Epidemiology Activity Manager at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Main Purpose

Defining, designing, coordinating, supervising, analysing and communicating on the epidemiological and operational research activities ensuring the development of appropriate methodologies in line with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) standard tools and protocols. He/she contributes to the mission/project strategy regarding epidemiological, operational research and medical activities.

Accountabilities

• Defining, scheduling and organizing, in close collaboration with other medical team members, the annual epidemiological activity plan as well as its associated budget, in order to improve early detection of risk factors to better define treatment approaches and preventive practices. Leading the implementation of the protocols and epidemiological methodology, ensuring all related staff follows them in order to improve research efficiency.
• Conceptualise, design, implement, analyse, report and communicate about all related epidemiology activities.
• Supervising, according to annual plan, the epidemiological activities ensuring that contacts with community groups and authorities are aligned with the objectives of those activities. Reporting on the progress of data collection, on ongoing analysis of research or on any issue causing delay, in order to achieve epidemiological goals on time.
• Defining in coordination with the MSF medical team on epidemiological activities that would contribute to the MSF social mission (e.g. Surveillance, surveys, research, advocacy…)
• Participate and provide advise in strategical discussions with the mission coordination team.
• Supervising the implementation of epidemiological activities (including for example data filing procedures), ensuring that all epidemiology software tools are properly used and are updated regularly, in order to ensure full data traceability and availability
• Ensure that the outcomes/results of the epidemiological activities are analysed, contextualized and used for the MSF social mission
• Planning and supervising, in close coordination with the HR department and the MSF vision, policies and values, the associated processes (job de-scription, recruitment, training, performance evaluation, development and internal/external communication) of the epidemiological staff in order to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required, to improve staff technical capabilities, contribution and commitment to MSF values.
• Participating in operational monthly reports and organizing and/or assisting medical staff in preparing epidemiological reports related to health facilities and to researched areas
• Ensuring and maintaining technical collaboration with the Epidemiology Advisors and Principal Investigators in the Medical Department (HQ).
• Participating in workshops organised by the Medical Department (HQ) on topics related to the Epidemiology domain.
• While the final responsibility of the quality and analysis/interpretation of the routine data should remain on the PMR/MedCo, the Epidemiology Activity Manager could provide feedback and should work together with PMR/MedCo to improve the quality or the analysis/interpretation of the routine data
• Support Coordination, Mombasa, Dagahaley and Emergency Response
• The Epidemiology Activity Manager will be based between Dagahaley (Garissa County) and Nairobi.
• Identification of alerts and Investigation: Monitor in collaboration with the MedCo support the various epidemiological alerts for diseases with epidemic potential at the country level and participate in investigations, if necessary, at the national level and in the different counties as part of MSF OCG's activities in Kenya.
• Outbreak investigation and surveillance: Ensure epidemiological surveillance at the country level and conduct epidemiological investigations in collaboration with MoH structures in accordance with MSF protocols and participate in the assessment of the risk of disease transmission and other health threats within the target population during outbreak interventions in MSF OCG projects and in other counties of the MSF OCG EPREP response or in intersection
• Operational research and surveys (Morbidity and mortality surveys, Vaccination coverage surveys, Nutrition surveys, Seropreva-lence...): Support the project teams in operational research and submission of research protocols to relevant Ethics review committees (KEMRI, AMREF), National commission for science, technology and innovation (NACOSTI), MSF Ethics Review Board (MSF-ERB) and lead study implementation, analysis and scientific communication.
• Exploratory/Action mission: Participate actively in the preparation and implementation of exploratory missions as well as in the drafting of the various reports with analysing public health data, including rapid assessments (including population estimates, mapping, qualitative rapid assessments, etc.)
• Provide technical support to data encoder of the project: support and supervise data encoders and data managers in all aspects of field epidemiology.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Support regular projects, emergency response and operational research by reviewing existing and study-related data collection tools and data systems in place and propose necessary strategies and tools for quality data control as well as tools for data collection and analysis.
• Regional Health Indicator Monitoring and Horizon Scanning: Analyze the seasonality, trends, and future predictions of notifiable diseases of public health significance, including climate change that impacts health in the East African region. In collaboration with the Medical Coordinator/Deputy Medical Coordinator, integrate the anticipated scenarios into the OCG and the Intersectional Emergency Preparedness Plan.
• The epidemiology activity manager should also assume the responsibilities of the Epidemiologist if required
• Contribute to any statistical analysis and interpretation for the operations research of Dagahaley, Mombasa and upcoming research projects.
• At Dagahaley project-level, support the preparation of study coordinators at project level, training of research staff, set up of research-related QA/QC (incl., data mapping, data and patients flow, data dictionaries, creation of databases in KoBo, etc.)

Requirements

Education 

• Essential: Master’s Degree in Epidemiology, Public Health or equivalent with extensive training in statistics and epidemiology 
• Desirable, medical or nursing related diploma. Specialization or training in tropical diseases.

Experience 

• Essential: Medical or para-medial profile with extensive field experience of at least two (02) years in Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) or another humanitarian NGO, including having worked in the context of health systems in a developing country
• Essential: Experience in protocol writing and use of different quantitative study designs 
• Essential: Working experience of at least two years in epidemiological activities related jobs
• Essential: Experience on epidemiological data analysis

Languages 

• Essential: English & Swahili, Somali desirable Knowledge

Knowledge

• Essential: Essential computer literacy (word, excel, internet) 
• Essential: Mastering in (at least) one statistical package (eg. R, Stata…)

Competencies 

• People Management and Development L2 
• Commitment to MSF Principles L2 
• Behavioral Flexibility L3
• Results and Quality Orientation L3 
• Teamwork and Cooperation L3