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 multicultura