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Contractual Arrangement: External consultant
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 5 months
:
Job Posting: Jul 7, 2021, 1:20:42 PM
Closing Date: Jul 21, 2021, 4:59:00 PM
Primary Location: Switzerland-Geneva
Organization: HQ/QNS Quality Assurance of Norms and Standards
Schedule: Full-time

IMPORTANT NOTICE:Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device’s system settings.


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Purpose of consultancy

To provide technical expertise, of moderate-high level complexity, to the Methods and Standards Unit of the Quality of Norms and Standards Department (SCI/QNS) in order to successfully deliver a set of priority Methods and Standards Projects that require completion by the end of the biennium.
These projects focus on optimizing evidence-based best-practice guidance production through newly developed evidence review infrastructure, including digitalized tracking and dissemination platforms, to enable WHO Technical Units to develop and disseminate normative products.
Directed and supervised by the MST Methods Lead (Dr Lisa Askie), technical work is required for the coordination and implementation of five specific projects:

1. the WHO Living Guidelines Programme, 2. the design and establishment of a WHO evidence review registration platform, 3. the WHO Rapid Review Group for COVID-19, 4. the WHO Evidence Review Repository prototype, and 5. following the formal launch of the WHO COVID-19 Recommendations Repository, undertake a survey to evaluate user experience, and plan the expansion of this platform to serve other content areas.

Background

The Methods and Standards (MST) Unit of the Quality Norms and Standards Department (QNS) sits within the Science Division (https://www.who.int/our-work/science-division/quality-assurance-norms-and-standards). The overall mission of the Science Division, established in January 2020, is to harness the power of science and innovation in a systematic way, by ensuring the excellence, relevance, and efficiency of WHO’s core technical functions, including norms and standards (N&S) and research. Within the Science Division, the specific purpose of QNS is to provide support to the Technical Departments in close consultation with Regional Offices, by ensuring norms and standards are produced to a consistently high standard, in a timely way, driven by what Member States need, and designed and delivered to have a real impact on the health of people.
Currently, as the MST work plan becomes fully operationalized, there is an identified need to implement several pieces of evidence review infrastructure that have been in development for the past six months, led by QNS/MST, which will better enable Technical Units to produce evidence-based guidance, and normative products across the house. This work is of moderate-high complexity and requires a consultant with specialist skills, experience and technical expertise.

Deliverables

1. Coordinate the implementation of the Living Guidelines Programme work plan

  • Develop agendas and meeting materials for bi-monthly Living Guidelines meetings as directed and overseen by the MST Methods Lead
  • Track action items agreed during meetings in accordance with the project work plan
  • Coordinate (arrange, draft the agenda, take notes of) twice monthly meetings to assist the MST Methods Lead in liaison with the contracted technical vendor, track deliverables for the project against outputs, ensure guideline migration meets technical requirements
  • Provide additional capacity, under the direction of the MST Methods Lead, as focal point for staff moving through the guideline digitalised publication migration process
  • Track comments and feedback from staff on operational efficiencies and present this to the steering committee as one component of the evaluation process
  • Prepare draft project report(s)

2. Develop an evidence review protocol registration platform for use by Technical Units

  • Coordinate (arrange, draft the agenda, take notes of and track next steps) for regular meetings with the contracted technical vendor
  • Review lessons learnt from previously launched and internationally recognised platforms (i.e. PROSPERO)
  • Develop draft list of variables to build into the database
  • Develop action plan for research infrastructure project

3. Coordinate the activities of Rapid Review Group for COVID-19

  • Set weekly meeting agenda, track action items
  • Track project assignments, evidence review outputs
  • Assist the MST Methods Lead in unit focal point activities, review scope and topic refinement, timeline agreement
  • Ensure that key committee coordinators have a full list of the projects ongoing to support internal communications

4. Coordinate the implementation of the Evidence Review Repository prototype

  • Evaluate and advise the MST Methods Lead regarding which data items should be extracted from the WHO commissioned evidence reviews
  • Review the methods standards review draft report on lessons learnt from C-19, summarize key findings
  • Create an action plan for housing of evidence review outputs (both internal and commissioned), including software needs, and how this repository will dovetail to the WHO evidence review registration portal and recommendations map platform

5. Evaluate the uptake of the WHO COVID-19 Recommendations Repository, assess need for sustainability and formulate a plan for broadening its scope to non-COVID-19 topics

  • Develop a unit staff survey post-launch to assess the uptake and continued maintenance need for the WHO COVID-19 Recommendations Repository which houses thousands of WHO best-practice recommendations
  • Analyse the results of the survey and provide a brief report on staff feedback, continued expectations
  • Develop an action plan for the expansion of the recommendations map to non-COVID topics

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

Advanced university degree in public health, epidemiology, science, or any related field relevant to the work of evidence review production and guideline development.

Experience:

Essential:

  • At least 7 years’ experience working in the coordination and implementation of evidence review production.
  • Experience in project management with evidence reviews across the spectrum (i.e. from simple evidence inventories to full systematic reviews)
  • Experience in coordinating the development and implementation of evidence review technical platforms
  • Experience managing evidence review projects in an international environment
  • Experience managing and liaising with diverse stakeholders
  • Experience managing large data sets and databases, such as for publications and citations
  • Experience managing projects involving scientific materials with a variety of contributors from diverse locations and settings

Desirable:

  • Experience managing complex research infrastructure projects in public health, including prioritization, coordination, and documentation of tasks involving multiple contributors
  • Experience working with the WHO Methods and Standards Unit of Quality Norms and Standards Department, with understanding of established normative product processes

Skills / technical skills and knowledge:

Essential:

  • High level technical understanding of evidence review methods processes, for traditional (i.e. full systematic reviews of interventions), non-traditional (e.g. rapid reviews for DTAs), and living guidelines
  • Demonstrated understanding of research publication processes which vary by setting and product typology
  • Demonstrated skills in coordinating committees and ensuring the implementation of complex workplan deliverables
  • Being adept at working in a fast-paced environment, prioritizing work across multiple projects and multiple teams

Desirable:

Knowledge of the Research on Research field, internationally recognized normative standards expectations and existing solutions for protocol registration, reduction of waste in research, research integrity, methodological and reporting standards and open science.

Language requirements:

Essential:

Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off site - Home-based (any location)

The consultant needs to have adequate working environment and IT equipment for teleworking, familiarity with online meetings platforms (MS Teams, zoom) and access to high speed internet connection, availability during office hours (9:00-17:00) in Geneva, Switzerland and flexibility to participate in occasional meetings held under other time zones.

Travel (if travel is involved, a medical certificate of fitness for work will be required)

Consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs excluded)

Remuneration: Payband level B (USD 7000 – 9,980)

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

Not applicable

Work schedule (if applicable) / Duration of contract:

Start date: as soon as possible End date: 31 December 2021

Additional Information section:

  • 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.
  • For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
  • WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
  • Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
  • WHO’s workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.
  • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
  • WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
  • Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html
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Deadline: 10-05-2024

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