IPC Guideline Development Consultant at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is the government agency with the mandate to coordinate the surveillance, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks. Over the last three years, NCDC has deployed a new tool for disease surveillance. The Surveillance, Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS) is a system jointly developed between the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) to improve disease surveillance as well as detection and management of outbreaks and thus strengthen the public health service in Nigeria.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: IPC Guideline Development Consultant

Location: Nigeria

Main Activities and Responsibilities
Framework Development:

• Design and implement a robust framework for the development of evidence-based IPC guidelines.
• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and collaborate with subject matter experts to integrate the latest research findings.

National IPC Program Capacity Building:

• Conduct training sessions and workshops for National IPC Program staff to strengthen their skills in evidence synthesis, guideline development, and implementation strategies.
• Provide ongoing mentorship and support to empower the National IPC Program in maintaining and updating guidelines.

Guideline Development:

• Lead the development and updating of IPC guidelines, ensuring alignment with current evidence and best practices.
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand practical implications and feasibility of guideline recommendations.

Evidence Synthesis:

• Utilize advanced evidence synthesis methodologies to distill and summarize relevant research for guideline development.
• Stay current with emerging research and technological advancements in IPC.

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners, researchers, and regulatory bodies.
• Facilitate expert panel discussions and consensus-building activities.

Quality Assurance:

• Establish rigorous quality assurance processes to validate the scientific integrity of guidelines.
• Ensure guidelines are user-friendly, practical, and adaptable to diverse healthcare settings.

Internal Contribution:

• Undertake activities that support the IPC unit in meeting its National Objectives
• Reflect NCDC's goals in your work and behaviour
• Participate and support other NCDC's broader mission objectives.

External Contribution:

• To demonstrate good external relationship with all stakeholders
• Contribute to learned society/conference events, journals and grant reviews.

Professional Development:

• To keep up to date with the latest research/thinking in the field of IPC
• Undertake and complete all mandatory training required by NCDC as appropriate to the role and in accordance with HR policies for personal development 

Essential Criteria

• Advanced Degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in a relevant field (e.g., epidemiology, public health, medicine, microbiology) from an accredited/recognized university with 7 to 10 years of extensive experience in developing guidelines.
• IPC certification, preferably a postgraduate diploma, is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of research methodologies, evidence synthesis, and critical appraisal. 
• Proven track record of successful implementation of evidence-based practices in healthcare settings. 
• Strong project management abilities. 
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to scientific rigor. 
• Experience in building the capacity of others in the area of evidence-based guideline development.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), leadership, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

• Good command of Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Certification in the use of statistical analysis package

Person Specification:

• The post holder needs the following essential and desirable requirements. Applicants will be shortlisted solely on the extent to which they have met these requirements.

Application Closing Date
17th April, 2024.