About IPHC-E

The International Institute for Primary Health Care -Ethiopia (IPHC-E), which was inaugurated on February 1, 2016, is envisioned to be a world class hub that will disseminate Ethiopia’s experience using Primary Health Care (PHC) approaches to achieve dramatic improvements in health. The Institute also strives to provide a global perspective—historical and current—of PHC experience around the world. The mission of the Institute is to proactively engage and drive the advancement of local and global PHC policy and programing. The Institute provides need-based capacity building training in PHC for trainees from Ethiopia, Africa and the rest of the world. Through PHC implementation research, the Institute provides up-to-date information on the strengths and weaknesses of Ethiopia’s own PHC program and contributes to continually building an even stronger PHC program that ensures fidelity to standards of care and high levels of service coverage for the population. To realize these aspiration, the Institute focuses on four programmatic areas: global support, local support, PHC advocacy, knowledge management, and capacity building.

Project Background

Trachoma is an infectious, bacterial eye disease that thrives where sanitation is poor and access to water for personal hygiene is limited. Prolonged trachoma infection can cause trichiasis - an advanced stage where the eyelashes turn inwards and painfully scratch the cornea, causing irreversible damage that can eventually lead to blindness. Besides being extremely painful, trichiasis may lead to long-term disability, reduced productivity in household and agricultural activities, and added economic pressure on often already deprived households.

Many countries have adopted the SAFE strategy that includes Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial hygiene and Environmental Sanitation. Creating access to trachomatous trichiasis (TT) surgery and providing quality service with low rates post-operative complications are critical to reaching the elimination target. However, with only one year left to achieve the 2020 target, Ethiopia has a backlog 310, 962 cases that need surgical intervention.

WHO recommends use of mid-level health professionals as part of its trachoma elimination strategy (WHO, 1999). Despite this recommendation, such professionals have always been in short supply in many countries including Ethiopia. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) 2019 report, there are only 547 active integrated Eye Care Workers (IECWs) for the whole country. In places where there is access to these surgeons, however, some patients decline surgery for various reasons (Derje H. 2008, Saun N, 2012).      

Operation Sight plans to train primary and secondary healthcare workers in trachoma management to build capacity at the MoH. These newly trained healthcare workers will be incentivised to locate and manage all remaining trichiasis cases, performing an estimated 310,962 surgeries, and provide follow-up care. Surgery kits will be procured and delivered, and a monitoring and evaluation strategy will be in place to monitor quality and progress in the targets. The investment emphasises capacity building within all levels of the MoH to ensure long-term sustainability of eye healthcare practices, delivered by the government and available to all Ethiopians without reliance on external implementation partners. Under this investment, approximately 1,094 new Eye Health Care Workers will be trained to conduct routine trachoma surgeries at a health post.

Specifically, the overall project objectives are to:

• Eliminate the TT backlog in endemic areas in Ethiopia
• Reduce the TT prevalence below 0.2%
• Reduce recurrence and reinfection of TT treated cases
• Improve the behavioural barriers to TT surgery uptake and,
• Build sustainable government capacity to retain and retrain IECWs

The program objectives will be met through the following interventions:

•  Recruitment, training, deployment, and continual evaluation of the IECWs
• Community sensitization and demand creation for TT surgery
• Monitoring the quality of TT surgery through individual follow up of cases using biometric methods and,
• Building government capacity to sustain the project beyond the intervention period

Job Overview

The trachoma Evaluation Site Coordinator (ESC) will participate in the evaluation of the Operation Sight project, by providing technical, administrative and all other related support to the evaluation, and by actively engaging and support the evaluation team at the study sites. The ESC will base at the study districts and closely work with the regional, zonal, woreda health office and health facilities. In addition, he/she will provide support to the Institute and will share what the Institute learns at local and global levels. 

Key responsibilities

• Provide overall technical and research support on the implementation of the Operation Sight evaluation project
• Work with the Evaluation Coordinator and PIs to plan and implement study activities at site level
• Carrying out the day-to-day operations including data collection, supervision of the activities of the research project
• Provide all the necessary support during evaluation planning, trainings, data collection, analysis, and report writing
• Make a daily visit to the catchment woreda health offices and health centers to supervise and manage data collection
• Ensure the quality of data collected per the study protocol and required standards
• Report daily performance, attend routine team meetings, and routinely communicate with the evaluation Coordinator
• Serve as technical & admin contact person for all project related activities in the assigned study site and health facilities
• Conduct a regular review with the evaluation team
• Develop the data collection work plan and ensure it is responsive to changing needs of the program
• Write periodic progress reports

Position Location: Oromia, SNNP and Amhara Regional Health office (study districts)  

Funding Source: Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Required number: 3

Term of employment: 12 months with possibility of extension

Job Requirements

Education Background and work experience

• BSc in cataract surgery or ophthalmic nurse & an MSc/MPH in health or health related fields, and a minimum of 4 years’ experience is preferable
• BSc in public health, nursing or MD AND an Msc/MPH in health or health related fields, and minimum of 4 years of experience can also apply
• Demonstrated and ample experience collaborating in public health and/or epidemiological research and/or program evaluation works
• Demonstrated and ample experience in coordinating public health and/or epidemiological research and/or program evaluation works
• High levels of personal motivation and willingness to be based in and work in the field
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Knowledge to the language and traditions of the community in the study site is an advantage 

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants are required to send their application letter and credential to the Human Resource Management within 10 days after the date of vacancy announcement by hr@crdaethiopia.org and hiwot.tadesse@iphce.org  

Address: Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA), Akaki Kality Sub City, Tel 0114390322, Debreziet road, adjacent to the Kality Ring Road round about, in front of Drivers and Mechanics Training Center. 

Note: Only short listed candidates will be contacted