Tobacco Surveillance Officer

Job Details

• Assignment Type: International UN Volunteer Specialist (Specialist UCoS from Apr2026) - Onsite, Full-time, 12 months with possibility of extension - Hosted by WHO via United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
• Host Entity: World Health Organization (WHO) - Health Promotion, Social Determinants, Equity, Tobacco Control, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Behavioural Science and Urban Health (HPD) Programme, Disease Prevention and Control (DPC) Cluster
• Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda - On UN premises, Work location On UN premises
• Expected Start Date: 09/01/2026
• Duration: 12 months
• Sustainable Development Goal: 3. Good health and well-being
• Supervision: Overall supervision of the Team Leader, HPD and direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer, Africa Tobacco Control Project
• Work Schedule: Full-time; Long-term; Competitive recruitment; Number of Assignments: 1
• Benefits: Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (MLA) and long-term benefits and allowances per UNV Conditions of Service; Check UNV Entitlement Calculator on UVP, the Unified Volunteering Platform
• Nationality Requirement: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment (Uganda)
• Living Conditions: Uganda is a peaceful country; Kampala presents relatively good living conditions with adequate housing (houses and apartments) readily available to rent and most economic and social amenities available at affordable cost
• Context: The DPC Cluster drives attainment of relevant SDG targets in the WHO African Region through integrated, multisectoral, equity-based and people-centred approaches. The HPD Programme supports Member States in integrating health promotion, social determinants of health, risk communication, community engagement, behavioural science and tobacco control into national policies and strategies, aligned with SDGs, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14) and DPC strategic agenda. The incumbent supports coordination and implementation of regional initiatives related to tobacco control, health promotion and disease prevention, with particular focus on coordinating the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS), alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) surveys, monitoring key health promotion and tobacco control indicators, analysing trends and assessing programme performance across Member States.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to Member States in the planning and implementation, including the design of tools and protocols of youth and adult tobacco-related surveys, and in building efficient, systematic surveillance mechanisms to monitor the tobacco epidemic, including new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products
• Support Member States in the collection of alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) data for the global reports
• Support Member States in the analysis of survey data and the development, implementation and evaluation of effective data dissemination mechanisms related to tobacco surveillance
• Support the collection and validation of data and other related information for the World Health Organization (WHO) global report on the tobacco epidemic and the WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2030
• Support the Tobacco Control team in regional tobacco control policy and data analysis including development of technical materials such as project progress reports, documents, factsheets, presentations, guides, tools and advocacy materials on tobacco control and emerging tobacco and nicotine products and assist with their dissemination and use in the Region
• Support development of manuscript to publish project lessons
• Actively participate in relevant working groups, technical meetings and forums, and contribute to the preparation of technical and administrative reports and analyses on tobacco-related issues
• Perform any other related duties as assigned

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• Education Required: Bachelor's degree in Medicine, Public Health, Epidemiology, or a related field
• Education Desirable: Advanced degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Medical Degree or related discipline
• Experience Required: At least 3 years of national or international experience in public health, epidemiology, public policy, or socio-economic development
• Experience Desirable:
  • Experience in managing or working with public health data related to risk factors, health outcomes and health policies
  • Experience working with the World Health Organization (WHO), other United Nations (UN) agencies, or international organizations
  • Experience working in developing countries
• Languages Required: English - Fluent (Required); French - Fluent (Required)
• Age Range: 18 - 80 years
• Functional Knowledge and Skills:
  • Strong knowledge of public health data collection, surveillance methodologies and data analysis techniques
  • Solid understanding of global tobacco control strategies, including the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and MPOWER measures
  • Excellent analytical, organizational and communication skills, including the ability to prepare high-quality reports, technical documents and policy briefs, as well as lead presentations and workshops
  • Proven ability to meet deadlines, deliver results under pressure and contribute to innovative and practical solutions
  • Proficiency in the use of standard office software (e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel and PowerPoint), with experience in statistical or data visualization tools considered an asset
  • Proven ability to work with competing priorities under pressure
• Competencies and Values: Teamwork; Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences; Communication; Producing results; Ensuring the effective use of resources; Promoting Innovation and Organizational Learning
• Areas of Expertise: Public health, immunisation, Administration, Information technology and telecommunications
• Other Information: International Specialist category; UNV encourages applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds including from underrepresented nationalities, particularly from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Lusophone countries; Equal opportunity programme committed to diversity; Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with host entity policy; UN does not charge any application fee - beware of scams