Roster of International consultant – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and/or laboratory strengthening for AMR

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Area of expertise

Roster of International consultant – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and/or laboratory strengthening for AMR

Purpose of consultancy

The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia is establishing a roster of qualified consultants who may be engaged for specific assignments to strengthen national and regional AMR surveillance, clinical microbiology services and laboratory systems. Assignments may cover surveillance design and assessment; implementation and reporting through the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS); bacteriology and mycology capacity; diagnostic stewardship; laboratory networks and quality systems; data quality, analysis, interpretation and visualization; One Health and genomic surveillance; capacity development; operational research; and translation of surveillance evidence into policy and programme action.

Depending on the individual Terms of Reference, consultants will provide technical assistance for planning, implementation, analysis and reporting using WHO tools, standards and recommendations. They may also contribute to evidence-based technical guidance, protocols, standard operating procedures, training packages and implementation tools.

Background

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health and development challenge in the WHO South-East Asia Region. Member States need timely, representative and quality-assured data on resistance patterns and antimicrobial use to guide national action plans, clinical and public health interventions, laboratory strategies, stewardship, infection prevention and control, and resource allocation.

Reliable laboratory systems are essential for effective AMR surveillance, including accurate bacterial and fungal identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, diagnostic stewardship, specimen referral, quality management and standardized data flows. WHO supports Member States, country offices and partners to strengthen sustainable surveillance and laboratory systems aligned with WHO standards and GLASS. This roster will help WHO SEARO identify specialists for time-bound regional or country assignments based on emerging needs.

Deliverables

Under the overall guidance of WHO technical unit, consultants may be requested to perform one or more of the following assignments (a more specific Terms of Reference (TORs), including the exact deliverables, duration of assignment and place of assignment will be shared with the selected candidate at the time of hiring for a specific assignment):

Deliverable 1: Surveillance and laboratory assessment. Conduct desk or country assessment of AMR surveillance systems, data flows, governance arrangements, indicators, data quality, bacteriology and mycology capacity, laboratory networks, diagnostic stewardship and reporting processes, with prioritized and feasible recommendations

Deliverable 2: Technical products and implementation tools. Design assignment-specific protocols, standard operating procedures, data dictionaries, validation checklists, surveillance tools, indicator frameworks, laboratory-strengthening plans, survey materials, diagnostic-stewardship tools, guidance documents or One Health implementation products

Deliverable 3: Data and analytical outputs. Develop cleaned or validated datasets; statistical, microbiological or genomic analyses; reproducible code or pipelines; tables, figures, maps, dashboards or visualization specifications; interpretation notes; and quality documentation, as applicable

Deliverable 4: Laboratory and diagnostic products. Adapt guidance documents, training packages and tools for clinical bacteriology and mycology; laboratory quality management; antimicrobial susceptibility testing; external quality assurance; specimen referral; laboratory networks; and diagnostic stewardship.

Deliverable 5: Capacity-development package. Develop training needs findings, curricula, presentations, exercises, job aids, workshop or webinar facilitation, mentoring records and a brief evaluation of learning and follow-up needs.

Deliverable 6: Reporting and knowledge products. Prepare GLASS submission-related outputs, national or regional surveillance reports, laboratory-capacity reports, policy briefs, technical reports, manuscripts, systematic reviews, presentations or other communication products.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational qualifications

Essential:

Band level B: A first university degree or medical degree in epidemiology, public health, medicine, clinical microbiology, laboratory sciences, biostatistics, statistics, mathematical modelling, health informatics, data science, computer science, bioinformatics, veterinary public health, environmental health, pharmacy, health economics or another field relevant to the assignment.

Band level C: An advanced university degree or medical degree with postgraduate specialization in one of the fields listed above or another field relevant to the assignment.

Desirable: Additional postgraduate training, specialization or professional certification relevant to the technical profile, such as clinical microbiology, bacteriology, mycology, field epidemiology, laboratory quality management, diagnostic stewardship, data analytics, geographic information systems, genomic epidemiology, health information systems, monitoring and evaluation, or adult learning.

Experience

Essential

Band level B: At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the technical profiles advertised.

Band level C:

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the advertised technical profiles.
• Demonstrated experience producing high-quality, assignment-relevant outputs such as surveillance assessments, protocols, analytical products, laboratory tools, technical reports, training packages, dashboards, scientific publications or policy products.
• For laboratory-focused assignments, essential experience may include one or more of the following:
• Implementation of recognized antimicrobial susceptibility testing standards, such as CLSI or EUCAST.
• Microbiological proficiency testing or external quality-assurance programmes.
• Bacteriology or mycology laboratory assessments and laboratory-system strengthening.
• Mycological diagnosis, diagnostic stewardship or laboratory quality management.

Desirable

• Experience with AMR surveillance and GLASS-related methods, tools or reporting.
• Experience working with ministries of health, national AMR programmes, public health institutes, reference laboratories, academic institutions or One Health coordination mechanisms.
• Experience in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
• Experience with WHO, another United Nations entity or an international public health organization.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary or multisectoral work and transferring skills to national teams.
• Experience implementing infectious-disease surveys or clinical research studies in accordance with good clinical and data-management practices.
• A publication record in peer-reviewed journals or authorship of technical guidance, national reports, research proposals, systematic reviews or evidence-synthesis products.
• Experience developing and applying bioinformatics pipelines, where relevant to the assignment.

Skills and knowledge

Essential

• Advanced knowledge and competence in at least one advertised technical profile, with a sound understanding of public health surveillance or laboratory-system principles relevant to the assignment.
• Ability to apply relevant WHO standards, methods and tools to national or regional contexts.
• Ability to analyse complex information, assure data or laboratory quality, interpret findings and formulate practical recommendations.
• Excellent technical writing, presentation and communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex findings clearly to technical and policy audiences.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary settings and to deliver quality outputs within agreed timelines.
• For laboratory-focused assignments, essential competencies may include quality-assured microbiological testing, assessment of bacteriology or mycology laboratories, and design or implementation of external quality-assurance programmes.