Tobacco Surveillance Officer (UN Volunteer) Job Opportunity at World Health Organization (WHO) – Kampala, Uganda

About the World Health Organization (WHO)

Job Summary

Key Responsibilities

• Support Member States in planning and implementing youth and adult tobacco surveys.
• Assist in developing survey tools, protocols, and surveillance systems.
• Support monitoring of tobacco use trends and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
• Strengthen national tobacco surveillance mechanisms.

• Support collection of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) data.
• Assist Member States in gathering accurate health information.
• Validate surveillance data before submission for global reports.
• Ensure quality and consistency of public health indicators.

• Analyze tobacco surveillance data and identify trends.
• Support development of WHO global tobacco reports.
• Contribute to analysis of tobacco prevalence trends from 2000–2030.
• Prepare technical reports, summaries, and programme updates.

• Project progress reports
• Policy briefs
• Technical guides
• Factsheets
• Presentations
• Advocacy materials
• Research documents

• Support development of research manuscripts and publications.
• Document lessons learned from tobacco control projects.
• Promote evidence-based decision-making.
• Contribute to knowledge-sharing activities.

• Participate in technical meetings and working groups.
• Collaborate with WHO technical teams and health partners.
• Support coordination of tobacco control activities.
• Contribute to regional health promotion programmes.

• Monitor implementation of tobacco control activities.
• Track programme indicators and performance results.
• Support evaluation of health initiatives.
• Provide recommendations for programme improvement.

• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned by supervisors.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in:
  • Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences
  • Related field

• Master’s Degree in Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Medical Degree
• Related postgraduate discipline

Professional Experience Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in:
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Research
  • Public Policy
  • Disease Prevention
  • Socio-economic Development

• Experience working with WHO, UN agencies, NGOs, or international organisations.
• Experience managing public health data.
• Experience working in developing countries.
• Experience in tobacco control or non-communicable disease programmes.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Public health surveillance skills
• Epidemiological research skills
• Data collection and analysis skills
• Knowledge of tobacco control programmes
• Health policy analysis skills
• Monitoring and evaluation skills
• Technical report writing skills
• Policy brief development skills
• Research documentation skills
• Presentation skills
• Strong communication skills
• Stakeholder engagement skills
• Problem-solving abilities
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work under pressure
• Teamwork and collaboration skills

Technical Knowledge and Expertise

• Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS)
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
• MPOWER tobacco control measures
• Public health surveillance methods
• Epidemiological approaches
• Health data collection systems
• Statistical analysis techniques
• Risk factor surveillance
• Disease prevention strategies
• Health promotion programmes

Language Requirements

• Fluent English language skills (required)
• Fluent French language skills (required)

Computer and Digital Skills

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Statistical analysis software
• Data visualization tools
• Survey analysis platforms
• Public health information systems

Key Competencies

• Teamwork
• Professionalism
• Respect for cultural diversity
• Effective communication
• Accountability
• Results orientation
• Innovation
• Resource management skills
• Continuous learning
• Ethical conduct

Why Join the World Health Organization (WHO)?

• Epidemiology
• Health surveillance
• Data analysis
• Policy development
• Disease prevention

• Research
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Technical reporting
• Health programme management

What Your CV Should Include

• Professional summary in public health or epidemiology.
• Academic qualifications.
• Public health research experience.
• Tobacco control or health promotion experience.
• Disease surveillance experience.
• Data collection and analysis skills.
• Monitoring and evaluation experience.
• Technical report writing experience.
• Research publications or projects.
• Experience with WHO, UN agencies, NGOs, or government programmes.
• Statistical software knowledge.
• Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Stakeholder engagement experience.
• Language skills (English and French).
• Relevant professional training and certifications.

What Your Cover Letter Should Include

• Interest in joining WHO and supporting tobacco control programmes.
• Your public health or epidemiology background.
• Experience in surveillance and health data analysis.
• Experience working with communities, governments, or international organisations.
• Knowledge of WHO FCTC and MPOWER strategies.
• Examples of research, reporting, or programme implementation.
• Your ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• How your skills contribute to WHO’s public health mission.

Interview Tips

• WHO’s role in global health.
• Tobacco control strategies.
• WHO FCTC and MPOWER measures.
• Public health surveillance methods.
• Data collection and validation approaches.
• Epidemiological research methods.
• Health programme monitoring.
• Data analysis and reporting.
• Public health challenges in Africa.
• Experience working with governments and partners.
• Examples of managing research projects.
• Preparing technical reports and presentations.

• Strong analytical thinking
• Professional communication
• Teamwork
• Public health knowledge
• Ability to deliver results under pressure

How to Apply

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