National Environmental Surveillance Consultant, NOB at World Health Organization

Terms of Reference for the National Environmental Surveillance Consultant (NOB position)

• Under the supervision of the and UCN Cluster Lead, and the EPI Team lead the incumbent performs the following functions:

Summary of assigned duties:

• Participate in the preparation of and support the implementation and monitoring of a comprehensive surveillance workplan that includes Environmental Surveillance.
• Support the National and County authorities to achieve and sustain certification standard Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance, with a focus on environmental surveillance.
• Build capacity of personnel, including through on-job-training, on Environmental Surveillance under the overall context of Vaccine Preventable Disease surveillance through sharing of up-to-date tools and field guidance for ES implementation.
• Conduct investigation of poor performing ES sites and take appropriate action in conjunction with the sub-national and national teams.
• Collaborate with the national surveillance officers and the counties teams to optimize ES, especially in high-risk areas
• Collaborate with the national, county and sub-county surveillance officers to ensure digitization of all ES sites and application of other relevant ES electronic data tools including during supervision
• Collaborate with the national surveillance officers and other cadres at the Division of Disease Surveillance and Response of the Ministry of Health to regularly share ES feedback to all stakeholders in the country.
• In collaboration with other partners, facilitate outbreak risk assessments and timely outbreak investigations within the scope of the health emergencies.
• Undertake regular field support supervision visits to assess and evaluate the implementation of polio surveillance activities, with a focus on environmental surveillance, identify gaps and recommend corrective actions based on key performance indicators.
• Conduct quarterly desk review of environmental site performance to identify issues and timely follow up for corrective actions and rationalization of ES sites in the country.
• Ensure availability of environmental surveillance sample collection supplies and track timely transportation of samples from the ES sites to the designated polio laboratory.
• Participate in Surveillance review meetings and present data relevant to functioning of environmental surveillance for poliovirus to identify actions for improvement.
• Perform any other duties, as required by the EPI Team Lead.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Essential: First level university degree in medicine and/or public health  or other closely related health sciences.
• Desirable: Master's degree in public health or equivalent. Training in epidemiology and/or outbreak investigation will be asset.

Experience

• Essential: At least 5 years of experience required in public health surveillance with emphasis on the management of epidemic-prone diseases.
• Desirable: Experience in the areas of outbreak investigation and response for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and in particular, surveillance for poliomyelitis.

Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge, competency, and professional skills on the public health aspects of infectious disease control,
• Epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response and the use of event based and indicator-based surveillance, as well as descriptive epidemiology and principles of public health in communicable disease surveillance and response.
• Managerial skills for the development, implementation, monitoring and analysis of public health programmes for infectious diseases within a highly demanding work environment.
• Sound knowledge and skills in database management and statistical analysis, secondary data review, survey designing and implementation, monitoring and evaluation systems design or use, and public health information management-
• Strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations and technical guidance and advocacy documents.