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 25, 2026
Closing Date:
July 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Primary Location:
Off Site
Organization:
IHM Infectious Hazard Management
Schedule:
Full time
PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY
Position Title: Respiratory virus surveillance consultant
Purpose of contract:
The purpose of this consultancy is to support regional initiatives aimed at enhancing respiratory virus surveillance, monitoring, reporting, and information sharing for public health decision-making in the Americas.
Description of deliverables:
The objective of the Health Emergencies Department (PHE) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is to increase health sector resilience to emergencies and disasters. PHE assists Member States to strengthen the health sector’s capacities in prevention, risk reduction, preparedness, surveillance, response, and early recovery for emergencies and disasters related to any hazards (natural, man-made, biological, chemical, radiological and others) and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain disasters, including outbreaks, and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. PHE is responsible for ensuring the implementation and updating of the PAHO/WHO Institutional Emergency and Disaster Response Policy.
The consultant will support countries in the surveillance, prevention, preparedness and control of pandemic and epidemic-prone diseases. A primary focus is strengthening integrated routine surveillance systems in Member States across the Americas to enable timely monitoring of the epidemiological context of seasonal influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory viruses (ORVs). This approach supports informed decision-making and enhances countries’ preparedness to track trends in future respiratory pandemics.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:
General responsibilities:
Under the direct supervision of the Advisor, Epidemic-prone Diseases Epidemiology and the general supervision of the Unit Chief, Infectious Hazard Management, the consultant will perform the following functions:
- Provide technical cooperation to countries in the Americas to strengthen, monitor, and evaluate surveillance systems for influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and ORV at national and local levels, including through country missions.
- Assist in developing and revising data collection protocols for respiratory disease surveillance at the country level.
- Assess needs and deliver targeted training on surveillance of seasonal and pandemic influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and ORV.
- Support the regional consolidation of epidemiologic and virologic surveillance data on influenza, COVID-19, RSV and ORV.
- Update and promote regional guidance on integrated surveillance of respiratory viruses, including through sentinel network.
- Coordinate the data collection and analysis for the Landscape Analysis of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Systems in the Americas.
- Coordinate and monitor the weekly submission of regional reports to the global level.
- Identify training needs and implement capacity-building initiatives to support regional guidelines for sentinel surveillance activities.
- Contribute to the preparation of regional reports, newsletters, and meetings on integrated surveillance of respiratory viruses.
- Coordinate the implementation of the MOSAIC framework initiative in the Americas.
- Lead the SARInet working group on integrated surveillance of respiratory viruses.
- Design and implement a routine monitoring framework for sentinel surveillance sites in Member States, including the development of standardized performance indicators covering data completeness, timeliness, representativeness, and site-level reporting consistency.
- Develop and apply structured assessment tools for periodic evaluation of sentinel surveillance systems at the country level, including site visit protocols, scoring rubrics, and documentation standards aligned with IHR core capacities and the Mosaic framework.
- Consolidate and analyze routine monitoring data across the sentinel network to support countries identify underperforming sites, emerging gaps, and capacity-building priorities, and translate findings into actionable country-specific recommendations.
Deliverables and payment schedule
The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following products/services related to these responsibilities with input from the respective project manager, the Advisor, Epidemic-prone Diseases Epidemiology:
1. Progress report on the development of training materials for sentinel surveillance of respiratory viruses in the Americas and list of technical materials needed to operationalize the domain 2 guidance.
31 August 2026 $6,708
2. Draft regional guidance on syndromic surveillance for respiratory viruses in the Americas.
30 September 2026 $5,676
3. Monitoring and evaluation framework for sentinel respiratory virus surveillance in the Americas.
30 October 2026 $5,676
4. Summary report on technical cooperation activities supporting sentinel respiratory virus surveillance in the Americas.
25 November 2026 $4,644
Note: The hiring of the selected candidate will be subject to the presentation of the following documents (Note: These documents are NOT required to apply to this position but will be required before a contract can be signed):
- Copy of diploma and/or certificate(s)
- Three letters of professional references that include the full name of the contact person, telephone number, and address or email.
EDUCATION
Essential: University degree in public health, epidemiology, or a related field
Desirable: A master’s degree in medicine, veterinary medicine, or epidemiology of infectious diseases and a field epidemiology training program would be an asset
EXPERIENCE
Essential: Minimum of seven years of combined national and international experience working in surveillance of communicable diseases, including surveillance of influenza and other respiratory diseases.
Desirable: Experience working with the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
- Theoretical and practical knowledge of technical cooperation strategies, and best practices to support surveillance for influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and ORV.
- Expertise in monitoring, evaluating, and strengthening surveillance systems for respiratory diseases.
- Strong understanding of influenza and other respiratory pathogens.
- Excellent organizational and analytic skills combined with strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.
- Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical and conceptual skills; demonstrated ability to assess, analyze and synthesize large datasets and provide recommendations on key technical issues.
Language and level required
Excellent written and spoken English or Spanish and working knowledge of the other language; working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset.
Remuneration (Band level Range) and expected duration of contract
Band/range: B / $258-$314 daily
Expected duration: 4 months (tentative start date 26 July – 30 November 2026)
Location: Off site
Relocation required: No
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.
