Job Description

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Contractual Agreement:

Non-Staff - International PAHO Consultant

Job Posting:

March 30, 2026

Closing Date:

April 6, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

IMT Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies

Schedule:

Full time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

Provides end-to-end project management support for two CEPI-funded health initiatives at PAHO, focused on strengthening regulatory systems and pharmacovigilance in the Americas. The role ensures effective planning, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of technical and financial activities in line with donor (CEPI) and PAHO requirements.

The consultant will manage workplans, budgets, and reporting systems; track progress and risks; consolidate inputs from multiple stakeholders; and produce high-quality donor-facing reports. The position also supports procurement, logistics, and audit-ready documentation, while facilitating coordination across technical teams, partners, and donors to ensure timely and compliant project delivery.

OF DUTIES:

Terms of Reference

Consultant: Project Officer – CEPI Grants (Regulatory Strengthening & Pharmacovigilance)

Department Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies (IMT), PAHO

Contract Period: 20 April 2026 to 19 April 2027 (12 months), with possibility of renewal/extension to support a second CEPI grant in 2027, for up to an additional 12 months (two years), subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Duty Station: Remote (occasional travel may be required)

Fee Band B (PAHO International Consultant)

Hiring Entity IMT/QR

Project Manager / Supervisor Unit Chief, Quality and Regulation of Medicines and Health Technologies Unit (IMT/QR)

Project: PAHO–CEPI Technical Cooperation Grants (Regulatory Strengthening and Pharmacovigilance)

1. Background

PAHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have established strategic collaborations to strengthen regulatory systems and pharmacovigilance capacities in the Region of the Americas in support of preparedness and response to health emergencies. These collaborations are anchored in PAHO’s Policy to Strengthen National Regulatory Systems (Resolution CSP30.R12) and the principles of the Pan American Network for Drug Regulatory Harmonization (PANDRH).

The program of work is implemented through two complementary CEPI grants:

• A Regulatory Strengthening grant focused on improving the efficiency and performance of key regulatory functions (including clinical trials oversight, marketing authorization, vigilance, market surveillance and control, and laboratory-related functions), promoting reliance and convergence practices, strengthening networking models among regulators, and supporting related technical and communication products.

• A Pharmacovigilance grant focused on strengthening national and regional pharmacovigilance systems and coordination (including the Regional Pharmacovigilance Network), improving passive and active surveillance, signal detection and management, causality assessment, and the evaluation of Risk Management Plans (RMPs), and enhancing information-sharing with Immunization Programs and other key stakeholders.

Given the high volume and complexity of donor-facing technical and financial reporting requirements, PAHO seeks a dedicated Project Officer to ensure robust planning, coordination, documentation, monitoring, and reporting across both grants.

2. Objective

To provide dedicated project management support for two CEPI-funded grants (Regulatory Strengthening and Pharmacovigilance), ensuring high-quality, timely technical and financial monitoring, coordination, documentation, and reporting in line with CEPI requirements and PAHO internal procedures, and supporting continuity across the 2026 grant period and the 2027 grant period (with potential multi-year extension).

3. Scope of Services

Under the supervision of the Unit Chief (IMT/QR) and in close coordination with technical leads across IMT Units, the consultant will:

• Develop and maintain an integrated project management system for the CEPI grants (Regulatory Strengthening and Pharmacovigilance), including separate workplans, budgets, trackers, and reporting calendars as needed.

• In cooperation with team leaders and the QR Unit chief, coordinate planning, funding and implementation of activities across both grants, ensuring alignment with agreed milestones and deadlines.

• Lead the consolidation of inputs from technical teams, partners, and country counterparts to produce CEPI-required technical progress reports (by grant, as applicable).

• Establish and maintain robust financial follow-up for both grants: budget tracking, burn-rate analysis, forecasting, variance explanations, and timely financial narratives according to CEPI and PAHO agreements and PAHO internal procedures.

• Coordinate with the administrator/administration team and program manager to ensure compliant execution of funds and accurate documentation.

• Support coordination and funds assignment for procurement, contracting, and travel/meeting logistics required for grant implementation, in coordination with the IMT administrative team.

• In coordination with IMT director, maintain and regularly update a grant risk register (for both grants) and mitigation actions; flag issues early and proactively propose corrective actions to keep delivery on track.

• Coordinate evidence collection for deliverables (agendas, minutes, participant lists, outputs/products, trainings) and maintain an organized audit-ready repository.

• Facilitate internal and external coordination meetings (including with CEPI), prepare briefing notes, slide decks, and minutes, and follow up on action points. Coordinate the provision of inputs from technical and administrative teams.

• Maintain clear separation and reconciliation between the two grants for planning, implementation tracking, evidence collection, and donor-facing reporting (technical and financial), ensuring consistent data and audit-ready documentation.

• Support the coordination, communications and mailing with donors and other counterparts.

• Organize monthly or every two months meetings for tracking the project’s progress and updates.

• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Project Manager to support successful delivery of the Department’s voluntary contributions.

4. Deliverables

All deliverables shall be submitted electronically in PDF format in English, unless otherwise agreed. Payments are conditional on submission and formal acceptance by the Project Manager. The deliverables under this consultancy are structured in three categories:

• Inception Package (Deliverable 1): Due in April 2026. This package sets up the management system for both grants. It includes expense and resource forecasts for each semester, the full set of reporting templates, and the filing structure for an audit-ready repository.

• Monthly and Bimonthly Packages (Deliverables 2–12): From May 2026 to March 2027, the consultant will submit monthly packages for the Regulatory Strengthening grant and bimonthly packages for the Pharmacovigilance grant. When both are due in the same month, they will be submitted as one combined package. Each package consists of the full set of grant management templates, updated for the relevant reporting period, including the technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, and risk log.

• Final Deliverable (Deliverable 13): Due in April 2027. This package closes the consultancy and includes: (i) the final monthly package for the Regulatory Strengthening grant; (ii) the final consolidated report for that grant, with technical and financial summaries, supporting evidence, lessons learned, and recommendations; and (iii) the final bimonthly package for the Pharmacovigilance grant.

Deliverable Schedule

# / Deliverable / Due Date

1 / Inception Package (both grants)

Forecast of expenses and resources needed for the first and second semester of each grant. Reporting tools templates: workplan/activity tracker, deliverables tracker, budget tracker, burn rate dashboard, variance narrative template, monthly technical summary template, donor-facing progress report template, risk register, evidence log, action points tracker, meeting agenda and minutes template, stakeholder coordination log, and financial forecast template. Filing structure and audit-ready repository setup. / 4 May 2026

2 / Monthly Package – Regulation (May 2026)

Updated technical summary (activities completed, in progress, blocked); updated deliverables tracker with % progress; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log (documents collected and pending by activity); updated risk log with risks identified for milestone delivery. / 26 May 2026

3 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Jun 2026) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Jun 2026)

Regulation: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker (burn rate, forecast, variances), evidence log, risk log. Pharmacovigilance: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker (burn rate, forecast, variances), evidence log, risk log./ 25 June 2026

4 /Monthly Package – Regulation (Jul 2026)

Updated technical summary; updated deliverables tracker; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log; updated risk log. / 27 July 2026

5 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Aug 2026) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Aug 2026)

Regulation: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. Pharmacovigilance: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. / 26 August 2026

6 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Sep 2026)

Updated technical summary; updated deliverables tracker; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log; updated risk log. / 25 September 2026

7 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Oct 2026) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Oct 2026)

Regulation: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. Pharmacovigilance: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. / 27 October 2026

8 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Nov 2026)

Updated technical summary; updated deliverables tracker; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log; updated risk log. / 25 November 2026

9 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Dec 2026) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Dec 2026)

Regulation: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. Pharmacovigilance: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. / 23 December 2026

10 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Jan 2027)

Updated technical summary; updated deliverables tracker; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log; updated risk log. / 27 January 2027

11 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Feb 2027) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Feb 2027)

Regulation: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. Pharmacovigilance: updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. / 25 February 2027

12 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Mar 2027)

Updated technical summary; updated deliverables tracker; financial tracker with burn rate, forecast, and variances; updated evidence log; updated risk log. / 26 March 2027

13 / Final Deliverable – April 2027: Monthly Package Regulation + Final Consolidated Report (Regulatory Strengthening Grant) + Bimonthly Package Pharmacovigilance (Apr 2027)

Monthly Package – Regulation (Apr 2027): updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. Final Consolidated Report – Regulatory Strengthening Grant: consolidated technical narrative of the full grant period; final financial narrative with budget variance analysis; complete and organized evidence set; lessons learned document; recommendations for continuity or next phase. Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Apr 2027): updated technical summary, deliverables tracker, financial tracker, evidence log, risk log. / 16 April 2027

5. Remuneration and Payment Schedule

The remuneration corresponds to PAHO Band B consultant rates. The total value of the contract is US$ 71,500. Payments will be made in installments upon submission and acceptance of deliverables by the supervisor according to the following schedule:

# / Associated Deliverable / Amount (US$) / Payment Date

1 / Inception Package / $3,500 / 30 Apr 2026

2 / Monthly Package – Regulation (May 2026) / $4,500 / 30 May 2026

3 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Jun 2026) / $6,500 / 30 Jun 2026

4 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Jul 2026) $4,500 31 Jul 2026

5 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Aug 2026) / $6,500 / 31 Aug 2026

6 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Sep 2026) / $4,500 / 30 Sep 2026

7 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Oct 2026) / $6,500 / 30 Oct 2026

8 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Nov 2026) / $4,500 / 28 Nov 2026

9 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Dec 2026) / $6,500 / 31 Dec 2026

10 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Jan 2027) / $4,500 / 30 Jan 2027

11 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Feb 2027) / $6,500 / 28 Feb 2027

12 / Monthly Package – Regulation (Mar 2027) / $4,500 / 31 Mar 2027

13 / Monthly Package – Regulation + Final Consolidated Report (Reg. Grant) + Bimonthly Package – Pharmacovigilance (Apr 2027) / $8,500 / 20 Apr 2027

6. Modality of Work and Travel

The consultancy is remote. Occasional travel may be required, subject to PAHO rules and prior approval by the Project Manager.

7. Supervision

The consultant will report to the Unit Chief, Quality and Regulation of Medicines and Health Technologies Unit (IMT/QR). Supervision includes regular check-ins (at least bi-weekly during the first two months, and at least monthly thereafter) and ad-hoc coordination as needed.

8. Link to PAHO BWP

This consultancy contributes to PAHO Biennial Work Plan Outcome 2.3: Access to health technologies, innovation, and production.

9. Consultant Profile

Education (essential):

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, international development, public administration, finance, business administration, project management, or another field relevant to the functions of the post.

Education (desirable):

• Master’s degree in public health, policy/planning, project management, management, or related field.

• Certification in project management (such as PMP, PRINCE2, CAPM, or equivalent)

Experience (essential):

• Minimum seven (7) years of combined national and international experience in program/project management, monitoring and evaluation, and/or grants management.

• Demonstrated experience producing donor-facing technical and financial reports, including budget tracking and variance analysis.

• Proven ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder workstreams and consolidate inputs from technical teams into coherent deliverables.

Experience (highly desirable):

• Prior experience working with United Nations agencies, PAHO/WHO, or comparable international organizations.

• Experience managing or supporting externally funded global health projects, preferably related to regulatory systems and/or pharmacovigilance.

Skills/Competencies:

• Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex environment and meet strict deadlines.

• Strong analytical skills for financial tracking, forecasting, and problem-solving.

• Excellent drafting skills for concise, high-quality technical narratives and financial justifications.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively across technical and administrative teams.

• Proficiency with common project management and reporting tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Excel, Teams/SharePoint or equivalent).

Languages:

• Full professional proficiency in English is required (spoken and written).

• Full professional proficiency in Spanish is required (spoken and written).

• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset.

10. Confidentiality and Compliance

The consultant will comply with PAHO policies and procedures, including information confidentiality requirements and any applicable policies related to engagement with non-State actors (e.g., FENSA) when relevant to project implementation.

“Include summary of terms of reference (ToRs) and attach full description of ToRs”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection for a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this consultancy. For assessment of your application, please ensure that your profile in the PAHO Career page is updated; all experience records are entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time. Kindly note that CV/PHFs inserted via LinkedIn are no accessible.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. PAHO/WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/ PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO/WHO Regulations, and e-Manual.
• For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org
• PAHO/WHO is committed to providing a respectful and supportive workplace for all personnel
• PAHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.
• PAHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.
• PAHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoings will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.
• PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between PAHO and the Consultant.
• PAHO/WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by PAHO/WHO.