IPC -Monitoring and Analysis of the Immunization Action Plan Objectives and the EPI Performance

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:

June 23, 2026

Closing Date:

July 1, 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:

Background

Immunization programs in the Americas have contributed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and will be a key component in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. Regional vaccination coverage has experienced a steady decline since 2017 (DPT3 87%) compared to 2010 (DPT3 93%), with a deeper drop in 2021 (DPT3 80%) due to the consequences of the pandemic, placing the region second to last globally in 2021. However, by 2024, countries in the Region made great efforts to improve coverage, reaching 87%. The pandemic not only impacted coverage, but also resulted in reduced funding, weakened surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases, and increased vaccine hesitancy.

In response to this context, in September 2021, the Governing Bodies of the Pan American Health Organization approved the policy "Revitalize Immunization as a Public Good for Universal Health," aligned with the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), which aims to revitalize immunization programs in Member States through innovative approaches and best practices across six lines of action:

Strengthen governance, leadership, and financing of immunization programs Improve vaccination coverage monitoring and surveillance, incorporating digital intelligence strategies in routine analyses Strengthen the integration of immunization programs into the primary health care system toward universal health Develop innovative and strategic communication approaches to raise social awareness and trust in vaccines, and increase access to services Strengthen human resource capacities for immunization programs Use scientific evidence to guide decision-making and program implementation

These lines of action form the basis of the Regional Immunization Action Plan for the Americas 2030 (RIAP2030), which will guide efforts in the coming years. This plan aligns with the strategic priorities of IA2030 and consolidates the priorities defined by the countries and territories of the region.

Consultancy Objective:

Support the Special Comprehensive Immunization Program (CIM) to strengthen immunization information systems across the region by leading the design, development, and scaling of advanced data architectures, analytical pipelines, and digital public goods (such as the PAHOabc and MissVCQI R packages) to strengthen immunization information systems across the region. The consultant will architect dynamic visualization platforms, automate ETL and reporting workflows using reproducible data science practices (R, Python, Git), and provide technical assistance to optimize digital health infrastructure. Additionally, they will drive technical innovation through advanced analytics and build regional capacity in digital engineering and open science standards to ensure the sustainability, interoperability, and data quality of RIAP2030 monitoring tools

Consultant Responsibilities:

Under the general supervision of the Deputy Manager of CIM and the direct supervision of the Regional Immunization Advisor of CIM, the consultant will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following assigned deliverables:

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Advanced Analytics Platforms

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable data architectures and analytical pipelines to support EPI monitoring and RIAP evaluation.
• Lead the development of a regional dashboard integrating multiple data sources (e.g., administrative, survey, and surveillance data) to enable cross-country comparative analysis.
• Apply reproducible research frameworks, and version-controlled workflows (e.g., R/Python and git) to ensure transparency and consistency in indicator calculation.
• Implement automated ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes and data validation layers to improve data quality, traceability, and timeliness.
• Strengthen the underlying data engineering infrastructure supporting RIAP2030 dashboard and country profiles, ensuring modularity, scalability, and maintainability.

2. Digital Data Dissemination and Visualization

• Architect and deploy dynamic, user-centered data visualization products (dashboards, APIs, interactive reports) tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Develop automated report generation systems (e.g., R Markdown, Quarto) to produce standardized outputs such as country profiles, bulletins, and infographics.
• Ensure interoperability of dissemination tools with institutional platforms, promoting open standards and reusable components.
• Optimize performance, accessibility, and usability of digital tools, applying best practices and responsive design principles.

3. Strengthening Vaccination Information Systems and Digital Health Infrastructure

• Provide technical assistance to countries in the design, assessment, and modernization of vaccination information systems, including system architecture, data governance, and interoperability standards.
• Technical assistance will be focused but not limited to outbreak risk assessments, susceptible analyses and other systems, with the aim of meeting RIAP2030 targets.
• Conduct system performance evaluations, identifying bottlenecks and proposing engineering-driven optimization strategies.

4. Capacity Building in Data Science and Digital Engineering

• Design and deliver training programs, workshops, and technical guidance on data analysis, visualization, and digital tool development (R, Python, GitHub workflows, dashboards).
• Build country capacity in reproducible analytics, coding standards, version control, and collaborative software development.
• Develop technical documentation, tutorials, and reusable training materials to ensure sustainability and knowledge transfer.

5. Regional Technical Innovation and Software Development

• Contribute to the design and implementation of regional digital public goods, including analytical tools, libraries, and platforms supporting immunization programs.
• Foster innovation by integrating emerging technologies (e.g., machine learning, geospatial analytics, cloud computing) into immunization data analysis at the country and regional level.

6. PAHOabc and Advanced Analytics Engineering

• Lead and support the development, testing, documentation, and maintenance of the PAHOabc R package, ensuring adherence to software engineering best practices.
• Establish continuous integration / continuous deployment workflows for package development and updates.
• Support the construction and implementation of the PAHOabc methodology that will transfer the technology and skills to end users in country EPI programs.

7. Vaccine Opportunity Analytics and Research Tool Development

• Contribute to the development and enhancement of analytical tools for analysis of Missed Opportunities for Vaccination (MOV), mainly through the MissVCQI R package, with a focus on software engineering robustness.
• Develop and document modular, reusable analytical codebases and workflows to support regional and country-level studies.

8. Scaling Strategy and Digital Product Lifecycle Management

• Apply structured product development and scaling methodologies to internal CIM digital initiatives.
• Define and implement technical roadmaps, including architecture design, scalability planning, and sustainability strategies.
• Establish usage analytics, performance monitoring, and impact evaluation frameworks for digital tools.
• Ensure alignment of digital solutions with PAHO standards, promoting interoperability, reusability, and long-term maintainability.
• Support the institutionalization of digital products through proper documentation, scaling strategies, and knowledge transfer mechanisms.

9. Cross-Cutting: Engineering Standards and Best Practices

• Enforce standardized documentation practices, coding conventions, and collaborative workflows using platforms such as GitHub.
• Promote adoption of DevOps principles, including version control, automated testing, continuous integration, and deployment.
• Ensure all developed systems adhere to reproducibility, transparency, and open science principles.

Required Profile:

University engineering degree in computer science, bioinformatics, mechatronics or electronics with experience in health, management, and the use of technological tools, as well as health information systems data analysis. The consultant must have demonstrated experience in Immunization Programs.

Desirable: Demonstrated experience in the development of data visualization tools such as dashboards, automated reporting and presentations. Knowledge in R packages, Development operations (DevOps), Standardized documentation and collaborative development in GitHub. Experience in teaching and training will be taken into consideration

Minimum Required Experience -3-5 years of experience in the following topics:

• Proven experience in immunization programs, with an emphasis on vaccination data analysis and the use of performance indicators.
• Experience in handling and analyzing nominal and aggregated vaccination data, ideally with exposure to Electronic Immunization Registries and sources such as eJRF or equivalent national sources.
• Experience in designing, building, and maintaining relational databases (e.g., SQL) and in data quality processes, validations, and duplicate cleansing.
• Experience in producing analytical products for decision-making, such as dashboards, automated reports, and subnational profiles.

Technical Knowledge and Skills

• Proficiency in at least one analysis and visualization tool: R, Quarto, and RShiny.
• Knowledge of data modeling, SQL queries, source integration, and good practices in documentation and version control.
• Ability to translate technical findings into clear operational recommendations for immunization teams.

Additional training or specific experience in vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, GIS applied to public health, or risk analysis for polio and measles.

Languages:

Deliverables can be in Spanish or English. Intermediate proficiency in the other language is required.

Duration: July 15, 2026 – December 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability.

Location: Remote, with standard working hours aligned to Washington, DC, USA.

Band range: Band A, daily rate of $215.

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.