Tobacco Surveillance Officer

Organizational Context

The World Health Organization (WHO), established in 1948, is the UN agency dedicated to promoting health, ensuring global safety, and serving vulnerable populations. Its mandate includes advocating for universal health coverage, monitoring public health risks, coordinating emergency responses, and providing technical assistance. The Health Promotion, Social Determinants, Equity, Tobacco Control, and related Programme (HPD) within the Disease Prevention and Control Cluster supports Member States in integrating health promotion and tobacco control into national strategies, aligning with SDGs and the WHO FCTC.

Job Purpose

The International UN Volunteer Specialist will support the WHO Health Promotion, Social Determinants, Equity, Tobacco Control, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Behavioural Science, and Urban Health (HPD) Programme in the African Region. The role focuses on coordinating and implementing regional initiatives for tobacco control, health promotion, and disease prevention. The incumbent will provide crucial technical and operational support to the HPD Unit, specifically assisting the Tobacco Control Project Team. Key responsibilities include coordinating the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) and related surveys, monitoring health indicators, analyzing trends, and assessing program performance to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making and monitor progress across Member States.

Responsibilities

Provide technical support to Member States for planning and implementing youth and adult tobacco-related surveys, including designing tools and protocols for systematic surveillance of the tobacco epidemic and new nicotine products. Assist in collecting and validating data for WHO global reports on the tobacco epidemic and prevalence trends. Support Member States in analyzing survey data and developing effective data dissemination mechanisms. Contribute to regional tobacco control policy and data analysis, developing technical materials such as reports, factsheets, and advocacy tools on tobacco control and emerging products. Assist in manuscript development for publishing project lessons. Participate in working groups and technical meetings, contributing to reports and analyses on tobacco-related issues. Perform other assigned duties.

Work Experience

Requires at least 3 years of national or international experience in public health, epidemiology, public policy, or socio-economic development. Desirable experience includes managing public health data, working with WHO or other UN agencies, and experience in developing countries. Proficiency in standard office software and statistical/data visualization tools is expected.

Skills

Key competencies include teamwork, respecting diversity, communication, producing results, ensuring resource efficiency, and promoting innovation. Specific expertise areas include public health, data collection and surveillance methodologies, tobacco control strategies (WHO FCTC, MPOWER measures), data analysis, report writing, and presentation skills.

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