Sub-National Technical Assistant (COVID-19 & IDSR) at World Health Organization (WHO)

World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Sub-National Technical Assistant (COVID-19 & IDSR) - NOB

Job ID: 2300500
Location: Nigeria
Schedule: Full Time
Contractual Arrangement: Special Services Agreement (SSA)
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 6 Months
Grade: No grade
Organization: AF_NGA Nigeria

Purpose of the Position

• In the context of the WHO country office and health emergencies, the incumbent will manage the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of vaccines in the country as part of the multi-sectoral response plan for the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
• This includes developing operational plans, dissemination of risk communication messages, strengthening early warning and surveillance systems

Objectives of the Programme and immediate Strategic Objective:

• The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries and to coordinate international action when needed in other to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and other public health emergencies

Job Description
Organizational context:

• Reporting to the State Coordinator and under the overall guidance of the Health Operations and Technical Expertise Lead, in close coordination with other members of the WCO Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Cluster, the incumbent manages the prevention and control of disease outbreaks and ensures the continuity of essential health services.
• S/he will provide technical pertinence and scientific soundness of the sub-national health operations.
• This requires ongoing contact with counterparts from health cluster partners, other technical staff in partner agencies (both within and outside the UN system), and counterparts of ministries of health (MOH). S/He will work with the technical team at the organization’s two (State/LGA) levels.

Summary of Assigned Duties
(Describes what the incumbent must do to achieve main objectives, including main achievements expected):

Coordination of integrated COVID-19 vaccination campaigns with routine immunisation, non-Polio supplemental immunization activities(NPSIAs) and Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) to strengthen essential primary health care services:

• Make recommendations and give guidance on relevant courses of action to be taken in affected as well as non-affected LGAs/communities to prevent and control causes of excess morbidity and mortality
• Provide technical assistance on vaccination, enhanced surveillance, infection control (including personal protection), enhanced sanitation and hygiene, increased water and nutrients, prepositioning drugs, and medical supplies, etc.
• Technical support States to develop State Deployment and Vaccination Plan (SDVP) with input from stakeholders
• Technical support to State COVID-19 Technical Working Group for quality coordination, planning and integration of COVID-19 vaccine in the state
• Support states to identify and develop a master list of service providers who could effectively deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to various target populations
• Ensure state adherence and use of the National Integrated COVID-19 vaccine manual/protocol. These protocols would include updating state-specific readiness assessments, delivery strategies, training modalities, surveillance and AEFI protocols
• States Technical Assistants should liaise with SC / LGAs / SIOs / LIOs to plan and support the implementation of integrated COVID-19 vaccination campaigns
• Monitor interventions to integrate COVID-19 response and vaccination campaigns into existing health service delivery interventions and provide feedback

In close collaboration with the State Surveillance Officer, support the Ministry of Health in conducting detailed outbreak investigation, effective and prompt response and determining effective disease control strategies, including reactive vaccination campaigns:

• To conduct an in-depth epidemiological assessment (describe the characteristics of the cases in time, place, and person) of any ongoing outbreak to determine the source of infection and risk factors for the continuous transmission
• To strengthen the state team in coordinating and streamlining the outbreak response using the State Incident Management System (IMS) structure to enhance Surveillance, Case Management, Laboratory, WASH and Risk Communication activities
• Technical support to strengthen the state’s disease surveillance system to detect, report, investigate, manage, and treat diseases and cases of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) in the state. Conduct the periodic reporting of integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR), active case search and updating the line list
• Support the assessment of disruptions to essential health service provision at service delivery points at the State, LGA and community levels
• Identify and strengthen mechanisms for monitoring essential health service (EHS) continuity and identify and address other gaps in any outbreak response
• Manage the disease outbreak prevention and control activities in support of the MOH, collaborate with partners and facilitate the implementation of WHO’S most effective prevention, control, and response measures. Support the state in developing ICG request
• Monitor the early prevention, detection, verification assessment and investigation of any risk of an outbreak, co-develop action plans for interventions in high-risk groups and recommend measures for special attention
• To support the state with sample collection and transportation of samples in good condition to public health laboratory and the National reference laboratory Gaduwa, Abuja

Integrated COVID-19 training/orientations and sensitisation:

• Support the conduct of training of personnel for integrated vaccination campaigns as outlined in the national training plan.
• Liaise with State Immunisation Officers (SIOs) and Local Government Immunisation Officers (LIOs’) to support and facilitate training for teams and HWs on integrated COVID-19 vaccination.
• Conduct community sensitisation based on identified areas of needs from regularly analysed data.
• Update and submit to the State Coordinator (SC) with a copy to WCO of the list of sensitised community members, trained health workers and teams by Wards and LGAs to be included in the weekly and monthly reports.
• Validate the technical soundness of the training and communication materials
• Provide technical support to the SIOs, LIO and teams to ensure active participation in the recruitment of vaccination teams.
• Participate in states and LGA level training, supervise and participate in the activity at the wards level and share summary training reports with action points with SC copy to WCO.

Conduct Advocacy and Social Mobilisation for Demand Creation:

• Support monthly mapping out of areas/wards of non-compliance, under-served populations and the security-compromised regions by communities in the LGAs
• Support State and LGA teams to advocate for resource mobilisation from the State/LGA leaders and partners and implement demand creation activities to improve COVID - 19 acceptance
• Liaise with State and LGA authorities on advocacy plans to the State/LGA political leaders, Influencers, and traditional and religious leaders to promote compliance with the release of funds to support planned integrated COVID-19 campaigns.
• Facilitate meetings with the community committees and opinion leaders to sensitise them to improve vaccine uptake
• Ensure that messages are technically sound and socio-culturally appropriate to induce, engage and empower stakeholders in the prevention, mitigation, and control of risks
• Technical support to develop a robust advocacy, communication, and social mobilisation plan, which includes a risk management communication plan

Planning and Performance Management:

• Support states to estimate numbers of potential target populations for which COVAX is recommended, stratified by target group and geographic location
• Support the State and LGA technical teams in planning COVID-19 vaccinations integrated with other PHC services in hard-to-reach and other priority target populations.
• Verify micro plans in high-risk wards and share findings with state coordinators before implementation
• Support the organisation of planning meetings with ward focal persons to review past performance and identify critical issues and best practices.  Minutes of this meeting are to be shared with the SC, copying WCO
• Support LGAs / Wards in planning strategies to reach security-compromised settlements and document vaccinations conducted.
• Support vaccination teams to develop/ update and share quality vaccination implementation plans which include Micro planning revision and updating, Training Plans, Plans for Hard-to-reach areas, Supervisory Plans, Logistics Plans, Border synchronisation plans and Social mobilisation plans
• Develop a weekly activity plan to ensure adequate tracking and implementation of planned activities. Share with the SC and copy WCO every Friday of the preceding week
• Manage the rapid response teams responsible for the prompt investigation of alerts, field risk assessments and early response
• In collaboration with the State Coordinator, ensure the planning and implementation of response plans addressing the risk of an outbreak, co-develop action plans for interventions in high-risk groups and recommend measures for special attention

Vaccine Logistics availability and stock balance update, Work plans and Itineraries:

• Support the tracking of the availability of vaccines to avoid stock-outs by sharing State and LGA weekly vaccine stock balances with the SC copy WCO
• Support monitoring cold chain equipment, inventory management and vaccine forecasting to ensure last-mile vaccine availability
• Monitor proper COVID-19 vaccination waste management
• Support the development of vaccine requirements and distribution plans based on microprograms and coverage data from each LGA/ward.
• Support the development of logistics plans, including distribution plans for data tools and storage capacities for all sites.
• Support the States/LGA cold chain officer to conduct cold chain inventory and report gaps.
• Liaise with State/LGA teams and ward focal persons in planning and implementation of waste management plans to ensure proper disposal of COVID-19 vaccination waste
• Prepare quarterly State and LGA-integrated COVID-19 vaccination activity work plans in the standard format and submit them to the SC.
• Develop a monthly itinerary prioritising visits to poor-performing LGAs and Wards, monitoring fixed vaccination posts, mobile teams, under-served communities and hard-to-reach. This should be submitted to the SC/WCO by the 5th day of the preceding month

Conduct Close Supportive supervision, Feedback & corrective action, including Financial Management:

• Ensure no commitment is made to partners and State / Zone counterparts before clearance from the State coordinator is obtained
• Support in monitoring the implementation of vaccination payment by random verification of personnel payment and provide feedback to the Administration focal point and SC
• Prepare monthly supportive supervisory plans and reports to LGAs and wards, prioritising poor-performing ones
• Conduct at least four (4) supportive supervisory visits to the LGAs prioritising the low performing (documented using the ODK) and visit at least 12 vaccination sites (Fixed and mobile) monthly.
• Support the planning and conduct of the State and LGA monthly meetings in consultation with the SC, SIO, LIO and the State/LGA team and share minutes/reports.
• Supervise and monitor the quality of integrated COVID-19 vaccination in the state
• Support State and LGA to prepare monthly feedback and share with stakeholders (including Political and traditional) on COVID-19 integrated vaccination performance.
• Document best practices, scale up in other words, and share with SC copy to WCO.
• Support the information systems and the monitoring facilitating integration with national health information systems, as required.

Perform other related duties with support from the State Coordinator and WCO EPR team, as assigned and give feedback to the Ministry of Health.

Key Performance Indicators
Coordination of Integrated COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Routine Immunisation, Non-Polio Supplemental Immunisation (NPSIAs) Activities and Other Primary Health Care Services:

• Number of Pre- and intra-campaign checklists (ODK) submitted
• Number of weekly/monthly COVID-19 coordination meetings planned and attended.

Work Plan:

• Quarterly State and LGA-integrated COVID-19 vaccination work-plans
• Monthly itineraries
• Weekly activity plans

Vaccine availability and stock balance update:

• Monthly Vaccine availability and stock balance
• Weekly stock balance

Advocacy and Community sensitisation meetings:

• Number of advocacy visits planned and conducted
• Number of community sensitisation meetings planned and conducted segregated groups (including priority populations – IDPs, migrant and nomadic populations, Health Care Workers, and people with co-morbidities)

Training and Supportive Supervision:

• Number of trainings conducted
• Number of Health Workers trained by categories
• Number of supportive supervisory visits conducted to LGAS and vaccination sites
• Monthly reports on training and supportive supervisory visits conducted

Recruitment Profile
Education Qualifications:

Essential:

• First-level University Degree in Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Epidemiology, Pharmacy, Public Health Planning and Administration, complemented by training in a health-related field from an accredited/recognised institution.

Desirable:

• Specialist training in the prevention and management of cholera outbreaks and emergency management; specific training in humanitarian response, Training on epidemiology and outbreak investigation will be an asset.

Experience:
Essential:

• At least two (2) years of related experience at the LGA and State level in health operations with proven experience in managing outbreaks and health emergencies with a specific focus on cholera or COVID-19 response strategy, risk assessment, an ongoing analysis of outbreak evolution and the effectiveness of the response to it.

Desirable:

• Related experience in the development of strategies and action plans within the WHO
• Experience working in relevant UN agencies, NGO partners or humanitarian organisation
• Experience in areas of outbreak investigation and response for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, particularly at the LGA level.

Other Skills (e.g. IT):

• Knowledge of Microsoft office software applications

WHO Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organisation and beyond
• Knowing and managing yourself
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language and Skills:

• Expert knowledge of English language

Essential knowledge and the skills specific to the position:

• Strong technical skills in managing outbreaks
• Demonstrated skills in and knowledge of the rapid response operations and their implementation in emergencies as related to the cholera outbreak, complemented by demonstrated ability to identify and manage difficult situations
• Proven skills in managing multidisciplinary and multinational staff
• Comprehensive knowledge of the theory, principles, methods and techniques of public health, communicable diseases, and health service delivery
• Excellent writing skills (rich experience in proposal writing)

Application Closing Date
1st February, 2023 (11:59:00 PM).

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online