Director, Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination; CDE

Grade:

D-1

Salary
- Annually:

Step I -  USD

Post Adjustment
- Annually:

64,402.34 USD

Contractual Agreement:

Staff
- Professional Post

Job Posting:

July 22, 2026

Closing Date:

October 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary

Location:

Washington, D.C.

Organization:

CDE Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control, and Elimination

Schedule:

Full time

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Director, Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination (CDE)

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is seeking a visionary, strategic, and results-oriented leader to serve as Director, Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination (CDE).

The Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination (CDE) Department promotes, coordinates, and implements technical cooperation activities directed toward the surveillance, prevention, control, elimination and/or reduction of communicable diseases and zoonosis throughout the Region of the Americas.

Under the general supervision of the Director and the direct supervision of the Assistant Director, the selected candidate will:

• Provide strategic, technical, policy, and programmatic leadership for PAHO’s work in communicable diseases, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention and control, communicable disease risk factors, and food safety.
• Lead and coordinate the implementation of PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, supporting Member States in eliminating more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.
• Promote research, innovation, and knowledge generation, fostering the adoption of evidence-based policies and best practices among countries and partners.
• Strengthen food safety systems and advance integrated One Health approaches to address zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and foodborne disease threats.
• Mobilize financial and technical resources and establish strategic partnerships with governments, donors, international organizations, academic institutions, civil society, and other stakeholders to advance public health goals.
• Represent the Department at the highest levels and provide authoritative technical and strategic advice to Member States, regional bodies, and partner institutions.
• Provide overall leadership and management of the Department, including strategic planning, budget oversight, performance management, organizational development, and effective use of financial and human resources.

For a complete list of functions, please see the post description.

Education

A university degree in health or social science and a master’s degree in public health, epidemiology or any other field related to the functions of the post from a recognized institution.

Experience

Fifteen years of combined national and international experience in progressively challenging managerial positions in communicable diseases, including the development and evaluation of policies and programs for prevention and control of communicable diseases, and the application of epidemiological methods to disease surveillance and public health program planning and evaluation.

Languages

Fluency in English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language.

IT Skills

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, One Drive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

For a complete list of…