Senior EPI Officer at International Rescue Committee

Senior EPI Officer

Employer: International Rescue Committee

Employment: Full-Time | Contract

Place of Work: mekelle, shire - Ethiopia

Posted date: 1 year ago

Deadline: Submission date is over

Job Description

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview/Summary:

The health sector in Ethiopia currently implements activities in three distinct settings: A refugee health program that is involved in the delivery of community-based reproductive health services as well as HIV/AIDS prevention activities; and a child survival community-based treatment program and community surveillance for measles, tetanus, and polio and also Emergence Response Mechanism (ERM). The Pfizer EPI Specialist will be part of the team in the Tigray region in three Zones (Northwest, Central, and South) and work toward ensuring Zero dose Children (ZDC) and missed communities in targeted fragile and conflict settings are served by quality immunization services integrated into Primary Health Care (PHC) platforms. He/ She will support the team in conducting training for community-level and facility-based health providers to ensure that ZDC is reached with high-quality immunization services. He/ she will lead the strengthening of surveillance systems by engaging with the communities by working with the HEWs, health workers, and other community-level collaborators such as Community Health Volunteers (CHVs/HDAs) to improve the awareness of the community to identify and report vaccine-preventable diseases and priority zoonotic diseases.

Major responsibilities include:

• Coordinating in the micro-plan preparation for immunization and SIAs campaign including for routine EPI and with emphasis on inaccessible, border, and poorly performing areas.
• Work with the Gavi REACH team to map out missed communities, ZDC, and hard-to-reach populations to develop strategies that will ensure adequate reach of immunization services.
• Coordinating effective cold chain logistics, including adequate forecasting, quantification, and requisition of vaccination supplies, timely delivery of vaccines and health supplies for campaigns and routine activities, vaccine stock management, and appropriate maintenance and expansion of the cold chain.
• Support team in developing weekly movement plans to project support areas in line with the project activity work plans to ensure regular support supervision and mentorship of field teams, last-mile delivery of HMIS, vaccine, and other needed supplies to health services delivery points.
• Develop IPC action plans with the relevant teams and use them for continuous quality improvement.
• Work with TRHB and key collaborators to design, and effectively disseminate risk communication and community mobilization (RCCE) materials on immunization to generate community acceptance and consensus.
• Support the project teams to detect, identify, report, and manage adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in supported project locations.
• Highlight gaps, using field reports and empirical data on performance and technical coverage in EPI activities that need to be addressed.
• Represent IRC and actively participate in weekly regional health and nutrition cluster meetings, RMNCH, pharmaceutical, MHPSS, and other technical working groups.

Grants Management

• Responsible for the preparation of activity, procurement, and spending plans.
• Responsible for revision and updating detailed activity, spending, and procurement plans accordingly.
• Ensure budget activity lines are assigned well as per the description in the proposal.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Compile, and report project progress reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual) to Senior Snr health and Nutrition Manager and Gavi REACH managers and coordinators.
• Ensure timely compilation of social mobilization field data, including social mobilization checklists within the overall polio and RI monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Supervise and evaluate the program activities and make sure that monthly & quarter indicators are met or not.
• Provide technical support to evaluate the efficiency of the program implementation and recommend changes in goals, objectives, intervention strategies, measurable outputs, and timelines.

Safeguarding Responsibilities: -

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion, and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue, and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

Qualifications

Education and experience

• Health Officer/Nursing/ MSc in PH qualification from a recognized college/University.

Work experience:

• Minimum of two years of relevant experience for degree holders and one year for postgraduate and five years of relevant experience for diploma holders.
• Work experience in immunization, and PHEM is an asset.
• Good project management skills and experience.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and manage the implementation of ZDC in hard-to-reach areas.
• Understanding of Expand program of immunization (EPI) and disease surveillance /PHEM/ policy in Ethiopia.

Personal specifications

• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload.
• Good interpersonal skills- verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.
• Ability to constructively address gaps and weaknesses.

Language Skills:

• Strong oral and written communication skills in English.
• Oral and written communication skills in Amharic, and Tigrigna is Advantageous