Consultant - Technical Support for Tobacco Control for AFRO

Job content

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Contractual Arrangement

External consultant

Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days)

11 months

Job Posting

Jul 5, 2021, 1:14:46 PM

Closing Date

Jul 19, 2021, 10:59:00 PM

Primary Location

Switzerland-Geneva

Organization

HQ/HPR Health Promotion HEP

Schedule

Full-time

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

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to assist the Tobacco Control (TFI) team at the WHO Regional Office for African on tobacco control related activities, with an emphasis on novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS), heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches.

Background

The No Tobacco Unit (TFI) of the Health Promotion Department provides support to WHO Member States to reduce the overall burden of tobacco use. This is achieved within the context of the Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019−2023 .

Tobacco use accounts for more than 8 million deaths a year. Efforts through various initiatives, such as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and the WHO MPOWER, have contributed to combating the tobacco epidemic. However, there is a need to further accelerate the implementation of the WHO FCTC to meet the global voluntary targets to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use by 2025/SDG 3A Goals. The proposed work will cover novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products, including ENDS, ENNDS, and HTPs, within the context of wider tobacco control and assist Member States in the African Region in addressing the challenges posed by these and conventional tobacco products, towards comprehensive application of the WHO FCTC. The Consultancy, which will to support the delivery and implementation of specific project related tobacco control activities in the African region and particularly, the Francophone countries, and is expected to support the tobacco control teams in AFRO and HQ by: -

• Assisting the TFI Project Team lead in AFRO on novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products
• Providing project management support to the team and coordinate assigned project related activities for the region, in consultation with WHO HQ/TFI and WHO Country Offices.
• Assisting in providing prompt and targeted support on tobacco control to meet the needs of identified countries in the African region, as required
• Liaising regularly with the HQ TFI team and support the implementation of the activities related to the priority countries in Africa
• Providing support to AFRO and HQ to draft and prepare for country engagement and follow up as required
  

Deliverables

Under The Overall Guidance Of The Unit Head, TFI (WHO/HQ) And Direct Supervision Of The Senior Project Officer, AFRO TFI Team, In Collaboration With WHO Inter Country Support Team Responsible For West Africa (IST) Staff Handling NCD Prevention And Tobacco Control, The Consultant Will Be

• Assisting the TFI Project Team lead in AFRO on novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products. Expected activities include:
• Providing technical input on assigned tasks to support novel and emerging product related work in Africa
• Assisting with the development of policy deep dives on ENDS and ENNDS
• Preparing relevant materials to meet the objectives of assigned tasks, such as briefs, meeting background documents, agendas, meeting flyers, information sheets, case studies, etc.
• Supporting with logistical, organizational and technical arrangements for the smooth running of meetings, webinars, workshops and other relevant tobacco control events, related to the ENDS project.
• Keeping abreast of developments on ENDS regulation in focus countries in Africa and provide timely updates to the technical teams
• Providing project management support to the team and coordinate assigned project related activities for the region, in consultation with WHO HQ/TFI and WHO Country Offices. Expected activities include: -
• Completing assigned tasks related to the ENDS project outcomes to ensure prompt delivery of deliverables
• Tracking progress in priority countries, documenting lessons learnt and facilitating sharing of experiences.
• Organizing meetings across the three levels of the organization, HQ, AFRO and Country Offices
• Assisting with the finalization of project documents, such as editing, typesetting, clearances, filing and dissemination to the relevant stakeholders
• Tracking progress on ENDS related work, document observations and findings and report to HQ, periodically
• Assisting in providing prompt and targeted support on tobacco control to meet the needs of identified countries in the African region, as required. Expected activities include: -
• Supporting AFRO in taking notes during country engagement in order to provide timely support to focus countries and flagging any issues
• Developing workplans to address identified country needs and gaps based on country requests
• Drafting emails and briefs to support implementation of the workplan for priority countries in Africa
• Assisting in developing comprehensible materials for engagement with countries
• Liaising regularly with the HQ TFI team and support the implementation of the activities related to the priority countries in Africa. Expected Activities include: -
• Conducting desk-based review to identify the regulatory gaps in priority countries – situational analysis
• Providing support to conduct tobacco control capacity assessment to identify gaps in tobacco control
• Planning for and attending weekly meetings with AFRO and HQ, to provide updates on assigned tasks
• Assisting the technical teams in conducting policy scans on ENDS/ENNDS and in extracting meaningful data to build intelligence on ENDS regulation
• Providing support to AFRO and HQ to draft and prepare for country engagement and follow up as required. Expected activities include: -
• Identifying experts and preparing documents, such as agendas, concept note, terms of reference and list of participants, to support country missions
• Developing/drafting or country engagement, communication, implementation, and country tobacco control plans and supporting implementation and follow up actions
• Assisting in planning, organizing and conducting country training and multi-sectoral workshops to build capacity for effective regulation
• Supporting the development of guidance and resource materials on ENDS to facilitate country engagement
• Drafting documents for updating tobacco control webpages
  

Qualifications Required

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Essential

Advanced degree in health, public health, social science, political science, law, Communications and Public Relations or other relevant fields.

Desirable

Research studies in implementation of tobacco control measures in African countries or similar relevant context.

Essential

Experience required

• At least 7 years of demonstrated experience in public health at national and international levels, preferably on tobacco control, tobacco product regulation or tackling noncommunicable diseases risk factors, including understanding of relevant stakeholders in the field, e.g. academia and civil society associations.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and implementation of projects in Africa and multi-country engagement.
• Prior experience of country engagement.
  

Desirable

• Prior experience working with UN and/or national government institutions.
• Previous work experience in product regulation.
  

Skills/knowledge

• Prior knowledge of developing policy /technical reviews and reports, preferably in tobacco control.
• Knowledge of tobacco control dynamics in Africa.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, with demonstrable experience in written outputs.
• Excellent Organizational, programmatic and country engagement skills.
• Familiarity with noncommunicable diseases and tobacco control.
• Analytical and synthesis capacity.
• Familiarity in interpreting policy data.
• Team player but able to work autonomously and take initiative for implementing assigned tasks.
• Demonstrated flexibility to excel in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to provide feedback and comfortable with receiving constructive feedback.
• Ability to use and manage online meeting and communication platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.
• Track record of meeting tight deadlines.
• Administrative skills and report writing.
• Technical competency in public health and/or development.
  

Language requirements

Expert knowledge of French and English.

Location

The consultant will be based in Burkina Faso.

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

The consultant is expected to travel, as necessary

Remuneration and budget (travel costs excluded)

Remuneration: Payband Level B (USD 7,000 – 9,980) per month

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: 1 August 2021 End date: 30 June 2022 (11 months)

Due to administrative measures, the consultancy will be split into two contracts. The first contract will start from 1 July to 31 December 2021. The second contract from 1 January to 31 May 2022 (A total of 11 months).

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