Deadline: 19 October 2026
Background
Lead poisoning remains a major public health issue affecting both children and adults worldwide, causing a substantial burden of disease particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Lead exposure contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality, including cardiovascular disease.
Along with partner organizations, WHO supports countries to address lead poisoning through technical assistance, development and dissemination of guidance, and strengthening of national capacities for prevention, identification and clinical management of lead exposure. WHO has developed Guidelines on the clinical management of lead poisoning and is undertaking activities to support their implementation. In parallel, WHO is strengthening poison centre capacity, improving access to essential antidotes, and enhancing collaboration and information exchange between poison centres and public health systems.
The Chemicals, Radiation and Health Unit is seeking a consultant to provide specialized expertise to support WHO in implementing aspects of these activities, including developing training materials, reviewing technical materials, and analysing poison centre capacity.
Purpose
To support WHO’s work on lead poisoning prevention by developing guidance and training materials on the identification and management of lead poisoning, and to support efforts to establish and strengthen poison centre services, including improving access to essential antidotes.
Deliverables
The consultant will be expected to cover the following scope of work:
Development of online training materials for health professionals on the clinical management of lead poisoning;
Technical input and expert review of materials (including national guidelines) to support implementation of the WHO Guidelines on clinical management of lead poisoning, including in the areas of nutritional interventions and on history-taking to assist in the identification of sources of lead exposure, in particular for pregnant women and children;
Technical input on modalities for increasing access to essential antidotes;
Expert analysis of poison centre capacities with respect to lead poisoning and other aspects of poison centre operations;
Technical input and expert review of guidance material to support the establishment or strengthening of poison centres, in line with WHO guidelines;
Technical advice to WHO on modalities for collaboration between poison centres, including supporting the establishment of regional networks.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational qualifications
Essential:
Medical degree with advanced training in toxicology.
Experience
Essential:
Over 15 years of experience with diagnosis and management of chemical poisoning.
Over 15 years of experience in delivering poison centre services.
Proven professional experience with diagnosis and treatment of poisoning resulting from exposure to lead.
Desirable:
Experience with environmental assessments in clinical settings.
Experience with developing training materials for health professionals relating to poisoning or environmental health.
Experience with supporting capacity building to establish or strengthen poison centres in low-resource settings.
Skills/Knowledge
Essential:
Familiarity with the WHO Guidelines on clinical management of lead poisoning.
Strong understanding of health-system considerations related to poisoning management, including access to antidotes.
Knowledge of paediatric specialist services relating to poisoning or environmental health.
Ability to develop training materials on complex topics that can be understood by non-expert health professionals.
Desirable:
Knowledge of WHO policies, guidance and programmes related to chemical safety and poisoning prevention.
Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert)
Essential:
English: Expert.
Desirable:
Knowledge of any additional UN language.
Location
Off site.
Travel
No travel is expected under this contract.
Remuneration and budget
Pay band D, Senior Expert. Full-time rate: USD 12,520 to USD 14,400 per month. At 0.5 FTE: USD 6,260 to USD 7,200 per month.
Work schedule: 2.5 days per week (0.5 FTE).
Expected duration of contract
7 months, from November 2026 to May 2027, at 0.5 FTE.
Contact & application process
If you are interested, please send your CV and cover letter by 19 October 2026 to WHO's Chemicals, Radiation and Health Unit (ipcsmail@who.int) and add "Consultancy lead poisoning and poison centres" to the email's subject.