming, including web design, (iii) bioinformatics. The aim of this roster is to support WHO’s mission to strengthen AMR surveillance systems nationally and globally, and support the analysis, interpretation and dissemination of AMR surveillance data reported to the WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).

More specifically, the purpose is to:

• i. Provide technical assistance to countries on planning, implementation, reporting and analysis of AMR surveillance through implementation of WHO tools, standards and recommendations;
• ii. Contribute to the development of evidence-based technical guidance and implementation tools for AMR surveillance;
• iii. Conduct systematic reviews and other evidence-synthesis reviews as needed;
• iv. Support WHO in the analysis and interpretation of AMR surveillance data.

Background

The mission of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Division is to define, advance, promote and monitor comprehensive policies and strategies that prevent, reduce, and mitigate drug-resistant infections and the overall impact of antimicrobial resistance globally based on the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance and the 13th Global Programme of Work of WHO and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The objective of the Surveillance Evidence and Laboratory Strengthening (SEL) unit at the AMR Division of WHO is to provide sound technical support to national authorities through: i) contributing to the global knowledge on AMR by establishing AMR surveillance; ii) promoting sustained capacity strengthening along with knowledge and awareness raising activities; and II) ensuring availability of and access to strategic guidance for detection, verification, risk assessment, communication and response to public health events associated with novel or emerging AMR.

WHO developed the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) to enable integrated analysis of standardised, comparable and validated data on AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) to be shared with countries and inform strategies to tackle AMR locally, regionally and globally. GLASS aims to foster national surveillance systems and gathers AMR and AMU surveillance information from national governmental bodies. GLASS activities comprise multiple approaches for the surveillance of AMR and AMU, including routine surveillance and prevalence surveys, event-based surveillance for emerging AMR, focused surveillance of emerging AMR threats such as invasive fungal infections and gonorrhoea, the assessment of AMR attributable mortality and a One Health surveillance model to assess the ESBL-producing Escherichia coli across the human, environmental, and animal sectors.

Deliverables

These will be determined according to the Terms of Reference of each individual consultancy, but may include the following:

• Deliverable 1: Surveillance and epidemiology of AMR.
  • Deliverable 1.1: Guidance documents, training packages and associated tools for surveillance (e.g. performance indicators to track quality and progress of surveillance activities; protocols for implementing One Health approaches in countries);
  • Deliverable 1.2: Technical support to countries for the planning, implementation, analysis and reporting of national AMR prevalence surveys, including development of survey protocols, standard operating procedures, and data collection and monitoring tools;
  • Deliverable 1.3: Technical support to countries for assessing epidemiology and strengthening capacity for surveillance, including data management, analysis and interpretation;
  • Deliverable 1.4: Systematic reviews and other qualitative and quantitative analyses on relevant topics.
• Deliverable 2: Data management, analysis and visualization, and bioinformatics.
  • Deliverable 2.1: Data management, statistical analysis and data visualization for AMR surveillance data;
  • Deliverable 2.2: Planning and managing digital tools for AMR and/or AMU data capture and storage at global and country levels (e.g. automated data quality and verification pipelines; data visualisation dashboards);
  • Deliverable 2.2: Analysis of genomics data including use of pipelines.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• For Band level B: University degree or medical degree, with specialization in infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, statistics or mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, or computer science.
• For Band level C: Advanced university degree or medical degree, with specialization in infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, statistics or mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, or computer science.

Experience

Essential:

• For Band level B: At least 5 years of professional experience in any of the following fields: infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, statistics or mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, or computer science.
• For Band level C: At least 10 years of professional experience in any of the following fields: infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, statistics or mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, or computer science.

Desirable:

• Experience working with WHO.
• Experience working in low- and middle-income countries.
• Experience working on infectious diseases in a public health or health policy capacity.
• Publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in writing research proposals or technical reports.
• Experience in web design.
• Experience in conducting systematic reviews, including use of evidence synthesis software.
• Experience in analyzing genomics data, and developing and applying bioinformatics pipelines.

Skills:

Essential:

• Competency in at least one the following:
  • (i) implementation of infectious diseases surveys or clinical research studies, according to good clinical management and good data management practices;
  • (ii) using statistical software for data management, data analysis or designing sampling strategies for surveillance systems or surveys; or
  • (ii) performing and interpreting evidence synthesis (e.g., systematic reviews, meta-analysis, use of GRADE); or
  • (iii) computer programming and web design; or
  • (iv) analyzing genomics data, including the use of analysis pipelines.
• Excellent written skills, demonstrating ability to conceptualize and write about complex health topics, with proven contributions to technical documents, protocols, reports, or scientific articles.

Desirable

• Good understanding of WHO guidance and tools for surveillance of AMR.
• Competency using R (including R Shiny and R mark-down).

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English

Desirable

• Intermediate knowledge of French.

Location

• Off site: Home-based.

Travel

Travel to low- and middle-income countries may be required, depending on the Terms of Reference of the individual assignment.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B – USD 350 – 499 per day or USD 7,000 – 9,980 per month.
Band level C – USD 500 – 625 per day or USD 10,000 – 12,500 per month.

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

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

3-11 months.

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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  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 for WHO jobs.
  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 [email protected].
• 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.
• 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.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• 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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For roster VNs:

The purpose of this vacancy is to develop a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in this advertised roster. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) upon conclusion of the selection process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection to a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.