WHO - Technical Officer, Biosafety
February 20, 2023 0 comments
Grade: P4
Contractual Arrangement: Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 6 months
Job Posting: Feb 10, 2023, 6:27:55 PM
Closing Date: Mar 3, 2023, 11:59:00 PM
Primary Location: Switzerland-Geneva
Organization: HQ/EPP Epidemic & Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention EPP
Schedule: Full-time
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The Department of Global Infectious Hazards Preparedness (GIH) advances global efforts to prevent and control existing and emerging infectious diseases by increasing access to evidence-based interventions; fostering impactful innovation; and leveraging technical, operational and strategic partnerships. In addition, GIH develops global mechanisms to facilitate coordination and collaboration between countries and multi-sectoral partners for catastrophic events of natural, accidental or deliberate origin. The department is committed to delivering GPW13 Outcome 2.2 Epidemics and pandemics prevented, through:
i. Delivering risk assessment, technical guidance, interventions and control strategies for country impact;
ii. Promoting innovation and adoption of new technologies;
iii. Aligning and coordinating international action through trusted partnership;
iv. Ensuring vulnerable populations have access to life-saving interventions and supplies.
The World Health Organization is developing a new, voluntary system - the WHO BioHub System - through which WHO Member States will be able to share biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential with WHO as soon as possible after their detection to facilitate the development of public health information and knowledge, and, in due course, development of medical countermeasures. This sharing will be via one (or more) of the laboratories which WHO has pre-designated as a WHO BioHub Facility.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
- Develop and implement work plans for ensuring, monitoring and evaluating safe and secure operations of the whole WHO BioHub system with a particular focus on the BioHub facilities and qualified entities (recipients of the samples).
- Develop criteria for evaluation of laboratory safety and security proportionate to characteristics of the pathogens and planned experiments.
- Profile laboratory safety capacities and keep the record updated, including regular evaluation through assessment or other means as appropriate and agreed.
- Support safety and security capacity building for the laboratories willing to join the system and engaging in preparedness and response to epidemic-prone diseases.
- Perform other related responsibilities and activities, including replacing and/or backstopping as assigned.