Technical Officer - Event Based Surveilance (EBS) - (AfCDC) at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Technical Officer - Event Based Surveilance (EBS) - (AfCDC)

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Reports to: Senior Technical Officer, Division of Lab 
Directorate/Department/Organ: Africa CDC
Division: Africa CDC Reference Laboratories
Job Grade: P2
Contract Type: Fixed Term

Purpose of Job

• The Event-based Surveillance (EBS) Technical Officer will work as part of the EBS team and support the establishment of EBS in Member States (MS).

Main Functions
This job involves the following main functions that are generally applicable for this category: 

• Monitoring and evaluating progress made in line with a predefined strategic plan. 
• Suggest new and expand on existing policy areas for planned research. 
• Contribute in conducting analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the respective Unit/Division and Africa CDC internal use. 
• Assist in setting the overall research direction of a relevant policy area. 
• Responsible for the delegation and execution of defined research areas. 
• Participate in the organisation of relevant meetings, congresses and conferences with stakeholders. 
• Engage with relevant mid-level stakeholders and develop working relationships. Support the promotion of the activities of the Division including preparing leaflets, guidelines and fact sheets. 
• Assist in drafting reports and participate in the preparation of budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Unit/Division 
• Provide technical support to internal and external stakeholders 

Specific Responsibilities

• Providing technical input into and supporting the development of training materials, guidelines, standard operating procedures and other materials related to strengthening EBS capacity in African Union (AU) Member States in line with the Africa CDC revised framework. 
• Assisting in the coordination of all activities related to EBS capacity development with Africa CDC member states. 
• Providing ongoing technical support to the surveillance office at Africa CDC and ministries of health in member states. 
• Liaising with key technical partners such as the Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), The Global Fund, WHO, and others to coordinate the implementation of EBS in AU MS. 
• Working with the regional EBS analysts to detect and analyze public health threats on the continent. 
• Conducting supervisory visits to countries implementing EBS and providing recommendations to improve identified gaps.  
• Conduct Africa CDC’s event-based surveillance (EBS) activities in line with the Africa CDC revised EBS framework, including media scanning, event verification, risk assessment, report writing and dissemination. 
• Support the operationalization of the EBS communities of practice in the five AU regions. 
• Contribute to continental alerts, reports, and outbreak briefs on events occurring on the continent. 
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders in the roll-out of EBS programs on the continent. 
• Support any other duties as assigned by the supervisor. 

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master's Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, or related fields, with a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience or Bachelor’s degree in public health, Epidemiology or related fields and a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience. 
• Completion of a Field Epidemiology Training program would be an added advantage 
• Demonstrable experience in supporting the implementation of public health programs with emphasis on EBS and epidemic intelligence. 
• Demonstrable experience in supporting the establishment of public health EBS systems in regional, national, or subnational settings. 
• Demonstrable experience and in-depth knowledge of operations of the Africa CDC, Regional Coordinating Centres and National Public Health Institutes. 
• Clear understanding of public health surveillance systems on the African continent and fair knowledge of operations of the Ministry of Health in the Member States. 
• Knowledge of public health surveillance guidelines, frameworks, and data capture, reporting and analyses platforms and tools on the continent.
• Experience with data analysis and interpretation.
• Experience with quality assurance.
• Experience in training and mentoring.

Required Skills:

• Ability to engage effectively and diplomatically with partners including national governments, donors and other stakeholders. 
• Excellent computer skills, including word-processing capabilities, proficiency with e-mail and internet applications, power-point, and experience in using analytic tools is desirable. 
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills with the ability to convey key messages to a variety of audiences and serve as an advocate for the Program’s activities. 
• Strong problem-solving abilities. 
• High level of autonomy at work, yet with profound team spirit. 
• Ability to work under pressure, with minimal supervision, and in a culturally diverse team. 
• Ability to plan and predict potential and emerging barriers. 
• Adaptive, patient, resourceful, resilient and flexible. 
• Proven ability to use clear, concise language in correspondence including content fit for purpose and audiences when preparing written briefs and reports.
• Ability to build strong relationships internally and with external stakeholders.
• Applicants must be proficient in at least one of the African Union working languages (English, French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese, Swahili). Knowledge of two or more of African Union working languages would be an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight
• Developing Others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Fosters Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Job Knowledge and information sharing
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Focus

Tenure of Appointment

• The Appointment will be made on a fixed-term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

Gender Mainstream:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Languages:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Remuneration
The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 85,212.07 (P2 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$  66,751.81  inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

Application Closing Date
6th June, 2024.