The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Position Overview

The EPI/Surveillance Officer will be part of the health team in Gambella and works towards strengthen community-based surveillance of AFP, measles and NNT as well as priority zoonotic diseases. They will support the team in trainings for community level and facility-based health providers to ensure that Surveillance is an integral part of the activities. The EPI officer will have a big role to play in ensuring that EPI/Surveillance program are accepted by the beneficiary community by working with HEWs, human health workers, animal health workers and other community level stakeholders such as Community Health Volunteers (CHVs/HDAs) to improve the awareness of the community to identify and report vaccine preventable diseases and priority zoonotic diseases.

Major key Responsibilities:

•  Establish community-based surveillance activities for case detection and reporting, community awareness raising and participation
• Train CVs/HDAs and health workers on vaccine preventable diseases and priority zoonotic diseases.
• Support review meeting at health post, woreda and zonal levels.
• Conduct regular health facility assessment to improve immunization coverage and active case search.
• Conduct Joint supportive supervision with Government staff.
• Establish linkage between CVSFPs and HEWs
• Support Polio supplemental Immunization Activities (SIAs)
• Strengthen effective partnerships between Government, PVOs, NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies for information sharing
• Community sensitization on routine immunization.
• Prepare and distribute IEC materials for community mobilization.
• Train HEWs & Health workers on Immunization
• Identify and facilitate maintenance of non-function refrigerators and motor bikes.
• Support health facilities in outreach and defaulter tracing activities to improve EPI program.
• Improve documentation, reporting and utilization of immunization data especially at health post levels.
• Represent IRC to local communities, government departments and local partners.
• Support the senior health officer in report writing and submit both donor and Government on monthly, quarterly, Bi-annually and annually. 
• Support senior health officer in budget monitoring and preparing activity, spending and procurement plans.
•  Support the target woredas during micro planning, performance monitoring and evaluation of EPI and disease surveillance.
• Provide programmatic update on regular base at least twice in a month for the Senior health officer.
• Support the senior health officer in design and project implementation strategy for the effective integration of the project with the existing and other IRC project.
• Conduct any other relevant activities or duties as supposed by the supervisor.

Qualifications

Education and experience

• Public Health/health Officer/Nursing qualification from a recognized college/University.
• Work experience: Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience for diploma holders, 2 years of relevant experience with the first degree and 1 years of relevant experience for postgraduate
• Work experience in immunization, and PHEM is an asset.
• Good project management skills. Ability to plan, organizes, and supervises implementation of community-based Surveillance project on AFP, Measles and NNT.
• Understanding of Expand program of immunization (EPI) and diseases surveillance /PHEM/ program implementation and policy in Ethiopia.
• Knowing local language and are is advantageous.

Personal specifications

•  Ability to work under pressure, long work hours and high workload.
•  Excellent communication skills- verbal and written skills.
•  Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
•  Ability to work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.
•  Ability to constructively address gaps and weaknesses.