The comprehensive whole-of-society approaches to disease control involve: (a) coherent implementation of triple response - technical response: implementing diseases specific normative guidance, promoting intervention mixes and deploying medical commodities; healthsystems response: building capacities of district service delivery systems in disease mapping and stratification, interventions tailoring, and sector/subsector planning; and multi-sectoralresponse: addressing socio-economic and environmental determinants of diseases through mobilizing non-health sectors, communities and stakeholders;(b) disease control partnership of publicand private sectors, health and non-health sectors; and (c) community involvement in prioritized high risk communities, focused on understanding and managing determinants of diseases, health services demand promotion and accountability by local health stewards.
The people centered, integrated approaches to disease control involves: (a) integrated guidance on disease control for each health service delivery platform, a move away from stand-alonedisease specific guidance; and (b) integrated and efficient disease control investments in strengthening thecapacity of appropriate health services delivery platforms. These approaches will operate through the deployment of appropriate technologies and analytics toguide stratification of disease risks across population groups to develop anddeploy comprehensive packages of interventions appropriate to each targeted population group and health service delivery platform, as well as monitor population access, coverage and impact to leave no one behind.The specific objectives of the UCN cluster to which the VPD programme contributes, are to: (i) provide leadership on disease control coordination, partnership and resource mobilization; (ii) contribute to the development of WHO disease control technical products, services and tools including adoption of new technologies and innovations; (iii) support generation and use of strategicinformation for action and decision making including optimizing investment; and(iv) provide or facilitate provision of technical support in deployment of WHO technical products and services and institutional capacity building, including support to national disease programmes and regulatory authorities.
Description Of Duties:
The incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities which are performed according to the need and agenda to support the sub-region andcountries:Facilitate periodic assessments of health and vaccination behaviors via surveys and qualitative studies, identifying factors contributing to low vaccines uptake and supporting the design and evaluation of strategies to improve uptake; Support the use of data on behavioural and social drivers of vaccination to guide planning, implementation, and evaluation of tailored interventions to increase vaccination uptake
Support countries in media monitoring, digital listening, and gathering community feedback related to VPDs and vaccines to guide intervention;Contribute to the identification and mapping of stakeholders, monitoring and updating needsfor information or other support (e.g., capacity building in areas such as advocacyor dialogue-based interventions to address hesitancy) ;
Support development and tracking implementation of WHO immunization communication and health promotion materials, guidelines, tools to the intended audiences
Support the planning and production of public information and communication materials such as, but not limited to newsletters, fact sheets, media kits, program summaries and updates, specifically related to IST activities and WHO events for use on relevant media channels and platforms
To support archiving and collation of all relevant documents reporting the work and activities at ISTProactively network within UCN cluster and other programs to stay up-to-date on, and todocument relevant success stories, human interest stories, integrated activities, upcoming events and other potentially significant information for appropriate packaging and dissemination
Contribute to the establishment and management of a documentation unit/clearing house for relevant products from the field, partners and other applicable sources toensure wide distribution of relevant materials to field staff;Contribute and support capacity building of national demand promotion and communications at a country level
Collaborate with other programs and partners to promote and support the adoption of innovations to increase vaccine demand and coverage;
Maintaining collaborative networks and partnership for sharing tools, guidance, information and communication materials;
Developing/collaboratingon the development and maintenance of up to date sub regional and national databases on vaccine demand To perform other related responsibilities as assigned replacing and back stoppingfor other as required.
Required Qualifications: Education:
Essential: Degree in Communications, Health Marketing, Behavioural Science, Social Science, Journalism, or related discipline.
Desirable: Additional training in or a good understanding of public health, qualitative research, international relations, advertising/publicrelations.
Experience:
Essential: At least five years of experience as a health promotion, Behavior diagnostics, communication, journalistor spokesperson in a media organization including television, radio and or print, ideally involving information and communications projects on health subjects.
Desirable: Experience in conceptualization, design and production of information materials, ideally in a health context.Experience with inter-governmental agencies, the UN system or WHO and knowledge of national and regional partnerships and networks.
Skills:
Direct experiencein planning for behavioural interventions, communications, information and/or public relations.
Demonstrated expertise in using local data and evidence-based interventions to understand and address behavioural drivers of health behaviors in specific settings.
Demonstrated expertise in written, verbal editing and production skills leading to the development of accurate contentand information for divers print and electronic media which presented at the appropriate level for the audience.
Expertise in developing and promotingcooperative relationships nationally and internationally. Proven ability tothink outside the box and to resolve problems in a proactive manner.
Knowledge or understanding of public health events on social and economic development andits burden on populations.
Proven organizational and analytical skills and a commitment to quality and client orientation. Excellent interpersonal skills, discretion, tact and diplomacy.
Use of Language Skills:
Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of French.
Desirable:
The above language requirements are interchangeable.
