Fresh Jobs at Abt Associates

Req Id: 53621
Location: Nigeria

Opportunity

• Abt Associates, a major American business and government research, technical assistance, and consulting company, manages the USAID-funded Vector Control Task Order 1. Task Order 1 will support the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and USAID to plan and implement an integrated vector control approach with the overall goal of reducing the burden of malaria.
• Abt has implemented indoor residual spraying (IRS) for PMI since 2011, delivering high-quality IRS programs and gathering the most comprehensive vector control entomological data in the world. Under this contract, Abt will expand entomological monitoring to guide programs focused on malaria vector control and continue to assist PMI in reducing the burden of malaria through malaria vector control and capacity building in 22 African countries where malaria is endemic.
• Under the supervision of the VCTO1 Technical Program Manager, based in Bethesda, MD (USA), the COP/Medical Entomologist will provide leadership and management oversight to the PMI VectorLink Project in Nigeria.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Work with the subcontracting institution on entomological monitoring in selected sentinel sites in Nigeria.
• Help maintain a mosquito colony from a Kisumu strain and an animal house to feed the mosquito colony. Ensure the colony has enough mosquitoes to run all susceptibility tests and different experiments on adult mosquitoes as required by the NMEP. Where necessary, maintain a population of local field- collected mosquitoes for various tests as required.
• Train entomology technicians from the NMEP on mantaining mosquito colonies in an insectary, different sampling techniques for mosquitoes (both adult and larvae) in sentinel sites, train technicians on identification, storing and transport of mosquito samples from the field to the insectary,ensuring the transfer of technical skills to local institutions.
• In collboration with NMEP:
• Help to maintain and expand sentinel sites for the enhanced entomological monitoring in different states. In collaboration with the subcontracting institutions, ensure that field monthly collection of entomological data on vector bionomics, mosquito behavior, and insecticide resistance at the identified sentinel sites completed on time.
• Test the impact of vector control interventions, such as the efficacy and durability of long lasting insecticide treated nets and indoor residual spraying, and help establish a strong monitoring and evaluation system in order to establish the entomological and epidemiological impact of vector control interventions on malaria transmission.
• In collaboration with the NMEP and partners work on national entonmological monitoring plan  and any other vector control policy documents.
• Work on the annual budget, and manage the budget in collaboration with other Abt Associates partners.
• Conduct weekly phone calls with the Techncial Program Manager and VCTO1 team on the insectary and field entomological activities.
• Write a Progress Report and Final Report in English on all the field entomological activities activities, recommendations for the NMEP sentinel sites, and vector control.
• Work with the NMEP and VCTO1 on procurement of local and international entomology supplies and clearing the goods at arrival in country. Maintain an inventory list for VCTO1.  Serve as Abt’s representative in-country for donor meetings as needed.

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• Masters degree (minimum), Doctorate degree (desirable), in Medical Entomology.
• 7 to 10 years of relevant professional work experience with a Masters Degree, or 4 to 6 years with a Doctorate, including significant amounts of experience directly realted to establishing an insectary and mosquito colony.
• Experience in training entomology technicians on entomological monitoring and field activities.
• Strong management and planning skills of an insectary and sentinel sites.
• Experience working with National Malaria Control Programs
• Experience with USAID and donor projects is highly desirable.
• Demonstrates leadership and team work and produces high quality work in a timely, cost effective manner and has excellent writing skills.

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Req Id: 51385
Locations: Kano and Lagos

Description

• Abt Associates seeks Kano and Lagos State Coordinators to support a private sector TB project under SHOPS Plus
• SHOPS Plus is USAID’s flagship initiative in private sector health. The project seeks to harness the full potential of the private sector and catalyze public-private engagement to improve health outcomes in TB, family planning, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and other health areas.
• In Nigeria, SHOPS Plus will capacitate private providers to scale up tuberculosis case finding, diagnosis, treatment and reporting in Lagos and Kano States.
• The State Coordinators will support implementation of a TB services expansion project that will  increase availability of TB services in the private sector, improve flow of suspected TB patients into detection and treatment centers, improve the quality of private sector TB services, and strengthen health systems to foster and sustain Public Private Mix (PPM) models for TB care.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Work closely with the TB Technical Director to implement private sector TB program in their states.
• Develop a system to target and reach the beneficiary populations.
• Develop and implement detailed action plans for activities.
• Serve as the main liaison among communities, facilities, and local government authority (NTBCLP, etc.).
• Develop and review technical resource materials (e.g., training materials, SBCC plans, strategy documents, job aids) and programming tools to support meeting project objectives.
• Supervise the Program Officer in mobilizing the community to plan and attend outreach activities.
• Work with TB Technical Director to implement referral system within the private sector network and to/from the public sector.
• Contribute to communication, advocacy and knowledge management tasks including documentation
• Contribute to the Activity Monitoring and Evaluation system.

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• Bachelor's (BS) or Master's (MS) Degree in Health Management, Public Health, Communications, Health Administration, or other relevant field.
• Ten years (BS) or eight years (MS) of relevant work experience, especially TB or other infectious diseases.
• Experience with private sector health service delivery at the provincial and/or district level.
• Ability to write technical papers and reports.
• Strong abilities to implement capacity building activities, training and workshops.
• Computer skills in MS Windows, Excel, Word.
• Ability to travel with the state approximately 50% of the time.

Minimum Qualifications:

• (6+) years of experience and a Master's Degree OR the equivalent combination of education and experience.