PAHO Consultant - Technical Support for the Regional Agenda on Chemical Safety and Health

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:

September 28, 2026

Closing Date:

October 20, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

DHE Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity

Schedule:

Part time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

Objective

Provide specialized technical support to plan, implement, monitor, and document the Regional Agenda on Chemical Safety and Health, strengthening cooperation with countries and tracking institutional indicators for 2026-2031.

Specific Objectives

• Organize operational planning, information management, and monitoring of results and indicators related to PAHO’s Chemical Safety agenda.
• Support the strengthening of CIATs, surveillance systems, response protocols, and mechanisms for access to antidotes.
• Develop and coordinate training, knowledge management, and technical communication initiatives on chemical safety.
• Facilitate technical cooperation with countries, partners, collaborating centers, and international mechanisms related to chemicals and waste.

Scope of Services

The consultant will work under the technical guidance of DHE/CE and in coordination with country offices, PAHO/WHO technical units, ministries of health, CIATs, laboratories, academic institutions, collaborating centers, and other partners. The work will include:
• Document and data analysis.
• Technical coordination.
• Preparation of tools and deliverables.
• Support for meetings and cooperation activities.
• Reporting on the timely implementation of planned activities.
• Remote or in-person follow-up when required and authorized.

Deliverables must be available in Spanish and, when requested, in English. Summaries or materials in Portuguese may also be required.

All country information must include:
• Information source.
• Date.
• Validation authority.
• Means of verification.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Strategic Activities and Sub-Activities

Strategic Activity 1. Planning, Monitoring, and Indicator Tracking

• Prepare and update the consultancy operational plan, including timelines, milestones, stakeholders, risks, and coordination mechanisms.
• Consolidate baseline data and evidence repositories from prioritized countries for PAHO regional indicators on chemical safety.
• Update matrices, dashboards, and monitoring sheets, applying agreed quality-control and classification criteria.
• Prepare periodic progress reports, gap alerts, and recommendations for decision-making.
  
  

Strategic Activity 2. Strengthening CIATs, Surveillance, and Response to Chemical Risks

• Update the assessment of CIATs and support the organization of the regional network, including capacities, coverage, human resources, protocols, and institutional links.
• Support national assessments of poisoning surveillance, regulatory frameworks, laboratory capacity, and chemical-event notification systems.
• Contribute to developing or adapting clinical, epidemiological, and emergency response protocols for priority substances.
• Systematize information on antidotes and antivenoms and support regional proposals for referral systems, counter-referral systems, and stock management.
  
  

Strategic Activity 3. Capacity Development and Knowledge Management

• Identify training needs and support the Chemical Safety learning pathway within the Virtual Campus for Public Health.
• Prepare technical content, guidance documents, presentations, briefs, tools, and materials for courses, workshops, and seminars.
• Support the organization, facilitation, documentation, and evaluation of regional and national training activities.
• Document best practices, country experiences, and lessons learned, ensuring institutional dissemination.
  
  

Strategic Activity 4. Technical Cooperation, Governance, and Regional Positioning

• Support technical assistance plans for prioritized countries and territories, including objectives, agendas, tools, and follow-up on commitments.
• Monitor the health-related components of the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Minamata Conventions, the Global Framework on Chemicals, and other relevant processes.
• Coordinate technical inputs with partners, collaborating centers, universities, toxicology networks, and PAHO/WHO internal units.
• Prepare technical inputs for partnerships, resource mobilization, technical meetings, and strategic communication of results.
• Support the consolidation and maintenance of PAHO’s Latin America and Caribbean Toxicology Experts Network.
• Participate in regular team meetings.

Deliverables, Weighting, and Estimated Timeline

 

The contract duration will be 12 months. Acceptance of each deliverable will be subject to technical review and any revisions requested by the supervisor.

PRODUCT 1: $2,000 - 1 month

Planning, Baseline, and Monitoring

Review of operational plan, evidence repository, and monitoring matrix for PAHO’s three chemical safety indicators; review of targets and results with prioritized countries.

$2,000 - 4 weeks from the start of the contract

PRODUCT 2: $4,000 - Month 3

Country Survey Implementation and Follow-Up, CIAT Profiles and Roadmap

Development of the regional CIAT profile based on national profiles, regional capacity assessment, and priority actions to strengthen CIATs.

PRODUCT 3: $2,800 - Month 4

Regional Response and Antidotes Plan

Regional proposal for antidote management, response mechanisms, referral, and counter-referral systems.

PRODUCT 4: $4,200 - Month 6

Capacity Development and Knowledge Management

Implementation of the regional learning pathway and technical strengthening in five prioritized countries.

PRODUCT 5: $5,800 - Month 9

Technical Cooperation and Country Support for the GFC

Country assistance and support for three national proposals under the Global Framework on Chemicals.

PRODUCT 6: $4,200 - Month 11

Governance, Partnerships, and Agenda Continuity

International frameworks, partnerships, strategic communications, results, and continuity plan. Stakeholder mapping and inputs for implementation of the regional strategy and resource mobilization.

PRODUCT 7: $2,000 - Month 12

Final Report and Continuity Plan

Consolidated results, lessons learned, evidence, and priorities for the next cycle.

 Minimum Content and Acceptance Criteria

• Submission in editable format and, when applicable, a final PDF version using institutional templates and guidelines.
• Technical consistency with:
  • WHO Chemicals Roadmap.
  • WHA76.17.
  • Global Framework on Chemicals.
  • PAHO Regional Chemical Safety Work Plan.
• Data and statements are supported by identifiable sources.
• Matrices include cutoff date, country, institution, link or document, and validation status.
• Country or territory-level disaggregation and explicit linkage to institutional indicators, where applicable.
• Incorporation of supervisor’s comments within agreed review timelines.
• Compliance with confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property, accessibility, and PAHO/WHO institutional branding requirements.
  

Required Profile

• University degree in public health, medicine, toxicology, environmental sciences, chemistry, environmental engineering, epidemiology, risk management, or a related field.
• Graduate degree preferred in public health, toxicology, environmental health, epidemiology, project management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum seven years of relevant professional experience in environmental health, chemical safety, toxicology, surveillance, risk management, or technical cooperation.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and monitoring work plans, indicators, evidence matrices, monitoring systems, technical reports, and decision-support products.
• Experience coordinating with governments, academic institutions, poison centers, international organizations, or technical networks.
• Knowledge of the WHO Chemicals Roadmap, the Global Framework on Chemicals, relevant conventions, and the International Health Regulations.
• Advanced proficiency in office software, information management, and data visualization tools.
• Ability to organize databases and monitoring dashboards.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Spanish and English. Portuguese is an asset.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple concurrent deliverables, and meet deadlines in a multicultural environment.

 

Competencies

• Teamwork and relationship-building.
• Analytical thinking, technical rigor, and results orientation.
• Planning, organization, adaptability, and priority management.
• Intercultural communication and ability to translate evidence into operational actions.
• Effective monitoring and management of activities.
• Integrity, discretion, and responsible handling of institutional information.

 

Period, Modality, and Supervision

Contract Period: Twelve (12) months from contract signature. Exact dates to be determined.

Contract Type and Payment Method: Individual deliverable-based contract. Payments will be made upon submission and approval of deliverables according to the agreed weighting and contractual schedule.

Work Location and Modality: Primarily remote, with availability for meetings during the Region of the Americas working hours. Travel, if required, must be authorized and will be managed according to institutional policies.

Supervision: The consultancy will be under the technical supervision of the Regional Advisor on Chemical Safety (DHE/CE), or another person designated by PAHO/WHO.

Coordination and Reporting

The consultant will:

• Participate in regular coordination meetings.
• Maintain updated records of tasks, decisions, and supporting evidence.
• Promptly communicate any risks that could affect quality or timelines.

Deliverables will be considered approved only after written confirmation from the technical supervisor.

As part of the engagement, the selected consultant must complete all mandatory PAHO/WHO training courses and comply with applicable institutional policies.

 

Technical Unit

Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health (DHE/CE)

Modality

Deliverable-based contract.

Partial time schedule (40%)   

Band B

Compensation

USD 25,000 paid against approved deliverables

Scope

Regional, covering the Region of the Americas

 

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.