PAHO Consultant - Field Coordination Consultant

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:

October 30, 2026

Closing Date:

November 17, 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

Specific Objectives

1. Support the organization of day-to-day field activities of the team designated by SEDESA, ensuring that data collection is carried out in accordance with the work plan, protocols, and instruments defined by the Principal Investigator in agreement with PAHO and Mexico City technical counterparts.
2. Serve as the operational liaison among the SEDESA team, the Principal Investigator, and PAHO, facilitating communication, information flow, and follow-up on agreements.
3. Facilitate territorial and institutional coordination with the Utopías Cabinet, the teams at each Utopía, communities, and data collection partners (e.g., UNAM), including access arrangements, permits, and schedules.
4. Ensure the organization, secure custody, integrity, and timely delivery of information collected in the field, in accordance with approved data management and ethics protocols.
4. Scope of Work and Activities
The Field Coordinator is not responsible for methodological design, the design or validation of instruments, the analysis of mechanisms/CMO, or the drafting of the evaluation’s analytical outputs, which are the responsibility of the Principal Investigator and the designated technical counterpart. The role is primarily operational, involving coordination and liaison, without precluding potential substantive contributions. The main activities are as follows:
4.1 Coordination of the Field Team Designated by SEDESA
• Prepare the field operations plan based on the evaluation design and in agreement with the PI and technical counterpart: schedule of visits, assignment of sites and tasks, routes, and logistical needs.
• Organize the onboarding of the SEDESA team: define operational roles, focal points, and internal communication mechanisms.
• Organize and facilitate logistics for team training sessions on the instruments and protocols defined by the PI (the PI is responsible for the technical content of the training).
• Monitor implementation progress and report operational issues: adherence to schedules, complete administration of instruments, documentation of informed consent, among other matters.
• Carry out checks for completeness and basic consistency of the collected information (completed forms, audio recordings and field notes, file coding) before submitting it to the PI for methodological review.
• Maintain the field log and records of progress, deviations, and operational adjustments.
4.2 Liaison with the Principal Investigator and PAHO
• Participate in periodic (virtual) coordination meetings with the PI and PAHO; prepare operational agendas, meeting minutes, and follow-up on agreements.
• Refer technical questions from the field team to the PI and relay the guidance received back to the team.
• Provide PAHO with timely updates on progress, risks, and implementation bottlenecks, proposing operational solutions.
• Support coordination with PAHO/WHO for any required institutional arrangements.
4.3 Territorial and Institutional Coordination
• Arrange access, permissions, and schedules with the Utopías Cabinet and each site team for observation visits, interviews, and other field activities.
• Follow up on the formalization of data-sharing protocols with the Utopías Cabinet and on ethics approval procedures, in coordination with PAHO and the PI.
• Arrange for the collection of documentary and administrative information (Cabinet meeting minutes, coordination records, attendance data, service utilization and referrals, and spatial and population information) requested by the PI.
• Coordinate operationally with the partner responsible for surveys (e.g., UNAM or another organization): scheduling, access to intervention and comparison communities, and monitoring data collection progress.
• Facilitate contact with key informants, Utopías personnel, and community representatives, as well as communities at the four sites proposed for the next expansion phase.
4.4 Logistics for Validation and Learning Activities
• Organize logistics (invitations, venues, materials, participant registration, and documentation of proceedings) for Theory of Change validation workshops, evaluation capacity-building workshops, and the PI’s in-person visits.
• Support the distribution and sharing, with Utopías teams, of outputs prepared by the PI (e.g., rapid learning briefs).
4.5 Field Information Management
• Organize and securely maintain the field information archive (audio recordings, transcripts, notes, forms, and administrative datasets) in a secure repository agreed with PAHO, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with ethics protocols.
4.6 Documentation of Activities and Working Meetings
• Prepare minutes of meetings held during project implementation, recording agreements and following up on them, and ensuring smooth communication and timely information-sharing channels among the parties.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Deliverable 1: Field Start-up Report

• Report on the establishment of the field team designated by SEDESA: team composition, assigned operational roles, and functioning coordination mechanism.

• Schedule for the first phase of capacity building: sessions, participants, venues, materials, and planned logistics.

• Record of initial arrangements with the Utopías Cabinet and site teams (access, permissions, and requested documentary information).

• Compilation of minutes from technical meetings held during the period.

Deliverable 2: Field Instruments and Tools, and First Training Phase

• Document providing input for the development and local adaptation of data collection instruments, and pilot testing report with proposed adjustments for validation by the PI.

• Operational field tools: field manual, registration and log forms, informed consent forms, and site profiles.

• Report on the first phase of capacity building: sessions, participants, materials, and session evaluations.

• Report on the PI’s first visit, including documentation of the Theory of Change validation workshops.

• Status of data-sharing protocols and ethics approvals, permissions, and access arrangements managed for each site, and initial submission of documentary and administrative information.

• Compilation of minutes from technical meetings held during the period.

Deliverable 3: First Field Progress Report

• Operational report on visits conducted at the selected Utopías: activities, coverage, incidents, and adjustments.

• Organized delivery to the PI of the collected information (field notes, observation forms, audio recordings, and interview transcripts).

• Monitoring report on survey data collection with the responsible partner.

• Compilation of minutes from technical meetings held during the period.

Deliverable 4: Second Field Progress Report

• Operational report on data collection at the four sites proposed for the next expansion phase and in the communities identified by coverage/need.

• Submission of consolidated administrative data (attendance, service utilization, referrals) and supplementary documentary records.

• Report on the second phase of capacity building, for example feedback sessions and use of findings with Utopías teams.

• Report(s) on the PI’s visits during the period.

• Compilation of minutes from technical meetings held during the period.

Deliverable 5: Final Field Coordination Report

• Final report on field implementation: activities undertaken, coverage achieved, deviations, operational lessons, and recommendations for future phases.

• Consolidated report on the capacity-building process, including results, lessons learned, and a reusable package of materials for expansion.

• Report on the PI’s final visit and proceedings of the learning session with PAHO and the Government of Mexico City.

• Complete field information archive, organized, documented, and delivered to PAHO and the PI in accordance with the protocols.

Duration

The consultancy will last seven months, from November 16, 2026, to June 30, 2027. The delivery schedule is aligned with the Principal Investigator’s deliverables so that field information is available before each of the PI’s milestones.

Required Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, public health, anthropology, sociology, urban planning, or related fields; a master’s degree is desirable.

• At least three years of experience coordinating fieldwork, research projects, or evaluations of social or health programs, preferably using qualitative and mixed methods.

• Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and engaging with public institutions in Mexico City.

• Knowledge of Mexico City, particularly Iztapalapa and other boroughs with Utopías sites, and experience working with communities.

• Knowledge of social determinants of health, health promotion, gender equity, and community participation approaches.

• Experience with ethics protocols, informed consent, and secure data management.

• Excellent organizational, communication, and institutional relationship-management skills. Native Spanish; advanced English.

• Residence in Mexico City and availability to travel to Utopías sites.

Management and Coordination

The Field Coordinator will work under the overall supervision of PAHO’s Health Promotion and Social Determinants Unit, in coordination with the PAHO/WHO Representative Office in Mexico. The consultant will receive technical guidance from the Principal Investigator on all matters relating to the application of instruments and protocols.

The consultant will coordinate the day-to-day work of the team designated by the Mexico City Ministry of Health, without establishing any formal employment or hierarchical relationship with those personnel, who remain affiliated with SEDESA. Periodic coordination meetings will be held, as agreed, with the PI and PAHO, as well as joint meetings with the Government of Mexico City at key milestones.

Remuneration, place of work, and coordination

Band level: Band A.

Duration: 7.5 months (Part-time)

Place of work: Off-site.

Supervision: Advisor, Social Determinants of Health (DHE-HP).

Total payment: $13,125

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.