Job Description

Readvertised VACANCY: Epidemiology Activity Manager

Position status: Full Time
Location: Sana’a
Duration : Fixed Contract for one year with possibility of renew

Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, humanitarian, non-governmental organisation providing assistance to people in need as a result of natural and man-made disasters, irrespective of race, religion, ideology or politics.

Main Purpose

Defining, designing, coordinating, supervising, analyzing, and communicating on the epidemiological activities ensuring the development of appropriate methodologies in line with MSF standard tools and protocols. He/she contributes to the mission/project strategy regarding epidemiological and medical activities. Within that framework, the primary objective for the Mission EPI manager is to monitor epidemiological situation in north of Yemen and alert timely the coordination team, Mobile emergency Team (MET) and regular projects for appropriate and timely emergency response actions in the face of any health emergencies event (e.g., Outbreaks, Nutrition crises…etc.).  in addition, the Mission Epi Manager will work closely with the data management team at all OCG project sites. He/She ensures the application of appropriate methodologies and adherence of data management team at project sites to MSF (data management) protocols and standards. He will consistently seek advice from HQ Epi advisors on mission epi related issue and will keep close contact with HIS officer at HQ. 

Accountabilities/Objectives specific to Yemen Context

• Defining, scheduling, and organizing, in close collaboration with other medical team members, the Yemen mission annual epidemiological activity plan as well as its associated budget, 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 aiming to improve the efficiency of epidemiology activities.
• Supervising, according to the Yemen mission annual plan, the epidemiological activities ensuring that contacts with relevant stakeholders and authorities are aligned with the objectives of those activities. Reporting on the progress of data collection, on ongoing analysis or on any issue causing delay, to achieve epidemiological goals on time. 

Country Level Epidemiological surveillance 

• To monitor constantly epidemiological situation (e.g., trends of relevant outbreak-prone diseases and nutrition situation) in North Yemen through active interaction with EIDEWS focal points at central and governorate level of MOPHP and other stockholders on the ground (Health cluster partners, INGos and Local NGOs) and alert timely the coordination medical team, MET and Regular projects on any unusual events or trends that requires immediate emergency response action by OCG. 
• Support and guide medical staff at project sites on local surveillance activities including active case finding (when applicable) , case definitions and data recording of the unusual health related event.( hands on support ).
• Carrying out key epidemiological activities in alert verification (exploratory mission) and outbreak investigation and its reporting (description of the event in term of time, place, people with emphasis on mapping when it is needed). He/she contributes to the planning process for response intervention in the face of any health emergency (e.g., concept note preparation…etc.). 
• As technical focal point and active team member, contribute to the Initial Assessment /Rapid health assessment in the face of any emergency, and (baseline or follow-up) surveys. Where standard protocols are not available or appropriate, to develop protocol seeking extensive advice from HQ epidemiology advisor and pilot testing of tools to ensure the objectives will be met robustly. 

Data management at OCG project sites: 

• While the final responsibility of the quality and analysis/interpretation of the routine data (eg. DHIS2) should remain on the PMR/MedCo, the Epidemiology Activity Manager could provide feedback and work together with PMR/MedCo to improve the quality or the analysis/interpretation of the routine data. 
• Supervising data encoding procedures, ensuring that all epidemiology/medical software tools are properly used and are updated regularly (e.g., DHIS2), aiming to ensure full data traceability and availability. Support data operator supervisors on implementation of new forms, updating dashboard, sharing concerns and issues emerged in the data recording and reporting system (DHIS2), with HIS officer at HQ. 
• Prepare, adapt, and propose routine documentation (survey forms, training materials, letters of request/notification, locally appropriate consent forms etc.) with support of HQ epidemiologist. Prepare an appropriate sampling frame and sample selection guidelines with support of HQ epi Advisor.
• Planning and supervising the associated HR processes of the staff under his/her responsibility (as functional line supervisor, if any) including recruitment, training/induction, evaluation, potential detection, development, and communication. He/she ensures that staff exhibits required skills after training and pilot test.
• Providing training sessions to medical teams on relevant aspects of epidemiology to enhance team response capacity.
• Work closely with Data operator supervisors, monitor randomly data encoding in the DHIS2 and provide timely feedback if shortcomings and drawbacks in data entry. Review monthly medical sitrep of the projects (Data aspects) and compare the data reported, with DHIS2 entries and feedback the team accordingly for corrections/modification.
• Assist and support the medical staff at managerial level in preparing epidemiological reports related to project catchment area, health facilities and to researched areas. 
• Propose relevant topics for operational research at MSF project sites, contribute to the development of operational research protocol with the support of HQ epidemiologist.
• As per request of Medco to participate on regular basis in national health related platforms such as country health cluster, nutrition cluster meeting, outbreak response taskforce…etc. (as observer)
• Remains responsible as focal point for the follow up and updating of the typology data (in DHIS2) with the project data supervisor for Yemen mission and project sites. 

Requirements

Education    

• Bachelor/Master’s degree in Epidemiology, Public Health or equivalent with extensive training in statistics and epidemiology

Experience    

• Essential working experience of at least 5 years in related jobs (experience in field of epidemiology).
• Essential experience on epidemiological data analysis.
• Desirable working experience with MSF or other NGOs.

Languages        

• English & Arabic languages essential 

Knowledge    

• Essential computer literacy (word, excel, internet)

Competencies:     

• Analytical skills L3
• Critical Reading and Writing skills L3.
• Communication skills L3 
• People Management and Development L2
• Commitment to MSF Principles L2
• Behavioral Flexibility L3
• Results and Quality Orientation L3
• Teamwork and Cooperation L3