Technical Officer START4ALL

UNOPS has hosted the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership Secretariat (STBP) since 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland. The vision of the Stop TB Partnership is to realize the goal of elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem and, ultimately, to acquire a world free of TB by ensuring that every person with TB has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure; stopping transmission of TB; reducing the inequitable social and economic toll of TB; and developing and implementing new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools and strategies. The Stop Partnership is uniquely positioned to support the development and further implementation by partners of the current and future Global Plan, acting as a coordinator and catalyst for the range of partners engaged in the fight to end TB.

Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership's mission is to serve every person who is vulnerable to TB and ensure that high-quality treatment is available to all who need it. Stop TB partners include international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, foundations, NGOs, civil society and community groups and the private sector.

Background - Job Specific

Stop TB Partnership is a key consortium member in the START 4ALL project  that is working to increase tuberculosis (TB) detection and increase access to treatment by developing and optimizing diagnostic algorithms for point-of-care use under various epidemiological and health systems settings. The project aims to generate evidence to support large scale implementation and scale-up novel diagnostic screening and testing algorithms, working towards market preparation. The project aims to generate demand to enable transition and scale up combinations of different TB screening and diagnostic tools through national and global advocacy and engagement of national authorities as well as civil society organizations. 

Stop TB Partnership/UNOPS will provide technical support to the lead organization (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), and in-country partners to assist with the implementation of START4ALL activities in seven countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Vietnam. The overall aims of the START4ALL project are:  

• To evaluate the performance of selected TB screening and diagnostic tests and test combinations in primary health care settings and key and vulnerable populations 

• To identify test combinations that increase the proportion of people diagnosed with bacteriologically confirmed TB in comparison to a local microbiological reference standard.

• To demonstrate that test combinations are cost-efficient and feasible to scale-up to facilitate enhanced access to TB diagnosis in locations and for populations where they are not currently available.

Under the supervision of the Team Lead for the Innovations & Grants team, the Technical Officer START4ALL position will provide strategic mentorship and technical support to partners in the Unitaid-funded START4ALL initiative, work partners globally to evaluate new TB diagnostic approaches.

The responsibilities involve coordination throughout the Secretariat of Stop TB, and extensive contact with a broad range of implementing partners / organizations, governments (National TB Programs), and donor agencies to promote the strategic aims of the Stop TB Partnership’s technical initiatives.

The functional responsibilities of the Technical Officer START4ALL will be:

Coordinate the management of the START4ALL Initiative at Stop TB Partnership:

• Facilitate the implementation of the START4ALL project as a technical expert for TB screening and diagnostics including new tools, e.g., artificial intelligence (AI), urine LAM, and other non-sputum based tests.

• Coordinate with other teams at Stop TB Partnership to promote project results, and coordinate advocacy work at country and global level for scale-up of successful approaches.

• Management and technical input throughout implementation and operational research interests and external communications around these processes.

• Engage with donor and technical agencies, such as Unitaid, Global Fund, FIND, WHO and others, to facilitate results dissemination.

• Write technical project reports and work with the program office to develop annual Stop TB Partnership plans and budgets.

Provide Technical support and input  

• Review and analyze START4ALL reports, provide feedback and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the work.

• Provide technical assistance to country to improve the quality of their activities and outputs focused on case detection especially around AI and new diagnostics.

• Contribute to protocol development, study design, data analysis of global and country work.

• Represent Stop TB at global events related to different technical areas of work.

• Publish project results and findings from dedicated operations in peer-reviewed journals.

• Coordinate technical symposia at regional and global conferences on lung health.
  
  

The key results have an impact on the success of initiatives administered by the Innovations and Grants team, the START4ALL project, as well as the Stop TB Partnership’s Key Performance Indicators. 

In particular, the key results have an impact on the delivery of:

• The Stop TB Partnership’s credibility for supporting and evaluating innovation in TB case detection, treatment outcomes, and other areas of care delivery via the START4ALL initiative.

• Acceleration of the fight to end TB in line with the Global Plan to End TB.

• Advanced university (Master’s degree or medical degree) ideally in a health-related discipline. 
• A First level University degree (Bachelor or Undergraduate degree) with additional 2 years of relevant experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in biological sciences and/or public health, or related with at least one year in the field of tuberculosis (TB) is required
• Experience within the global health sector is an asset
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation is an asset
• Experience with statistical analysis programs is an asset
• Research experience evaluating new diagnostic tools, especially for TB or other infectious diseases is an asset 
• Experience with artificial intelligence applications for health is an asset

• Excellent knowledge of English with proven ability to communicate in English (spoken and written) in a clear and concise manner. 
• Knowledge of another UN official language, especially French, is an asset.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.