OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT
This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)
Contractual Agreement:
Non-Staff - International PAHO Consultant
Job Posting:
February 25, 2026
Closing Date:
March 13, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Primary Location:
Off Site
Organization:
CIM Comprehensive Immunizations
Schedule:
Full time
PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY
This requisition is for a consultancy at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Provide a short description of the objective of the office/department here.
• Provide a description of the purpose of the consultancy here.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:
STRATEGIC SUPPORT FOR ENHANCING NATIONAL ESAVI SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS AND REGIONAL MONITORING OF VACCINE SAFETY
Purpose of consultancy:
This consultancy seeks to support the implementation of the regional strategy for enhancing the national ESAVI surveillance systems in the Americas as well as for improving the regional monitoring of vaccine safety.
Background:
The Pan American Health Organization has made great advances in supporting the countries of the region in strengthening surveillance systems of Events Supposedly Attributable to Vaccination or Immunization (ESAVI). In each country of the region, the implementation of activities has been developed in four strategic lines of action that include: 1. Strengthening monitoring and response to ESAVI, 2. Strengthening of national capacities, 3. Digital transformation of ESAVI surveillance and 4. Active surveillance.
Post-pandemic, national systems still face significant gaps that require sustained attention. To ensure these systems remain stable and capable of generating timely safety data, continued technical cooperation with member countries is essential.
Key Drivers for the Consultancy
The landscape of vaccine safety is shifting due to several factors:
Re-Emerging Pathogens: Rising incidence of Dengue, Yellow Fever outbreaks, and the threat of H5N1 influenza necessitate new vaccination strategies and recommendations.
Technological Innovation: The shift toward novel active ingredients and delivery mechanisms requires robust, evidence-based safety monitoring—especially when these technologies are deployed on a mass scale.
Public Accountability: There is an increasing demand from both health authorities and the general public for transparent, up-to-date safety data on all vaccines, whether established or newly introduced.
The primary goal of this consultancy is to support the implementation of the regional strategy to strengthen vaccine safety by facilitating technical discussions with national authorities, doing trainings, facilitating data analysis and causality assessments of adverse events as well as to help the response to vaccine safety related events.
Deliverables:
Responsibilities:
The selected consultant will have the following responsibilities:
- Coordinate the implementation of the regional strategy for strengthening the vaccine safety surveillance systems in the Americas
- Support the development of regional projects to enhance vaccine safety monitoring in countries and to respond to specific research questions related to safety.
- Coordinate and collaborate in the development of evidence reviews related to questions related to vaccine safety
- Support ESAVI surveillance strengthening in member states.
- Supporting investigation activities of serious ESAVI cases when required and when requested by countries.
- Continue to support the National Vaccine/vaccination safety Committees for their formation, training, and for the fulfillment of their functions, as required by the country.
- Guide regular and exploratory data analysis to respond to vaccine safety questions from the national authorities and the general public.
- Interact with other regional and global partners to share knowledge and experience on the safety of vaccines and method to enhance safety surveillance.
- Act as a project manager and to propose resources allocation distribution for the activities related to the regional strategy to enhance vaccine safety monitoring.
- Supporting the advocacy activities performed by PAHO regional advisors through technical opinions and managerial advice.
- Support the review of difficult ESAVI cases and coordinate the interaction with experts to answer questions related to the safety of the vaccines.
- Facilitate the interaction with other units withing PAHO that are relevant to the vaccine safety systems at the regional and national level
- Review the deliverables and performance of consultants from the regional level along the regional advisor on vaccine safety.
Deliverables
Deliverable 1: A brief report on the activities carried out and the progress of their countries in the coordination of vaccine safety surveillance activities.
Deliverable 2: Technical documents developed in the context of project management or technical support to the regional and national level to enhance vaccine safety monitoring.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages:
Education:
Essential:
- Medical doctor with postgraduate training in epidemiology, public health, pharmacovigilance or pharmacoepidemiology.
- No links to the pharmaceutical industry
Desirable:
- Knowledge and experience with the use of digital tools in epidemiology and/or public health or knowledge or experience in health information systems
- Knowledge and experience on the regulatory process of vaccines
Experience
Essential:
- At least 7 years of experience in vaccine safety and/or pharmacovigilance of vaccines at the national or regional levels, e.g. Ministry of Health, National Regulatory Authority, National Institutes of Health, PAHO, UNICEF, etc.
- Experience in the coordination of regional projects and/or strategies related to immunization or vaccine safety activities.
Desirable:
- Experience in the implementation of projects to strengthen ESAVI surveillance
- Experience in supporting projects in the implementation of digital tools for ESAVI surveillance
Skills/Knowledge:
Essential:
Knowledge and experience in ESAVI surveillance and post-vaccination adverse event case management, including notification evaluation procedures, case investigation, analysis of vaccine safety data, and causality assessment.
Experience in the management of surveillance data and in the processes of detecting and evaluating safety signals is required.
Desirable:
Knowledge in the design of digital tools for surveillance processes and skills to interact with government institutions for the promotion and implementation of public health projects.
Language:
Good level of proficiency in written and oral comprehension of English and Spanish, with minimal communication ability in English.
Localization:
Off-site: Work from home
Travel:
The consultant is expected to travel to the regional office and/or selected countries during their consultancy.
Professional fees:
Consulting applies to Band B, P4. Daily rate: $314
Duration:
April- December 2026 with the possibility of extension based on performance and availability of funds.
Availability is expected to be immediate and full-time, with availability of travel/
Additional information
How to apply:
The vacancy will be announced through the PAHO website
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
- 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 for a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.
- Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
- All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this consultancy. For assessment of your application, please ensure that your profile in the PAHO Career page is updated; all experience records are entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time. Kindly note that CV/PHFs inserted via LinkedIn are no accessible.
- 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. PAHO/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/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
- Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO/WHO Regulations, and e-Manual.
- For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org
- PAHO/WHO is committed to providing a respectful and supportive workplace for all personnel .
- PAHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.
- PAHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.
- PAHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoings will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.
- PAHO/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.
- 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 PAHO and the Consultant.
- PAHO/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 each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by PAHO/WHO.
