NSTOP State Field Coordinator at African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET)

Details

• The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), National Stop Transmission of Polio (NSTOP) Program seeks the services of a State Field Coordinator. 

Job Description
Polio Eradication Initiatives (PEI):

• In general, assist State PHC team and polio eradication emergency center (EOC) in strengthening PEI coordination at the State and LGA level.  

Specifically, provide support for polio eradication activities with a focus on: 

• Technical support for Polio SIA and outbreak response: 
  • Support all pre-implementation, implementation, and post implementation activities for SIAs and OBRs with focus on  
  • Supporting all trainings  
  • Supporting the updating of micro-plan and daily implementation plan  
  • Supporting the development of plans to reach nomadic/scattered populations and other under-served communities. 
  • Compile the list of settlements not reached during SIAs.  
  • Keep track of inaccessibility mapping across the State from ward level line list 
  • Support state in planning and conduct of in-between-rounds activities 
• Support outbreak investigations for polio and other vaccine preventable diseases 
• Coordinate and supervise NSLOs activities. 
• Coordination of volunteers in the State:
  • Review their monthly report and disseminate the feedback to the State. 
  • Support the State in integrating the Volunteers to support the State in-between round activities. 

Surveillance Activities:

• Strengthening surveillance:    
  • Provide technical support to the state surveillance officers (state Epidemiologist, State DSNO) in coordination, planning, supervision and monitoring of Polio and other VPD surveillance. 
  • Support state surveillance team with analysis and interpretation of surveillance data 
  • Attend and provide technical support during monthly surveillance review meeting at the state level and quarterly joint surveillance and immunization meeting 
  • Provide technical support for all surveillance related trainings and capacity building activity in the state   
  • Conduct active surveillance visits and clinician sensitization at major (tertiary and secondary) hospitals within the state 
  • Conduct surveillance supportive supervision to DSNO and NSLO in poor performing LGAs and provide technical and operational guidance to improve surveillance and address identified gaps  
  • Coordinate implementation of surveillance activities by community informant in inaccessible (CIIA) areas/settlements in the state 
  • Support surveillance activities among nomads, interstate and international border settlements and other chronically missed communities. 
  • Support national surveillance activities organized through the national surveillance working group of the national Polio EOC as the need arises  

Routine immunization activities:

• Strengthening routine immunization (RI) system: 
  • Provide technical support to SERICC in coordination, planning and monitoring RI activities. 
  • Ensure LGAs updated quarterly REW micro-plans and submit electronic versions to the states for tracking of its operationalization with at least 4 fixed and 4 outreach sessions a month form each health facility. 
  • Supervise and support the conduct of RI sessions and provide on-the-job training/mentoring of LGA teams and service RI providers.  
  • Support New vaccine introduction activities from the pre, intra to post implementation phases. 
  • Support special RI interventions to ensure quality plans are developed and implemented. 
  • Provide support to State/LGAs to identify and reach Zero dose children in prioritized LGAs and monitor targeted interventions to measure improvement.  
  • Support RI related capacity building activities in the state. 
  • Promptly work with states to identify and resolve challenges in the implementation of RI activities. 
  • Coordinate the activities of NSLOs and supervise their support to the LGAs 
  • Provide support for monthly/quarterly review of key RI indicators and work with states to identify and resolve challenges support the development of mitigation plans and its implementation to improve vaccination coverage. 
• Measles:
  • Provide support to measles surveillance in line with strategic Measles Elimination Initiative 
  • Case identification and reporting 
  • Case investigation with sample collection 
  • Outbreak response 
  • Data management 
  • Support measles SIAs 
  • Planning and coordination of pre-campaign activities 
  • Micro-planning development and verification 
  • Intra-campaign monitoring with support to vaccination team members and Data management 
  • Post campaign activities (Vaccine retrieval, Tally sheet analysis, waste management etc) 
• Data/DHIS2:
  • Provide technical oversight to the AFENET data manager supporting the polio ECO 
  • Ensure data manager supports all data management activities pre, intra and post campaigns 
  • Support the review of monthly RI data performance feedback developed by the DHIS2 FP 
  • Support the data manager to follow up with the state on addressing data reporting/quality gaps identified 
  • Work with data manager to strengthen NSLOs capacity on data management 
  • Share monthly DHIS2 RI data quality performance feedback to stakeholders at the state level and NSLOs 
  • Follow up with NSLOs on reporting of covid-19 AEFIs on the DHIS2 AEFI module from trained health facilities 

Qualifications
Certifications, license, Physical Requirements or Other Expertise Required:

• Education: Advanced Degree in Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Policy, Allied health, Veterinary Science, Biostatistics or other related field.  
• Pre-requisite: post-graduate training through a field epidemiology training program or the Epidemic intelligence Service (EIS).  
• The incumbent must have Nigeria field experience in vaccine preventable disease activities. Recent graduates of the NFELTP program will be preferred. 

Knowledge Requirements:

• Language proficiency in English Knowledge of Hausa is an added advantage. 

Job knowledge:

• Strong technical knowledge in public health, epidemiology, routine immunization, SIAs, disease outbreak investigation, data collection and management and data analysis. 

Skills and Abilities:

• Skills in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Access
• Demonstrated strong analytical skills
• Ability to clearly communicate orally and in writing
• Ability to engage in successful interaction; extensive contact with members of national and local partner organizations (WHO, UNICEF, Ministries of Health)